For your convenience, I include cooking instructions for both the slow cooked stove top method and pressure cooker / Instant Pot method in this post. No matter how you choose to cook it, you are going to love the intense flavors of this indian goat dish. Growing up, one of our favorite indian dinner dishes used to be slow cooked authentic mutton curry. It used to be a loved Sunday ritual in our home, besides rich and aromatic bhuna gosht that appeared on the table at least once a month. Sometimes mom would make red mutton curry or keema masala with mutton mince. However, mostly it were simple homestyle mutton curries that ruled those lazy afternoon lunches. In those days, slow cooking was an elaborate affair involving loads of patience, scratch made spice pastes and (sometimes)cooking separate parts of the meat in separate pots to make sure that no overcooking happens. On most days, I love to slow cook meat because I feel that it really does justice to its robust flavor. This slow cooked lamb curry or indian style goat korma are few of our low and slow cooked house favorites! However, all of us have hectic days and I do resort to the convenience of pressure cooker many times to quicken things up. In my head, the standards of a meat curry are pretty high. Coming from a family that takes meat dishes very seriously, for many years, I shied away from cooking red meat in my own kitchen. What if I overcooked or underspiced it? In fact, I remember one of the first times I made meat curry here, I had no idea to trim the meat (because in India they usually sell it trimmed!). After cooking, the meat chunks were floating in a pool of oil. What a mishap!
About Goat Curry
Goat or mutton curry is a favorite among non vegetarian indian curries. This curried goat dish is popular all over the indian subcontinent as well as in caribbean cuisine where the dish travelled with indian diaspora.
In India, the most popular red meat of choice (for meat consuming population) is mutton.
Mutton curry is a basic homestyle meat curry cooked in many ways across different regions of the country. There are differences in recipes from cook to cook in terms of the selection of spices, flavoring herbs and the cooking techniques. For example north indian or punjabi goat curry will use spices like coriander & garam masala and yogurt, but a south Indian goat curry might use curry leaves, coconut or coconut milk.
It’s been over a decade of living here in Las Vegas and I have never found fresh or frozen mutton. In my initial years of stay here, it wasn’t easy to find goat meat either. There used to be a lone middle eastern shop miles away from our home. But, in the past 3-4 years, a few more shops have sprung up and I can easily find goat meat here now.
Why You Will Love This Recipe
Simplicity - This is such a simple and straightforward recipe. You need few whole spices, alliums, basic powdered spices and yogurt. Thats it. You probably have everything at home right now! No marination needed - No matter how you cook it- slow or pressure cook, you really don’t need to marinate the meat prior to cooking. This saves effort and time. Can be made soupy or dryish - This is one of my favorite things about this recipe. I can adjust the consistency of the sauce depending on how I am feeling that day. Thinning out the sauce will tone down the flavors for a light soupy broth. If you are in a mood for a lush bold masala, keep it thickish. Authentic Flavors - This is an authentic homestyle north indian goat curry recipe. Right from selection of spices to using no tomatoes (though you can add if you want). Versatile- The same recipe will work for beef or lamb as well.
What is Difference between Lamb, Mutton and Goat Meat
Have you ever wondered about the difference? I am asked many times. Lamb is meat from a young sheep. The meat is very tender and due to its age, less fatty than older sheep. Mutton is meat of a mature adult sheep, typically between 1-3 years old. Mutton meat is very deep in color and full of muscle tissue. It has a gamey flavor and is very popular in cooking meat curries in south east asia, middle east and caribbean countries. Goat meat is from adult goats, male or female. Goat meat is lean meat. Because I grew up eating mutton, I can certainly tell the difference between goat and mutton. Goat meat is delicious, however its softer and sweeter in taste than mutton.
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients for indian goat curry.
Bone-in Goat Meat - I purchase bone in goat meat from a middle eastern butcher. The meat is frozen & machine cut, that’s why you will notice that the pieces are squarish and look like chunks. The taste is great and it cooks to tender and that’s what is most important for me. You could use bone in beef or bone in lamb as well. For bone less meat, I will divert you to this recipe. Whole spices - Bay Leaf, Mace, Cinnamon Stick, Cloves, Black Peppercorn, Black Cardamom. Skip whichever spices you don’t have. Powdered Spices - Coriander powder, Cumin powder, Kashmiri Chilli Powder(or Paprika), Red Mirch (or cayenne), Garam masala powder. Make sure that the spices are fresh. You could also add your favorite mutton masala (store bought spice blend). Oil - I use mustard oil which is my oil of choice whenever I am cooking north indian meat curries. Mustard oil has a sharp pungent taste and it is an acquired taste for many. Substitute with any neutral cooking oil you use at home. Onion - Use any kind of onions you have at home. I am using red onions today. Cut the onions in not too thin or too thick slices, this way they brown evenly without burning. Color of browned onion is key to the color of the curry. Ginger & Garlic - I simply pound together equal quantities of fresh ginger & garlic in a mortar pestle. You could use store bought ginger garlic paste as well. Whole Yogurt - I always use whole yogurt for curries. We want the tang and the richness (from fat). Plain greek yogurt is fine to use. I use indian style dahi (available at south east asian grocers) when I have it in my refrigerator. Other Ingredients - Ghee, Ginger(Julienned), Chopped Cilantro
Which Cut of Goat Meat to Use for Curry
Frankly, I dont have a lot of choice in this matter from the halal market that I buy from. They either have something called a goat mix (assortment of all sorts of meat cuts) or on good days, the butcher block has goat leg. The good thing is that the meat is already trimmed(thank god for that) and cooks out great.
Ideally, meat from goat shoulder or leg is a good choice for its vert flavorful. So I would suggest using it for this recipe.
I really feel that such meat curries have the best taste when they are cooked with bone in meat. I really haven’t seen that much of boneless mutton meat even in India, however if you can find it and prefer it, you could use it (you will need to adjust the cooking times slightly).
Most important thing is to make sure that the meat is trimmed else the curry will be too oil and unappetizing.
How To Make Indian Stye Goat Curry (Step By Step Photos)
Preparation
Goat Meat- Make sure that the meat is thawed if you purchase is frozen. I let it thaw overnight refrigerated. Or if you have washed the meat after purchasing from store, make sure all the water has been drained and the meat is dry. Also make sure that the goat/ mutton meat is at room temperature before you begin to cook. Measure out the whole and ground spices and gather all the ingredients. Prepare the onions by peeling them, halving and slicing. Dont chop the onions, slice them. Pound the ginger and garlic using a mortar pestle if you are using homemade. Place goat meat in a large bowl and add yogurt, salt and all the powdered spices except garam masala. Mix using hands to rub and coat the meat thoroughly. Let stand while you brown the onions etc.
Tip :- You dont have to, however if you wish, you can marinate the meat for a few hours. I don’t feel there is any noticeable difference in taste especially if you are slow cooking.
Cooking Goat Curry
These steps are common whether you cook on stove top, in pressure cooker or electric cooker. Tip :- Take your time to brown/caramelize the onions and don’t stir too much (else instead of browning they start steaming). Tip :- Ginger and garlic burn easily so little water(2-3 tablespoon) helps. The water will also help avoid meat sticking to the pot when you add it in next. Tip :- Don’t add any water at this stage. Since we are using a large quantity of meat (2 lbs/950g), the juices from meat and the water from yogurt will be enough to cook the meat for the first hour. If you are cooking a smaller quantity, add ⅓ cup water before you cover the pot.
Stovetop Slow Cooked Goat Curry
Note :- It all depends on how much water the meat releases, we want it to cook in its own juices for as long as possible for great flavor! Tip :-Adding hot water makes sure that the temperature of the contents of the pot dont drop down too much. Tip :- At this point, the meat is very tender so stir gently.
Cooking Goat Curry in Pressure Cooker or Instant Pot (Step Photos)
Steps 1 to 5 as noted aremain the same as noted above whether you are using pressure cooker or instant pot. Stovetop pressure cooker Add 1.5 to 2 cup water and close the pressure cooker lid, keep low medium flame and pressure cook for 8-9 whistles (about 30-35 minutes). Let pressure release naturally. Open the lid and check the meat if meat is tender else cook for 2-3 more whistles. If you add water to adjust the consistency, simmer (without putting on the lid and pressure valve) for additional 8-10 minutes on low flame after pressure cooking. Electric Cooker or Instant Pot For Steps 1-6 use the saute mode on your IP. Once you add the water, close the lid, press the meat option and then pressure cook fro 15 minutes(the time go up to 20 minutes depending on the size of meat pieces and how tender you like the meat).
Variations
Here are a few of my favorite variations. The only thing to keep in mind is that the vegetables should not over cook else it spoils the taste and texture of the curry sauce.
Goat Curry With Potatoes - Add 1 large diced russet potato towards the last 10-15 minutes of slow cooking and let the potatoes finish cooking with meat. For pressure cooker or IP, let the meat cook almost fully, then add the potatoes and cook for just 1 whistle. Goat Curry With Spinach- Once the goat curry has cooked fully, add a large handful of baby spinach or roughly chopped spinach(if using spinach bunch). If you feel that the stems of spinach bunch are tough, blanch the spinach. Goat Curry With Beet Root (Chukandar Gosht) - Add 1 large or 2 medium beet root cut in small chunks towards the last 10-15 minutes of slow cooking and let the beets finish cooking with meat. . Allow to cook for 1 whistle if using pressure cooker/IP. The color of the final goat curry is deep pink when cooked with beets. Goat Curry With Taro (Arbi/Ghuiyan Gosht)- Add small & whole peeled taro towards the last 8-10 minutes of slow cooking and let finish cooking with meat.
Tips
Room Temperature Meat- Don’t cook cold straight out of the refrigerator meat. Definitely dont cook it frozen. Marination :- If you ask me, red meat doesnt really need any marination because it always cooks out so flavorful. However, if you wish you can marinate the goat meat for a few hours. Slow cooked curries take a lot of time and patience. Allow them the time to slow cook, let the meat tenderize and absorb the flavors that you added.Pressure cooker or Instant pot do quicken things up. Cooking Time - Adjust the cooking time in the recipe depending on how you tender you like the meat. We don’t prefer very soft cooked meat so the cooking times are noted accordingly. If you like super soft, meat falling off the bone meat, cook longer. Onions - In any meat dish, how the onions are browned contributes a ton to the taste and color of the curry. Take your time to brown the onions. Also dont add a lot of onions else the curry will become sweetish. Use curry powder + garam masala if you do not have all the powdered spices. Use green cardamom pods if you do not have black cardamom. The two are not a substitute for each other. Green cardamom adds a sweetish lemony aroma versus the woody smoky aroma that black cardamom adds.
Serving Goat Curry
The indian way to serve goat curry is with roti, steamed rice and sliced onions (mixed with lemon). You could add a few green chillies as well. I love a day old goat curry with plain parathas and green chutney. My husband enjoys goat curry, yellow dal and rice. A side of yogurt dishes such as boondi raita or cucumber raita pairs well with such spiced indian dishes.
Storing
Store leftover goat curry in an air tight container for 1-2 days. If you plan to freeze the curry, don’t make the sauce very soupy to start with. Remember it can always be thinned out later. You can portion it out and freeze. Thaw the frozen curry overnight and reheat in a pan. Garnish with chopped herbs to add freshness. Tip :- As the goat curry sits, the curry sauce gets thickish due to collagen of the bones that got released in the sauce as it cooked. Add desired amount of water to thin out the sauce. Check the salt and adjust if needed after heating.
