Trinidad Curry Goat Recipe

Trini curry goat

Name: Trini curry goat
Total time: 3 h 20 min
Yield: Serves 6
Ingredients: 1kg goat neck fillet cut into large cubes; 3 tbsp mild Caribbean curry powder (see note's below); 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 cinnamon stick; 8 sprigs thyme; ½ a small bunch coriander leaves picked to serve; to serve basmati rice; to serve rotis; to serve hot pepper sauce; 6 spring onions chopped; ½ red pepper chopped; 4 sprigs thyme leaves picked; ½ a small bunch coriander chopped; ½ a small bunch flat-leaf parsley chopped; 8 cloves garlic crushed; a thumb-sized piece ginger grated; 1 ½ scotch bonnet chillies seeded; 150ml white wine vinegar; 3 tbsp honey; 1 tsp sea salt

Adam Bush

Published: January 12, 2018 at 5:14 PM

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Serves 6

Easy

Total time: 3 hrs and 20 mins

+ marinating

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Check out this easy Trini goat curry, inspired from traditional Trinidadian food culture. Our cookery writer Adam shares the personal inspirations behind some of his favourite – and most requested – recipes

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Our cookery writer, Adam Bush, tells us about the inspiration behind his Trini goat curry...

"Trinidad is very much off the beaten tourist track, at the bottom of the Caribbean archipelago, but with that comes its appeal (read our guide to Trinidad and Tobago here). Tourists flock to the clear waters and white sand of Tobago, Trinidad’s sister island, but often overlook the more industrial Trinidad. It’s raw and unfiltered, and lacks the polished sheen of more touristy Caribbean islands. It was this industry that drew my dad there to work, which meant I was lucky enough to visit him and explore this amazing island. This is the real Caribbean – it’s loud and busy but unbelievably charming. This is echoed in the food, which is no nonsense, full flavoured and vibrant.

What makes Trinidadian cookery so unique is the large Indian community that emigrated there in the 19th century. The British offered low-paid manual-labour jobs in Trinidad, and an estimated 150,000 Indians made the journey to the island. With them came their food culture, and this eventually merged with local cuisines. The use of curry powder in goat curry is a clear example of this culinary influence. South Asian spicing is common in Trinidadian food – take the street food staple doubles, which is curried chickpeas sandwiched between two baras – deep-fried breads – served with tamarind or mango chutney and doused in hot pepper sauce.

Goat curry is usually served with buss up shot – a flaky, buttery flatbread that is beaten with two sticks to release the steam inside. Similar to Indian paratha, it’s great for mopping up sauces. It gets its name as, once beaten with the sticks, it resembles rags due to the flaky, layered way it is rolled – ‘bust up shirt’ is the way you should read it, but no Trini would understand if you said it like that!

For me this dish is everything I like in Caribbean food. A humble meat like goat is transformed through slow and gentle cooking into something tender and delicious. The curry powder and cinnamon give depth through gentle spicing, and the ‘green seasoning’ of spring onion, scotch bonnet and coriander changes this curry from Asian to West Indian, bringing zing, vibrancy and fruity fire from the chillies.

If I was to have a final meal, this could well be it. Get plenty of roti or paratha to soak up that delicious sauce, serve with extra hot sauce if you dare, and a rum and coke."

Ingredients

Nutrition

1kg goat neck fillet

cut into large cubes
3 tbsp mild Caribbean curry powder

(see note's below)
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 cinnamon stick
8 sprigs thyme
½ a small bunch coriander

leaves picked to serve
to serve basmati rice
to serve rotis
to serve hot pepper sauce

GREEN SEASONING

6 spring onions

chopped
½ red pepper

chopped
4 sprigs thyme

leaves picked
½ a small bunch coriander

chopped
½ a small bunch flat-leaf parsley

chopped
8 cloves garlic

crushed
a thumb-sized piece ginger

grated
1 ½ scotch bonnet chillies

seeded
150ml white wine vinegar
3 tbsp honey
1 tsp sea salt

Nutrition: per serving

kcal265

low
fat8.2g
saturates1.5g
carbs10.7g
sugars8.5g
fibre2.6g
protein35.8g
salt1.2g

Method

step 1

Mix the goat meat with the curry powder in a big bowl or food bag and marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.
step 2

Put all of the green seasoning ingredients into a food processor and whizz until smooth.
step 3

Heat the vegetable oil in a large casserole and brown the meat in small batches. Tip all the meat back into the pan along with the cinnamon stick, thyme, green seasoning and enough water to cover. Bring to a simmer, put on a lid and simmer gently for 2 hours. Remove the lid and continue simmering for 1 hour until the meat is very tender and the sauce has reduced.
step 4

Season and scatter with coriander, and serve with rice, rotis and hot pepper sauce.

Use Dunn’s River mild Caribbean curry powder, available at West Indian supermarkets and some large supermarkets, for the most authentic-tasting curry. Goat neck fillet will be available to order from your butcher, but goat shoulder, cut into similar-sized pieces, or lamb neck fillet, will work just as well.

We've got many more curry recipes here...

Authors

Adam Bush Chef Portrait

Adam BushDeputy food editor

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