Goat curry

Serves 4-6

Serve goat curry with basmati rice and scatter with the sprigs of coriander (Jason Lowe)

I was recently reminded that, like sheep, older goats are referred to as mutton. Which could confuse people who think they are getting sheep when they are actually getting goat! But, actually, goat is quite delicious and as good as any lamb or veal – the only problem is getting decent goat meat. Many butchers do actually sell goat, but you may well need to pre-order it.

It's worth making a batch of the roasted curry spices and keeping them in a kilner jar. This quantity makes more than you need but you can keep the remainder for a rainy day.

For the roasted curry spices

1tbsp fenugreek seeds
1tbsp fennel seeds
1tbsp fenugreek leaves
1tbsp cumin seeds
1tbsp dried chilli powder
½tbsp caraway seeds
½tbsp nigella seeds
1tbsp turmeric
8 cloves
1tbsp mustard seeds
½tbsp podded cardamon seeds (the black seeds inside the green pods)
1tbsp ground cumin
1tbsp ground coriander
1tsp ground cinnamon

Grind all the whole spices in a spice grinder or with a pestle and mortar. Then mix them with the already ground spices and sprinkle into a heavy-bottomed frying pan.

Cook over a medium heat, stirring constantly and not letting them burn, until they turn dark brown. Transfer to a plate and leave to cool, then store in a sealed jar.

For the curry

800g-1kg goat meat, cut into rough 3-4cm chunks
2-3tbsp natural yogurt
2 medium red onions, peeled and finely chopped
3 medium cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
A small piece of root ginger, scraped and finely grated
A good pinch of saffron
A good pinch of curry leaves
75g ghee (or a half oil/half butter mix)
2tbsp roasted curry powder (see above)
1tbsp tomato purée
500ml lamb or beef stock, made from a good stock cube is fine
A few sprigs of coriander,roughly chopped

Marinate the goat in the yogurt for a couple of hours. Meanwhile, gently cook the onion, garlic, ginger, saffron and curry leaves in two thirds of the ghee for 3-4 minutes, until soft. Add the curry spices and tomato purée and stir well. Add the stock, bring to the boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Blend the sauce in a liquidiser, until smooth, then strain through a fine-meshed sieve into a clean pan, pushing as much through the sieve as possible.

Return to a low heat and simmer until the sauce has reduced and thickened.

Heat the remaining ghee in a frying pan, remove the excess yogurt from the goat and season and fry until lightly coloured. Pour the sauce in and simmer gently for about 1-2 hours or until tender, topping up with water or more stock as it's cooking. Add the coriander and simmer for another couple of minutes.

Serve with basmati rice and scatter with the sprigs of coriander.