Amidst the hustle, bustle and clinking I sat and stared, and stared some more. It pulled me closer and closer but yet I get no nearer; one day I will, I thought. It was just an image then; an image that hypnotised me every time I visited. But soon it will be real, I hoped…Where was I? Check the video to find out.
Nepalese Goat Curry
Ingredients
For the goat:
1.5kg bone-in goat leg
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
5 cloves garlic – crushed
2 pinches sea salt
1 tsp. black/brown mustard seeds
For the tomato purée:
3 medium tomatoes – cored and cut into quarters
1 medium red onion – cut into 8 wedges
5cm piece of ginger – peeled and sliced
5 garlic cloves – peeled and halved
2 red chillies – roughly chopped (optional – remove pith and seeds to reduce heat)
1 cup water
For the curry:
4 tbsp. grapeseed oil (or other non-fragrant oil)
1 tsp. fenugreek seeds
1 whole star anise
2 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick
2 tsp. ground turmeric
1 tsp. asafoetida
2 tsp. cumin seeds – toasted and ground
2 tsp. coriander seeds – toasted and ground
2 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. garam masala
A handful of coriander leaves for serving
Sea salt for seasoning
Method
For the goat: remove the goat meat from the bone and cut into 4-5cm pieces. Place the goat meat and bone in a large bowl and add the grapeseed oil, crushed garlic, sea salt and mustard seeds. Massage the ingredients in to the meat so it is coated evenly. Cover and refrigerate for anywhere between 1 and 8 hours (the longer the better). Remove the goat from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking.
Preheat your grill (or broiler) to high and slide a rack underneath about 15-20cm from the grill.
For the tomato purée: line a large baking sheet with foil or baking parchment. Place the tomatoes, red onion, ginger, red chillies and garlic on the baking sheet and grill on the placed rack until the tomatoes are soft and starting to blacken – probably in about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the rack and allow to cool slightly. Add to a food processor with the cup of water and blend until smooth. Set aside.
For this recipe I will be using a pressure cooker; if you don’t have one then use a large heavy based pot
For the curry: heat the 4 tablespoons of grapeseed oil in the pressure cooker (or heavy based pan if using) over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the fenugreek, star anise, bay leaves and cinnamon stick. Cook, stirring, until the spices are fragrant and the bay leaves and fenugreek are starting to brown. Now add the goat meat and reserved bone (this will add flavour to the final curry) and stir. Cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until the meat is cooked on the outside and starting to brown slightly.
Add the turmeric, asafoetida, ground cumin, ground coriander, curry powder and garam masala. Stir and cook for about 30 seconds to a minute so the goat is well covered. Add the tomato purée and seasoning, stir and bring to the boil.
If using a pressure cook put the lid on and bring the cooker up to the correct pressure, adjusting the heat as necessary. Cook for 1 hour and 30 minutes, then remove from the heat and release the pressure.
If cooking in a heavy based pan then turn the heat to low/medium and cook, covered, until the goat is very tender. This will take about about 2½-3 hours. Check regularly to ensure the meat doesn’t stick to the base of the pan.
Check the curry for seasoning, add extra if necessary. With the pan lid off reduce the curry to a thicker consistency if required – particularly if you are using a pressure cooker. Transfer the goat curry to a warm serving bowl and garnish with the coriander leaves. Serve with flatbreads or basmati rice.
