This was the first recipe I ever had published, in Australian Hunter, back in 2017. At the time my family and I were living in the Northern Territory, Australia. Hunting and fishing remains a core way of life for many Territorians, and we made the most of the lifestyle. Magpie goose was regularly on the menu during the waterfowl season.
Many hunters much prefer magpie goose breast meat over that of legs and thighs. But one of my favourite magpie goose recipes is a rogan josh style curry made with de-boned leg and thigh meat. Personally I find the richly flavoured magpie goose meat is much more suitable for use in lamb or beef recipes than as a substitute for duck. Rogan josh is a Persian style curry traditionally made with lamb and relatively mild dried chillies. It is wonderful with magpie goose. This dish can be cooked in a slow cooker, large heavy based pot or even a camp oven. If you live outside of the Northern Territory it will work just as well with goat (or any red meat) as it does with goose.
Magpie goose rogan josh
Equipment
- Dutch oven or slow cooker
Ingredients
- 1 kg Magpie goose meat subsitute with any red game meat
- 6 cloves garlic
- Thumbsized piece fresh ginger
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil or lard
- 2 tbsp butter
- 10 whole cardamon pods
- 2 whole bay leaves
- 6 whole cloves
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 10 whole peppercorns
- 4 onions sliced
- 2 tsp cumin seeds
- 4 tsp ground paprika
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 6 tbsp plain yoghurt
- 3 whole red chillies
- 1 can diced tomatoes
Instructions
- Firstly debone the goose meat, trim the loose tendons and fat from the meat and cut into bite sized pieces. The fat if left on the meat, particularly from older geese, will give the dish a very strong gamey flavour. Eight to 10 legs will provide about a kilo of meat. Set this aside while you prepare the spices.
- Peel and coarsely chop the ginger and garlic cloves before crushing them in a mortar and pestle or electric blender. Once crushed add four tablespoons of water and mix to form a paste. Finely chop the onion and finely slice two of the chillies.
- A traditional rogan josh is made using ghee (a clarified butter). If ghee is not available, use 50/50 butter and vegetable oil (or even better lard). In a large heavy based pot melt the butter and lard over a high heat. Brown the meat in small batches stirring regularly to prevent anything sticking to the pot and burning.
- Once all of the meat is browned set it aside. With the pot still on a high heat add the cardamom pods, bay leaves, cloves and cinnamon and cook stirring constantly until the cardamom pods swell and the bay leaves begin to brown. Now add the chopped onion and chillies and stir until the onion is soft and brown. Add the peppercorns, cumin seeds, paprika, cayenne pepper and salt and cook stirring for a further three minutes.
- Add the yoghurt and stir it in before adding a can of diced tomatoes and the adding the meat back in. Fill the tomato can with water and add enough water to the pot to cover the meat. Bring it to the boil. Once boiling stir well, cover the pot and place in a 160 degree oven for four to six hours, stirring occasionally. You could do this over a low heat on the stove top, but you will need to stir the curry much more often.
- Once the meat is tender remove the pot from the oven, take off the lid and place back on a high heat until the sauce is reduced to the desired thickness. Serve with rice, naan or roti bread, mint yoghurt and mango chutney. Garnish the magpie goose rogan josh with sliced chilli.
I guarantee this recipe will taste superior to anything cooked in a pre-prepared sauce from the supermarket. But with twelve or so different spices it is a little complicated to cook especially in the field or for a weeknight dinner. A viable alternative is to brown the meat and place it in a slow cooker or camp oven with a packet or jar of supermarket rogan josh sauce and enough water to cover the meat. If using a camp oven over coals ensure you stir the rogan josh every half an hour or so. Once the meat is tender build up the heat and reduce the sauce before serving.