Curried Lamb – Jamaican Style
I am a big fan of food from the
Caribbean. I love how close the flavor profiles from that region are to those
from Western Africa. It makes perfect sense considering a lot of the slaves
that ended up working the sugar fields of the Caribbean came from this part of
the world. Scotch bonnet peppers (ata rodo), rice and peas (we use black eyed
beans), thyme, plantains… These are ingredients that are staples in our
cooking.
No Caribbean menu in any restaurant in
the world that offers such fare is complete without a curried goat dish. This
dish can be served with any number of side dishes but the star is undoubtedly
the goat meat. Juicy and succulent pieces of goat meat seasoned to perfection
in a rich broth perfect for rice or even flat breads such as rotis and
chapatis.
After a trip to my butcher, I could not
resist buying some fresh lamb that I knew would be perfect to make Curried lamb
– the same principle as curried goat, just using a different meat.
You will need:
- I kg lamb meat - cut in to cubes – bone in pieces work well.
- 2 tablespoons curry powder
- 3 diced onions
- 3 spring onions
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 scotch bonnet peppers
- 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
- 8 cloves of minced garlic
- 3 sprigs of fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 2 diced carrots
- 2 diced bell peppers
Directions:
- Combine
the curry powder, onions, scallion, salt, pepper, chillies, ginger, thyme
and half a cup of water in a blender. Add more water if necessary
- Rub
the mixture in to the meat and let marinade in the fridge overnight
- In
a saucepan, add the meat and butter to a frying pan and brown gently. Add
the carrots, peppers and marinade and add enough water to cover the meat.
- Bring
to a boil, then let simmer until the meat is tender. Add the ketchup and
simmer for the last 15 minutes. Serve with rice and beans and fried
plantain.
Enjoy!!!
