Goat Curry Recipe (Chettinad Goat Kulambu)

Goat Curry is a traditional one pot Indian dish of goat chunks simmered to perfection in an aromatic curry sauce. This Chettinad Goat Kulambu features big and bold flavours that is not for the faint hearted!

Bone-in goat meat slow cooked with plenty of spices and herbs for a flavor-explosion and fall-apart perfection!

This Goat Curry is best served with plain steamed rice, Chapati, Tandoori Roti or Naan. In Tamil Nadu, this is also eaten with Idli, Dosa, Appam and Idiyappam. Elsewhere in India, it is also served with healthier options like ragi mudde and Bhakri (millet or multigrain flatbreads).

About Goat Curry

It is believed that Curried Goat originated in the Indian sub-continent and is a staple not only here but also in Southeast Asian and Caribbean cuisines. So it is prepared in many regional styles with locally available ingredients. This recipe is from one of the most popular regional Indian cuisines known as Chettinad.

Visit any Indian restaurant serving South Indian foods, you are likely to be introduced to a Chettinad curry as the top-selling or most-ordered dish.

This recipe helps you make the best Chettinad goat curry reflecting the traditional flavors of authentic Chettinad cuisine. Bone-in meat is simmered with fresh ground spice paste and optionally finished with a touch of coconut.

For the 100% authentic taste you need to use whole spices which are briefly fried in oil before making the paste. However if you don’t have them or do not own a spice grinder, you may use store bought ground spices or a meat masala. The dish will still turn out good & call it an “Indian Goat Curry” instead of Goat Chettinad Kulambu.

In traditional Indian curry recipes like this Mutton Curry or Mutton Korma, bone-in meat is widely used for flavor and a thicker mouthfeel that comes from the marrow. We don’t use any stock for added flavor. However if you want you may use boneless meat and use stock. This also cuts down the cook time.

Goat Vs Lamb

Goat meat though not very popular across the world, is the most consumed red meat in India. The term “Mutton” refers to both goat and sheep (or lamb) & is not used to mention other kinds of red meat.

But the most common mutton eaten in India is goat & a lot of times the meat sold/served as lamb is actually from a young goat. It is believed that goat meat is a better choice than sheep or lamb because it is lower in calories, cholesterol and higher in iron & protein than the other kinds of red meat.

Lamb meat is richer in flavor and gamey tasting while goat meat is sweet & mild in flavor.

More Mutton Recipes
Mutton Soup (Marag)
Lamb Karahi
Mutton Nihari
Rogan Josh
Lamb Vindaloo

Photo Guide

How to make Goat Curry (Stepwise Photos)

Make Chettinad Masala (curry paste)

1. To make this curry, first let us gather the spices to make the spice paste. If you don’t have a blender use any store bought meat masala, biryani masala or garam masala, coriander powder & cumin powder. It turns out good but it won’t be Chettinad curry. Here are the ingredients you need:

• 4 to 8 dried red chilies (use low to spicy kind as per preference, deseed if preferred, or 1 to 1.5 tsp chili powder)
• 2 tablespoon coriander seeds
• 1 star anise (small)
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 5 green cardamoms
• 4 to 5 cloves
• 2 two inch cinnamon stick
• ½ teaspoon pepper corn
• 1 to 2 small portions kalpasi / stone flower/ dagad phool (optional)
• 3 sprigs of curry leaves

2. Heat half a tablespoon oil in a pan on a low heat. Add red chilies, coriander seeds, star anise, cinnamon, cloves, black pepper and cardamoms. Roast for a minute and then add the fennel seeds, cumin and curry leaves. Roast until crunchy and aromatic but not burnt.

3. Cool and transfer them to a grinder jar. Save some of the crispy fried curry leaves (about 10) for the last step.

4. Grind to a powder.

5. Pour half cup water and make a slightly coarse paste. If required add more water.

Make the curry

6. For the curry prepare the following ingredients

• 600 grams (1.1 pound) Bone-in goat ( excess fat trimmed, ± 100 grams/ 4 ounces is okay)
• 1 cup (105 grams) onions sliced
• ¼ cup shallots (substitute with onions)
• 2 large garlic cloves sliced
• 1½ tablespoons (28 grams) ginger garlic paste (at room temperature)
• 1 cup (125 grams) tomatoes deseeded & fine chopped (2 medium)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 inch cinnamon piece
• 2 green cardamoms
• ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon salt (more to adjust later)

7. Pour 2 tablespoons oil to a heavy bottom pan or Dutch oven & heat in on a low to medium flame. Add the whole spices and garlic.

8. Add the onions and regulate the heat to medium. Saute until transparent, for 5 to 6 mins. Turn down the heat and add the ginger garlic. Saute for a minute.

9. Add the tomatoes, turmeric and salt. If the pan is too dry, add a splash of water.

10. Saute until the tomatoes break down and turn soft.

11. Add the goat.

12. Saute the meat for 3 to 4 mins on a medium high heat until the color changes slightly.

13. Pour 2 cups hot water and add the ground masala.

14. Mix well and bring it a gentle boil on a medium heat.

15. Cover and cook on a medium heat for 1 hour 30 minutes. Keep stirring every 15 to 20 mins and add more hot water as required. I had to add another 1 cup after 1 hour.

Make Coconut Paste

16. While the goat curry cooks, add the following ingredients to a grinder. You can also use the same grinder jar you used earlier. If you are using canned coconut milk, leave out this step and use the substitutes mentioned below.

• ⅓ cup (35 grams) raw coconut (or use coconut milk)
• 1½ teaspoon fennel (or 1¼ tsp ground fennel)
• 1 sprig curry leaves (saved from the first step)
• ½ teaspoon black pepper (to adjust heat levels)

17. Grind to a very smooth paste with ¼ to ⅓ cup water.

18. Lastly, when the goat meat is tender and fully cooked, add the coconut paste. If using coconut milk, pour it along with the curry leaves, black pepper and fennel powder. Do not add very cold coconut from the refrigerator, bring it close to room temp before you do so.

19. Mix well. If your curry is too thick, pour ¼ to ⅓ cup hot water and simmer for at least 10 minutes. Turn off once done and rest for at least 15 to 20 mins before serving. The gravy will thicken a bit after cooling so turn off accordingly. Taste test and add more salt.

Serve Goat Curry hot with plain steamed rice or with Chapati, Tandoori Roti or Naan. Here are some easy vegetarian sides Carrot Poriyal, Beans Poriyal, Sauteed Okra and Mushroom Pepper Fry. A Onion Raita or a Cucumber raita goes well with this.

Expert Tips

• Adjust heat levels: This dish is made hot and spicy but my recipe makes for a low heat dish if you use 4 red chilies. To make the dish hot without losing the flavor balance, you can start with lesser number of chilies like the way I did, taste test once the dish is done and add more fried red chilies while you make the coconut paste.
• Coconut (Optional): You can also leave out the coconut from the recipe. But I always feel using it especially at the last stage, makes the meat more tender, juicy and keeps it moist. The flavor balance is lost if you use a lot of coconut.
• Trim the fats: Trimming the excess fat is essential or you need to discard the excess fats floating over the curry before you add the coconut.
• This goat curry is not onion tomato based like many other Indian curries. They are used in this dish to balance the flavor profile. Onions and shallots add sweetness and tomatoes add tang.
• Liquid/ Water: Add only hot water or stock and avoid using cold liquid or coconut. Use only as required and add it in batches. I use a total of 3.5 cups for this recipe, you may need lesser or more depending on the age of the goat.
• Stone Flower/ kalpasi is an essential spice in Chettinad Curry, but feel free to leave it if you don’t find.

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