Kangaroo Curry

This recipe also works very well with other game meats or even beef or mutton. The curry sauce is quite flavorsome so the recipe is not suited to meats with a delicate flavour. I have tried and been disappointed with the results from lamb and veal.

If you know your Indian cuisine, you will recognise this as a variation of a Rogan Josh.

Start by roasting and grinding the spices:

5 tbsp whole coriander seeds
2 tbsp whole cumin seeds
1 tbsp black peppercorns
6 cardamon pods (or 1+1/2 tsp cardamon seeds)
2 tsp yellow mustard seeds (black seeds will suffice)
1 tsp whole cloves
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 inch of cinnamon stick, coarsely chopped
1/4 of a nutmeg
dried hot chillis to taste (I recommend at least one good sized and very hot habanero chilli). Fresh chillis can also be used, but add them with the fresh ingredients below.

Heat all these whole spices in a heavy pan (no oil, just a dry pan!) until they start to pop and change to a slightly darker colour. Let them cool and then grind them finely in a coffee grinder. I generally sift the ground spices through a strainer and either re-grind or discard the chaff.

Other ingredients, in the order that you will need them:

6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (less if you're using a fatty meat)
1 medium onion, finely chopped (this is optional, and I don't use it, but many people expect curries to taste like onion ;)
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
a 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, grated
a 3/4-inch piece of fresh tumeric, finely grated (or 1 tsp ground tumeric)
2 good sized tomatoes (or 4 roma tomatoes) peeled and chopped.
1 tsp sea salt
3 tbsp almond flour
1 kg (2.2 lbs) kangaroo or other game meat cut into 1" by 1/2" pieces
1 cup coconut milk or more if you like a creamy curry
1 cup well flavoured chicken stock
1 cup water
Lots of vegetables.

Heat the olive oil in a pan and add the garlic, onion, ginger and tumeric. Stir for a few minutes until it starts to stick together. Add the tomatoes and continue to fry until they turn into a paste. Add the salt, ground spices and almond flour and mix well.

Add the meat to this paste and cook it stirring continuously until the meat has browned.

Transfer the meat and curry paste to a casserole dish and add the coconut milk, chicken stock and water. Cook in a low oven (about 275°) for an hour. It should be simmering *very* gently.

Add the vegetables and continue to cook until the vegetables are done, stirring occasionally. If the sauce starts to dry out, add a little more water.

I use a selection of: carrots, cauliflower, green beans, pumpkin, sweet potato, peas, brocolli stems etc. Anything that can take a bit of cooking without falling apart. You could even add in okra, aubergine, zucchini or mushrooms a little later in the cooking process.

By the time the vegetables are cooked the meat should be well done, to the point of starting to fall apart. The almond flour should have thickened the sauce so it's nice and creamy. If it's too runny, a little arrowroot will save the day, and remember to use less water next time.

By Richard Archer. Posted to the PaleoRecipe Mailing List, Jan. 2002