Goan Lamb Xacutti
- Prenatal pick
- Lactose free
Goa, a former Portuguese enclave on the west coast of India, has a large Catholic population and a fiery, complex cuisine. This fabulously tasty Xacutti (pronounced Sha-kooti) is a specialty of the Goan kitchen. The spice mixture, or masala, might look daunting, but even if you don't have all the spices, you can still make a very good masala. If you really want to cheat for convenience, replace the Xacutti masala with 1/4 cup/60 mL good-quality Indian curry powder and 1 to 2 tbsp/15 to 30 mL ground dried red chilies. You can also toast dried unsweetened coconut instead of fresh, if you like.
Ingredients
- 1 leg of lamb (4 to 6 lb/2 to 2.7 kg) or 2 suckling lamb leg (2 to 3 lb/1 to 1.5 kg each)
- 1 fresh coconut
- 1/3 cup (75 mL) lemon juice
- 6 cloves garlic, smashed
- 2 tbsp (30 mL) chopped gingerroot
- 5 hot green peppers, chopped
- 2 tbsp (30 mL) vegetable oil
- 3 onions, sliced
- 1 cup (250 mL) chopped tomato
- 2 tsp (10 mL) seedless tamarind paste
- 1-1/2 tsp (7 mL) salt
- Masala:
- 30 dried hot red peppers, preferably Kashmiri
- 8 green cardamom pods
- 8 cloves
- 4 black cardamom pods
- One 2-inch (5 cm) piece cassia or cinnamon bark, broken up
- 1/4 whole nutmeg, grated
- 2 tbsp (30 mL) coriander seed
- 1 tbsp (15 mL) white poppy seeds or peanuts
- 1 tbsp (15 mL) fennel seeds
- 2 tsp (10 mL) cumin seeds
- 1-1/2 tsp (7 mL) black mustard seeds
- 1-1/2 tsp (7 mL) turmeric powder
- 3/4 tsp (4 mL) ajwain seeds or 1/2 tsp/2 mL dried thyme
- 3/4 tsp (4 mL) anise seed
- 3/4 tsp (4 mL) black peppercorns
- 1/2 tsp (2 mL) mace
- 1/2 tsp (2 mL) fenugreek seeds
Preparation
Cut lamb into 1-1/2 inch/4 cm cubes and place in nonaluminum bowl. In blender, purée lemon juice, garlic, ginger and hot green peppers. Mix with lamb; marinate for 1 hour at room temperature or refrigerate for 2 to 6 hours.
Crack open coconut, discarding liquid. Pry out coconut meat. Pare off brown outside layer; discard. Grate coconut. In dry skillet, toast coconut over medium heat, stirring often, until golden brown, about 12 minutes.
Masala: Meanwhile, in dry skillet, toast each spice separately over medium heat until fragrant and darkened in colour. Transfer to spice grinder or blender along with toasted coconut; process until fine powder. Set aside.
In large shallow Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat; fry onions, stirring often, until golden brown, about 7 minutes. Stir in lamb and increase heat to high; fry, stirring, until liquid is mostly evaporated and oil begins to separate, about 10 to 12 minutes. Add masala; reduce heat to medium and fry, stirring, until fragrant and oil is separated, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, tamarind, salt and 2 cups/500 mL water.
Bring to simmer; reduce heat to medium-low and cook, partially covered and stirring often, until meat is tender and sauce is thick and clings to meat, about 1-1/2 hours.
Crack open coconut, discarding liquid. Pry out coconut meat. Pare off brown outside layer; discard. Grate coconut. In dry skillet, toast coconut over medium heat, stirring often, until golden brown, about 12 minutes.
Masala: Meanwhile, in dry skillet, toast each spice separately over medium heat until fragrant and darkened in colour. Transfer to spice grinder or blender along with toasted coconut; process until fine powder. Set aside.
In large shallow Dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat; fry onions, stirring often, until golden brown, about 7 minutes. Stir in lamb and increase heat to high; fry, stirring, until liquid is mostly evaporated and oil begins to separate, about 10 to 12 minutes. Add masala; reduce heat to medium and fry, stirring, until fragrant and oil is separated, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, tamarind, salt and 2 cups/500 mL water.
Bring to simmer; reduce heat to medium-low and cook, partially covered and stirring often, until meat is tender and sauce is thick and clings to meat, about 1-1/2 hours.
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