Curry Goat

Allow about 20 minutes to prepare and measure the goat and all vegetables, including peeling and cutting the potatoes into 2cm cubes and carrots into 1cm slices; allow longer if needed. Prepare vegetables first or on a separate clean board. Do not rinse raw goat; trim if needed and cut any large pieces to an even 3–4cm size. Mix the goat with the curry powder, 15ml oil, turmeric, black pepper and 2¼ tsp all-purpose seasoning. Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours, keeping it below 3°C and cooking on the day the pack is opened, within its use-by date. Keep prepared vegetables refrigerated separately. Cover the peeled potato cubes with cold water in a separate covered container in the fridge to prevent discolouring during marination; drain before adding to the curry. This soaking water is discarded and is separate from the listed 375ml cooking water. Wash hands and clean utensils and surfaces after raw meat. Wash the optional Scotch bonnet and keep it intact; use gloves or wash hands thoroughly after handling and avoid touching eyes.

Use a 4–5 litre heavy casserole with a close-fitting lid. Divide the 15ml browning oil into three 5ml portions. Heat the first portion over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes, until shimmering. Lift the goat from any pooled marinade and brown in three uncrowded batches, adding a further 5ml oil for each subsequent batch. Turn the pieces until coloured on several sides; remove each batch to a plate. Allow about 20 minutes in total for browning, longer if needed. If your casserole base is too narrow, use more smaller batches and divide the same 15ml between them; do not crowd the meat. Lower the heat if the spices darken too quickly. Discard all pooled uncooked marinade; never use it as a finishing sauce.

Take the casserole off the heat briefly. If residue is black, carefully wipe out the burnt residue with kitchen paper held in tongs; retain browned residue. Return to medium-low heat and add the onion, spring onions and the reserved 15ml from the listed 375ml water together. Soften for about 4 minutes, stirring and scraping up browned residue; add a little extra water if needed to prevent catching, not extra oil. Stir in the garlic, ginger and thyme for the final 1 minute, until fragrant. This combined stage takes about 5 minutes; extend it if the onion is not soft. Return the goat and all plate juices. Add the optional washed whole Scotch bonnet intact; it can still give substantial heat.

Add the remaining 360ml listed water and enough extra hot water to reach about halfway up the meat. The 375ml is a starting quantity, not a fixed fill: the pot width and evaporation determine extra water. Do not submerge the meat in a deep broth; keep enough headroom for the vegetables and gentle stirring. Scrape up browned, not blackened, residue. Bring to a gentle simmer over about 5 minutes, then cover and reduce to low. Simmer for 100 minutes, checking every 30 minutes during this stage and any extended tenderisation, stirring and adding hot water if the sauce catches or gets too dry. If the meat is still firm, allow around 0–60 additional minutes as a planning allowance, and longer if needed. Keep simmering until nearly fork-tender before adding the vegetables; tenderness, not the clock, determines readiness.

Once the goat is nearly fork-tender, stir in the potatoes and carrots. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and the meat yields easily to a fork. Add a little hot water if needed; continue if either is not tender and allow extra time. Before serving, check that the curry is steaming hot throughout. With a clean food thermometer, check the centre of several of the largest goat pieces reaches at least 70°C for 2 minutes; clean the probe after each use according to its instructions, including between pieces, and maintain the gentle simmer during this check. Count the 2-minute hold within the vegetable simmer only if that temperature is actually maintained there; otherwise extend the cooking until the endpoint is achieved. It is not a resting stage. Fork-tender meat is a texture cue, not a substitute for thorough cooking.

Remove and discard the thyme stems and whole chilli, if used. Simmer uncovered for about 5 minutes until the sauce coats a spoon, stirring; mash a few potato pieces into the sauce if preferred. Allow extra reduction time if needed. Taste the finished curry before adding salt. Serve with rice and cucumber and leaf salad for four; accompaniment preparation is outside the core basket and not included in the stew timings.