Curried Lamb - Jamaican Style

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!!!