Curry Goat with White Rice

You'll need: 2 tablespoons vegetable oil · 1 large onion, finely chopped · 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped · 2cm piece fresh ginger, finely chopped · 1 scotch bonnet, finely sliced, seeds removed for less heat · 4 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme

Set your heavy pot over a medium-low heat and add the oil. Once it shimmers gently, in goes the onion first, softened slowly for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring now and then. Do not rush this, you are building the floor everything else will stand on. Once the onion has gone soft and just beginning to colour at the edges, add the garlic, ginger, scotch bonnet, and thyme. Stir together and let it cook for another 2 minutes. The kitchen should be fragrant and warm, nothing catching or burning. Low and unhurried is the Jamaican way here.

You'll need: 3 tablespoons Jamaican curry powder (Betapac or similar if you can find it) · 1 teaspoon ground allspice · 1 teaspoon salt · half a teaspoon black pepper · 800g to 1kg bone-in goat pieces

Now turn your hand and add the curry powder and allspice directly into the pot with the aromatics. Stir through immediately so every grain of spice hits the oil and the heat. Keep it moving for a full 2 minutes. This is the stage that makes the difference between a curry that tastes flat and one that has real depth. The spice oils need direct heat to wake up properly. You will see the mixture darken slightly and start to cling together. If it looks like it might catch, add a very small splash of water and keep stirring. After 2 minutes, add the goat pieces and turn them through the spiced base until every piece is coated all over. Let the goat colour on each side for about 2 minutes per side. Wash your hands and any surfaces that touched the raw goat before handling anything else.

You'll need: 3 medium white potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks

Add the potatoes and stir them through so they pick up the spiced base too. The potatoes do two things here: they add substance and they release starch into the liquid as they cook, which helps give the curry its body. Let everything sit together in the pot for a minute, turning gently so the potato pieces get coated. This is the structure layer, the goat and the potato together forming the foundation of the finished dish.

You'll need: 400ml full-fat coconut milk · 400ml chicken or vegetable stock

Pour in the coconut milk and the stock. Stir everything together, lifting any spiced bits from the bottom of the pot as you go. Bring up to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low, put the lid on slightly ajar, and let it simmer slowly for 2 hours to 2 hours 30 minutes. Stir every 20 minutes and check the liquid level, adding a splash more stock or water if it reduces too much before the goat is done. The goat is ready when the meat is completely tender and beginning to come away from the bone with no resistance at all. Official food safety guidance recommends goat, like other whole cuts, reaches a minimum internal temperature of 63°C or 145°F. Taste and adjust the salt near the end of cooking.

You'll need: Small handful of fresh coriander or 2 spring onions, finely sliced · pinch of sugar, only if needed · cooked white rice to serve

Taste the curry one final time and balance it. A little more salt if it needs it. If the heat from the scotch bonnet is forward and sharp, a small pinch of sugar will round it without making it sweet. Scatter the fresh coriander or spring onion just before serving, laid on top so it stays fresh and green against the dark, rich sauce. Before serving, take a moment to lift any loose bones out of the pot, they come free easily at this stage of a long, slow braise. Serve over white rice. Blessings, this one is worth every minute.