Wild Goat Biryani

WHAT YOU'LL NEED

● 1kg Wild Goat Bone-In Diced
● 1.5 cups Greek yoghurt
● 1 thumb-sized piece fresh ginger
● 1 tbs fresh or ground turmeric
● 7 cloves garlic
● ⅓ bunch fresh mint (chopped)
● ½ bunch fresh coriander (chopped)
● 4 tbsp biryani spice mix
● Chilli to taste
● 750ml beef stock
● 2 tbsp coconut oil, ghee, or butter

Rice:

● 300g basmati rice
● ⅓ bunch coriander (chopped)
● ⅓ bunch mint (chopped)
● 1 cinnamon stick
● 4 cardamon pods
● 3 cloves
● 6 peppercorns
● 2 bay leaves
● Chilli to taste

Cucumber Chutney:

● 250g cucumber
● 1 cup Greek yogurt
● 1 garlic clove
● ⅓ bunch mint (chopped)
● ⅓ bunch coriander (chopped)
● 1 lemon
● Salt & pepper

To Serve:

● 2 red onions, thinly sliced (or
mandolined)
● 2 tbsp coconut oil, ghee, or butter for cooking
● 1 cinnamon stick
● 2 bay leaves
● 3 cloves
● 8 cardamon pods
● 50 g butter or ghee
● 1 tsp ground turmeric
● Salt, to taste

HOW TO COOK IT

Prepare the goat
● In a blender, combine ginger, turmeric, garlic and 1tbs of oil
● Coat goat pieces in yogurt, the blended mix, mint, coriander, chilli and biryani spice mix to form a marinade.
● Cover and refrigerate for several hours (ideally overnight).
● Preheat oven to 140°C.
● Heat cooking oil, ghee, or butter in a heavy ovenproof pot. Sear the goat on all sides until browned.
● Add stock, bring to a simmer, cover, and cook in the oven for 3 hours, or until meat is tender and falling off the bone.
● Remove from oven and set aside.

Cook the rice
● Rinse rice until the water runs clear.
● Place rice in a pot with coriander, mint, cinnamon stick, cloves, cardamon, peppercorns, bay leaves, chilli, and water to cover by about 2 cm.
● Par-cook until the rice is about 70% cooked (still slightly firm).
● Remove from heat and strain

Make the cucumber chutney
● Cut cucumber into small chunks.
● In a blender, combine yoghurt, garlic, mint, coriander, lemon juice, salt, and pepper until smooth.
● Stir the sauce through the cucumber chunks and chill until ready to serve.

Prepare the onions
● Heat coconut oil or ghee in a frying pan over medium heat.
● Add cinnamon, bay leaves, and cardamon, frying for 1–2 minutes until aromatic.
● Add onions and cook, stirring, until deeply golden and caramelised. Set aside.

Make the turmeric butter
● Melt butter or ghee in a small pan with turmeric. Set aside.

Building the Biryani
● Increase oven temperature to 180°C.
● In the same pot used for the goat, layer par-cooked rice evenly over the goat.
● Scatter caramelised onions across the rice.
● Drizzle turmeric butter over the top.
● Cover with foil or a tight-fitting lid and bake for 20 minutes, or until rice is fully cooked and fluffy.

Serve
● Spoon the biryani into bowls, making sure each serving includes layers of goat, rice, and onion.
● Serve hot with cucumber chutney on the side.

Tips:
● Low and slow: Long, slow cooking breaks down the connective tissue in goat, making the meat fall off the bone. You can cook the meat in the oven or a slow cooker.
● Layering is key: The rice should be only partially cooked before baking, so it finishes steaming in the oven and absorbs the flavour of the goat