West Indian Lamb Curry

West Indian Lamb Curry
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Total Time
2 hours, plus marinating
Rating
5(1,043)
Comments
Read comments

Curried goat is a popular dish in the West Indies, but lamb makes a fine substitute here in the United States, where goat meat is hard to find. This version, by the chef Martin Maginley from the Round Hill resort in Jamaica, is deeply flavored with allspice and Scotch bonnet peppers, but not overwhelming spicy. If you have time to make it the day before, it gets better as it sits, and gives you a chance to scoop some of the fat off the top of the stew before reheating over a low flame. And if you can procure goat, use it here in place of the lamb. —Melissa Clark

Featured in: A Lamb Curry That Conjures Jamaica

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: give recipes to anyone
    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.
    Subscribe
  • Print Options


Advertisement


Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings
  • 3pounds boneless lamb (or goat) stew meat, cut into 2-inch chunks
  • 1tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons curry powder
  • 1tablespoon kosher salt, more to taste
  • 1teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1teaspoon black pepper
  • 1large white onion, coarsely chopped
  • 2scallions, coarsely chopped
  • 4garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
  • ½inch fresh ginger, peeled if desired and coarsely chopped
  • 4whole allspice berries
  • 2thyme sprigs, leaves stripped
  • 4tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, more as needed
  • cups diced potato
  • 1cup diced carrots
  • 1 to 2small Scotch bonnet peppers, seeded and chopped
  • Cooked white rice or coconut rice, for serving (see note)
  • Lime wedges, for serving
  • Mango chutney or mango pickle, for serving
  • Fresh cilantro leaves, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

359 calories; 15 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 9 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 18 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 39 grams protein; 633 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Powered by
Cooking Newsletter illustration

Opt out or contact us anytime. See our Privacy Policy.

Opt out or contact us anytime. See our Privacy Policy.

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Pat lamb dry with paper towels and place in a large bowl. In a small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon curry powder, the salt, the ground ginger and the black pepper. Add spice mix to large bowl and toss with lamb.

  2. Step 2

    Combine onion, scallion, garlic, fresh ginger, allspice, thyme leaves and 2 tablespoons oil in a blender; purée until smooth. Scrape mixture over lamb and toss to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.

  3. Step 3

    Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Stir in 2 teaspoons curry powder and heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Working in batches to avoid overcrowding the pot, brown the meat on all sides. Drizzle in additional oil, if needed, to prevent meat from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Transfer browned meat to a plate as it browns.

  4. Step 4

    Once all the meat has been browned, return it to the pot, along with any juices on the plate. Add enough water to just cover meat. Bring liquid to a simmer, covered, then uncover the pot and cook gently for 45 minutes.

  5. Step 5

    Stir potato, carrot and pepper into pot. Simmer until vegetables are fork tender and meat is cooked through, about 30 to 45 minutes longer.

  6. Step 6

    Using a slotted spoon, transfer meat and vegetables to a bowl. Simmer cooking liquid until it has reduced and thickened to a saucy consistency (to taste), about 15 minutes. Taste sauce and add more salt if needed. Pour sauce over meat. Serve over rice, topped with a squeeze of lime, a dollop of mango chutney or pickle and fresh cilantro.

Tip
  • To make coconut rice, substitute coconut milk for half the water in your favorite rice recipe.

Ratings

5 out of 5
1,043 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Comments

As a Jamaican-Canadian, might I suggest that people do not use a generic "curry powder" as the recipe infers as curries differ across cultures (even within the Caribbean). Instead, try to purchase Jamaican curry powder at a grocery store that sells Caribbean groceries, or better yet, make the curry powder yourself by searching out "Jamaican curry recipe" online.

Allspice powder is just ground allspice. 4 berries will give you about ½ tsp of powder

I don't find anything wrong with Ms. Clark's presentation here, although I'm sure it's a lot of fun to whine and complain. She said goat can be hard to find "in the United States," not in NYC. That is not an incorrect statement. Regarding the curry powder, even first thing in the morning before the caffeine kicked in I managed to type "recipe for west indian curry powder" into Google and got three promising candidates right at the top.

One of our go to recipes. Works perfectly and tastes great. Couldn’t source Scotch Bonnets this time so subbed three Thai hot red peppers. They worked equally well. I like the idea of adding flour to thicken.

This is a good Caribbean stew. I put about 2 tablespoons of flour with the spice rub before browning. This helps with thickening the liquid so you dont have to take out the meat and vegetables to cook down the liquid. Works every time. At the end, i put in a good tablespoon of butter. I live in Barbados and know curries.

How do you brown the meat without burning the curry powder?

Private comments are only visible to you.

Credits

Adapted from Martin Maginley, Round Hill, Montego Bay, Jamaica

Advertisement

or to save this recipe.