Tip: Slow cook goat meat to make it succulent and full of flavour.

With Halloween right around the corner our chefs thought it would be nice to do a seasonal recipe and include pumpkin this month. So with that in mind we’ve created a gorgeous recipe for you to try out at home…… Braised Spiced Shoulder of Goat, Curried Pumpkin & Coconut Rice.

Goats cheese has been all the rage in our meals for quite a while and now goat meat is starting to become popular too. Across whole stretches of the world, southern Europe, Asia, South America, the Middle East, Africa and the Caribbean, goat meat has been used for centuries.

It’s very tasty, quite a lot like beef and because it’s a lean meat it’s healthy, having fewer calories than beef, pork or lamb.

How do I Cook Goats Meat?

If you’re new to goat’s meat the best advice we can give you is to take your time and slow cook it. Both lamb and goats are ovine and a common mistake is to treat them the same for cooking.

Goats meat is lean, very low in fat, so it will toughen up quickly if you cook it at a high temperature without moisture. Don’t treat goat’s meat like lamb or beef and serve it rare, it should be cooked thoroughly, or it will be tough and not so tasty.

Goat will taste amazing after a long, slow cook to break down the meat and tenderise it. It works fantastically well with big flavours so don’t be scared to do a bit of experimenting with Middle Eastern or Asian spices and chillies.

Here’s the ingredients you’ll need for our Braised Spiced Shoulder of Goat, Curried Pumpkin & Coconut Rice.

Ingredients:

• 15g vegetable oil
• 900g Irish Boneless Goat Shoulder, cut into 3cm pieces
• 100g yellow dried split peas
• 120g onion, finely chopped
• 10g green chilli, seeded, finely chopped
• 16g garlic, crushed
• 30g ginger, finely grated
• 4g cinnamon
• 4g ground turmeric
• 10g ground cumin
• 3g ground cardamom
• 5g ground coriander
• 400 diced tomatoes
• 400g coconut milk
• 10g Coarse Sea Salt
• 2g Coarse Black pepper
• 400g good quality Lamb Stock
• 500g pumpkin, peeled, cut into 3cm pieces

Coconut Rice

• 500g basmati rice, rinsed, drained
• 250g coconut milk

Method

1. Heat half the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add half the goat and cook, turning occasionally, for 5 mins or until brown all over. Transfer to a slow cooker. Repeat. Place the lamb in an ovenproof dish with the split peas.
2. Heat remaining oil in the pan over medium heat. Add the onion, chilli, garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, for 5 mins or until onion softens. Add the cinnamon, turmeric, cumin, cardamom and coriander and cook, stirring, for 1 min or until aromatic. Add the tomato and coconut milk and stir to combine. Pour over the goat.
3. Place into a preheated oven at 160C, cook for 4 hours or until goat is tender. Add pumpkin and cook for a further 30 mins or until tender.
4. Meanwhile, to make the coconut rice, combine the rice, coconut milk and 375ml water in a medium saucepan. Season with salt. Bring to the boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low. Cook, covered, for 12 mins or until liquid is absorbed. Set aside, covered, for 5 mins to rest. Serve with the curry.