It is Ramadan. We have really been enjoying some amazing Iftar meals around Dubai and look forward to a couple more before Eid. We have sampled traditional Lebanese in a fancy hotel, a modern feast of mezze and rotisserie chicken with chips in a funky art space and are looking forward to a modern arabic fusion spread on the weekend. We are so spoilt for amazing flavours these places have to offer.
Goat is as traditional as turkey is for Christians at Christmas. I had never cooked goat and had only eaten it as part of a middle eastern traditional meal.
It is probably most similar to Lamb, but has a slightly different taste. It is more lean and so easily can end up dry and tough.
I love slow roasting meats; you can flavour it with any number of spice mixes or keep it super simple. It takes little effort but produces maximum flavour and is an impressive meal for guests.
I had intended on a middle eastern flavouring for this goat served with a spiced cous cous but then saw a recipe to use tandoori spices using a yogurt based marinade. Not only does the yogurt help keep the goat moist but also tenderises the meat.
The butcher talked me through the cooing and kindly prepared it for me, removing the outer sinew and cutting the leg at the joint and putting deep slashes in which allows for the meat to be easily pulled apart – it is traditional to eat it with your hands in many cultures.
It had been a big week at work so the fact that I prepared some roast meat was a big feat. I then cheated and called the local indian and ordered a basket of assorted naan / roti / paratha breads and with the pull apart roasted goat meat made for a really tasty mea, served with a simple cucumber and mint yogurt sauce / raita.
Ramadan Kareem.
- 1.5kg leg of goat, prepared with big slashes to the bone about 2 inches apart
- 250g natural yoghurt
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
- ½ tsp ground chilli
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp of tomato paste
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
- 3 cm grated ginger
- Sea Salt and freshly ground pepper
- Mix all the spices and yogurt and garlic and ginger and lemon juice together in a bowl
- Place the goat in a roasting tin and smother the marinade all over
- Wrap in cling film and leave for minimum 4 hours or overnight in the fridge
- Take goat out of the fridge 1 hour before roasting to bring to room temperature.
- Heat your oven to 160 degrees celcius
- Squeeze lemon juice into bottom of pan and pour ½ cup water in pan
- Scatter with a generous pinch of sea salt and pepper
- Wrap tin in foil and roast for about 2 hours until meat is coming away easily from the bone.
- If you want a crust on the goat, take the foil off for only 10 minutes at the end of cooking as it dries out very quickly.
