Jaggery goat curry

This jaggery goat curry has featured at Minoli De Silva’s Northern Territory Sri Lankan restaurant, Ella by Minoli. Fragranced with dried figs and packed with flavour from goat’s bone marrow, this one pot curry is an unforgettable dinner party dish.

Credit: Jiwon Kim

• serves

  4

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  2:20 hours

• difficulty

  Mid

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The Ultimate Curry Night

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episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

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Ingredients

• ¼ cup dried figs
• 4 tsp ghee, plus extra as necessary
• 500 g goat shank or rib, cut into equal chunks
• 350 g goat marrow bones (from the shin)
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 20 curry leaves, plus extra to serve
• 6 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 50 g finely grated ginger
• 2 tsp salt
• 10 cloves
• 5 cardamon pods, seeds only
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 cinnamon quill
• 1 cup coconut water (see Note)
• 2 tbsp Sri Lankan curry powder
• 1 tsp roasted chilli powder
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• 400 ml coconut milk
• 400 ml coconut cream
• 50 g jaggery (or palm sugar)
• 1 tomato, thinly sliced, to serve
• 1 eschallot, thinly sliced, to serve
• Fried roti or basmati rice, to serve

Instructions

1. Place the dried figs into a small bowl, cover with warm water and set aside until required. Meanwhile, pound the cloves, cardamom and cumin in a mortar and pestle. Set aside.
   
2. Heat 2 tsp ghee in a large, heavy-based saucepan, then brown the goat meat and marrow bone in batches, transferring the browned meat to a large bowl.
   
3. Return the pan to the heat and heat another 2 tsp ghee. When hot, add the onion and cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes, or until softened. Stir through the curry leaves, garlic, ginger, salt, pounded whole spices and cinnamon quill. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute, until fragrant, then pour in the coconut water, stirring to scrape any browned bits from the base of the pan. Return the browned goat meat and marrow to the pan with the Sri Lankan curry powder, remaining ground spices and coconut milk. Stir well to combine, then reduce the heat to medium and cook for 1 hour.
   
4. Stir through the coconut cream and cook for a further 1 ½ hours, stirring occasionally, until the goat is tender. Once the goat is tender, remove from the heat and add the jaggery to the curry, stirring to melt and combine with the sauce.
   
5. Transfer the jaggery goat curry to a serving bowl. Drain the rehydrated figs and thinly slice. Top the curry with the thinly sliced tomato, eschallots and figs and serve with fried roti or basmati rice.

Notes

• Sri Lankan roasted curry powder includes coriander, cumin, fennel, fenugreek, pandan, curry leaves, mustard seeds, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, black pepper. It is available to purchase from Essential Ingredient.
  
• Freshly harvested coconut water is best for this recipe, choose a good-quality UHT brand if not possible.

Photography by Jiwon Kim.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

Stream free On Demand

The Ultimate Curry Night

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

25m

G

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

25m

G