Curry Goat

As tradition built it

Serves 6. About 2.5 hours.

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg goat, bone in, cut into pieces
• 3 tbsp curry powder
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 thumb ginger, grated
• 2 spring onions
• 1 scotch bonnet, whole
• 2 potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 500 ml water or stock
• as needed vegetable oil
• to taste salt

Method

1. Rub the goat pieces with 2 tablespoons of the curry powder, and marinate, ideally overnight, at least 1 hour.
2. Brown the goat in hot oil in batches, 8 to 10 minutes, and set aside.
3. Fry the onion, garlic and ginger in the same pot until softened, 4 to 5 minutes.
4. Stir in the remaining curry powder, and cook 1 minute to release its aroma.
5. Return the goat to the pot, add the spring onion, scotch bonnet and water or stock, and bring to a simmer.
6. Cover, and simmer gently 1.5 to 2 hours, until the meat is falling from the bone, adding the potato for the final 30 minutes.
7. Remove the scotch bonnet before serving, seasoning with salt to taste, with rice and peas.

What a modern chef changes

The same long braise, held with more precision than a stovetop pot allows.

Rung 5.

Method

1. Braise the goat sous vide, around 82°C for 12 hours, in the curry base built exactly as above, then reduce the strained braising liquid separately before returning the meat to it, for consistently tender meat across every cut rather than the uneven result a rolling stovetop simmer often gives.
2. Sear the goat hard in a very hot pan before it ever goes into the braise, building a depth of flavour a long, gentle sous vide bath alone cannot develop on its own.
3. Cook the potato entirely separately, timed precisely so it holds its shape, rather than risking it breaking down into the sauce over a long stovetop simmer.