Curried Goat Stew
This amazing curried goat stew is intriguing and spicy without being overly hot. It’s enjoyed in the Caribbean and Africa with rice and plantains.
Okay, I know that goat meat can be off-putting, and you may have some reservations about eating it. But please don’t be so quick to dismiss it. You’d be surprised that it’s a must-have at parties, birth celebrations, weddings, and huge gatherings in the Caribbean, Latin America, and throughout Africa.
In fact, did you know it is the most popular meat throughout the world, and, as a bonus, it’s healthier than the standard meat choices because it’s lean and has less saturated fat, calories, and cholesterol.
The Best Way to Cook Goat
There are many ways to prepare goat meat. However, low and slow is the best way to bring out its full flavor and tenderize it. Curry is my favorite way to cook it because there’s something about the spices that mellows the goaty flavor.
Be careful when shopping for goat meat, as the older the goat is, the gamier it will taste. Some people love that gamey taste, others not so much. That gamey taste can be attributed to the gender; females are less gamey, while males have a stronger flavor.
Organic, free-range goat is better if you can get it. And the younger the goat, the more it tastes like a cross between lamb and beef. So feel free to replace it with lamb shanks or beef brisket in this recipe.
How to Make Curried Goat Stew
- Cook the goat meat for 60-90 minutes, depending on how you like your goat cooked. A pressure cooker will shorten the process. Strain the meat and reserve the stock for later.
- Brown the goat for 5-10 minutes. (Photo 1)
- Add onions, ginger, and garlic to perfume the oil and meat, and continue frying for 1-2 minutes, being careful not to let the garlic burn. (Photo 2)
- Stir in the diced tomatoes, curry powder, white pepper, smoked paprika, hot pepper, thyme, and parsley. Continue stirring to prevent the sauce from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Add about 2 cups of the reserved stock, along with salt and bouillon to taste. Simmer for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding water or stock as needed. (Photo 3)
- Serve – Finally, add the green onions. Adjust seasonings and sauce consistency with water or stock and salt. Serve warm with the desired side dishes. (Photo 4)
Recipe Tips and Notes
- How long it takes the goat to cook tender depends on your altitude and the age of the goat. Once it took 5 hours, so keep that in mind when calculating dinner time.
- You can cut the cooking time in half by using a pressure cooker, especially for the tougher cuts of meat.
Make-Ahead and Storage
This stew tastes even better the next day. So go ahead and make a double batch; one for now and one for the freezer for a stress-free weeknight dinner later. It will last 3-4 days in the fridge or 3-4 months in the freezer.
What Pairs With Curried Goat Stew
Enjoy this traditional stew with coconut rice, fried plantains, or a vegetable side of your choice (stewed spinach is terrific).
More Spicy African Recipes to Enjoy
By Imma
Watch How to Make It
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Curried Goat Stew
Ingredients
- 2½-3 pounds (1-2kg) goat meat, cut into small pieces
- salt and pepper to taste (see notes)
- 1 medium onion, chopped (half for cooking the goat and half for the stew)
- water, enough to cover the meat
- ¼ cup (60ml) cooking oil
- 1 teaspoon (4-5g) minced ginger
- 1 teaspoon (5g) minced garlic
- 4 Roma tomatoes, diced
- 3-4 teaspoons (7-10g) curry powder
- 1 teaspoon (2-3g) white pepper
- 1 teaspoon (3g) smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon (8-9g) chopped fresh thyme
- 2 tablespoons (4g) parsley
- 2 green onions, sliced
- 1 scotch bonnet pepper (adjust to taste or replace with any hot pepper)
- 1 tablespoon (10g) Maggie bouillon (optional)
Instructions
- Boil goat meat with salt, pepper, half of the chopped onions, and water to cover in a stock pot until tender. It takes approximately 60-90 minutes or more, depending on how you like your goat cooked. I sometimes use the pressure cooker to shorten the process. Strain the meat and reserve the stock for later.
- Add ¼ cup of oil to the pan and brown the goat for 5-10 minutes.
- Then, add the rest of the chopped onions, ginger, and garlic to perfume the oil and meat, and continue frying the meat for 1-2 minutes, being careful not to let the garlic burn.
- Next, add diced tomatoes, curry powder, white pepper, smoked paprika, hot pepper, thyme, and parsley. Stir the pot frequently to prevent the sauce from sticking.
- Add about 2 cups of the reserved stock, along with salt and bouillon to taste. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30-40 minutes. Stir occasionally, adding water or stock as needed.
- Finally, add the green onions. Adjust seasonings and sauce consistency with water or stock and salt.
- Serve warm with the desired side dishes.
Tips & Notes:
- Be careful when shopping for goat meat; the older the goat is, the gamier it will taste.
- Feel free to replace goat meat with lamb shanks or beef brisket.
- A good average for salt to taste is ¾-1 teaspoon or 4-6 grams of salt per pound. If you start with ½ a teaspoon per pound, you can always add more later.
- The goat meat is slow-cooked for 1-2 hours, but you can cut the cooking time in half by using a pressure cooker. Tougher cuts of meat take about 35 minutes, with a 10-minute natural release to finish the job.
- You can thin the sauce by adding more stock or water.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
I made this stew, hoping it would taste like the Caribbean & African flavors I was craving. However, I found the instructions and ingredients were too vague to be of much use. Goat curry/ Goat stew is my favorite dish, but it’s rare to find it where I live outside of Indian food. Which is why I was looking for a recipe to use as a foundation for texture, and that is what I found lacking. There wasn’t enough description or tips on how to tell if you have the ideal proportions of ingredients. Given the size tomatoes, or even a the cut of goat varies.
I usually don’t write reviews, but in this case I felt compelled to do so in hopes of encouraging the chef to add more descriptive details about consistency, color, texture, the ideal type of pot to cook in, how much water to use, etc.
The pictures looked delicious, and I was hoping to create what I was seeing. However, I was left to guess on, what I feel are the foundational aspects of any recipe…creating the broth/rue/base of the dish.
Anyhow, the site wouldn’t allow me to select the number of stars I would have rated the recipe, AND I am not interested in dropping a fellow culinary artist’s rating. So, instead I will ask points of information:
1. What cut of goat do you prefer when making a stew/curry?
2. How much water should be used in creating the broth in the first step?
3. What type of onion delivers the most authentic flavor?
4. What is the parsley for?
5. What is the ideal type and size of cookware to use? (Round bottom, Dutch oven, shallow or deep pot? And how does this affect consistency?
6. Why Roma tomatoes? They seem to have almost no flavor whenever I’ve used them. Is there another tomato that could be used that has a stronger flavor?
Thank you for your response. I will try again once I have a greater/step-by-step understanding of how this slow cooked dish can be made successfully.
Peace and blessings
Hello Taylor, thanks for stopping by.
There is no need to complicate this recipe. If you want more flavor, add more spices.
1. What cut of goat do you prefer when making a stew/curry? I buy half a goat and have the butcher cut it up. Then, I use what I need for the recipe and freeze the rest of it for another day.
2. How much water should be used in creating the broth in the first step? As much water as you need to cover the meat. That will depend on the size of your pot.
3. What type of onion delivers the most authentic flavor? Whatever onion you have in your pantry.
4. What is the parsley for? You add it with the other seasonings; I’ll fix the recipe. Thank you for pointing that out.
5. What is the ideal type and size of cookware to use? (Round bottom, Dutch oven, shallow or deep pot? And how does this affect consistency? Whatever you have that is large enough, there’s no reason to buy expensive cookware.
6. Why Roma tomatoes? They seem to have almost no flavor whenever I’ve used them. Is there another tomato that could be used that has a stronger flavor? My Roma tomatoes have always been flavorful, maybe the ones you got were picked too green. And since they are less juicy, they don’t water down the stew. However, you can use whatever tomatoes you have and love.
Hopefully this answers your questions.
Made this and it was delicious. An easy way to print recipe only would be beneficial
Hi Adam. I’m so glad you liked it. In the recipe card right under the picture, you’ll see a print button. When you click on it, there will be a popup encouraging you to sign up for my newsletters. Just click the X to close it, and the print option will appear. Hope that helps.
Good
Can I use ground spices instead of seeds, this recipe sounds good
Yes, definitely. Happy cooking!:)
Will this work well with tomato sauce/paste instead of the Roma tomatoes?
Yes, it would. It’s a ¼ cup of tomato paste or 1 cup of tomato sauce to replace the fresh tomatoes. You may want to add ½ cup of water if you use the tomato paste.
Thanks so much for your reply!
My pleasure. Don’t forget to share your experience with us, Cheers!!!
Hi! Can I freeze this recipe?
Hi Penelope. Yes, you can.