Roast goat leg or "Sikandari Raan", named after Alexander the Great is a popular dish for celebrations in Southeast Asia. With Christmas coming up I thought I'd present you with my family recipe. Apart from being delicious, it makes a beautiful centerpiece at the table and is a nice change from the more traditional meats usually served.
HISTORY
Originally cooked at the great conquerors wedding feast as per this article in financialexpress this dish has become symbolic of family and fellowship. Early recipes were simple, with a marinade that incorporated some form of citrus juice, salt and pepper. This was followed by a few hours of spit roasting the meat over an open fire.
Modern recipes are a bit more elaborate, requiring at least 12 hours of marination and 4-6 hours of slow cooking. The essence of a good goat leg roast is that the meat should be tender enough to fall off the bone.
Vinegar, papaya and yogurt are amongst the most popular tenderizers used towards this purpose. A centuries old cooking method called Dumpukht is the traditional way of cooking the goat meat. "Dum" means slow cooking and "Pukht" meaning cooking process.
In the past, this was achieved by cooking in a huge pot on a wood fired stove. Although the Raan is predominantly cooked in an oven today I still choose to cook mine the traditional way, on a stove. Both methods are detailed below, so you can choose whichever one appeals to you.
Whichever method you opt for, the essential technique that must be adhered to is the same. The goat meat is first seared to seal in all the juices and then the cooking utensil is sealed with foil to create the steam needed for the slow cooking .
MY STORY
Growing up, a roasted leg of goat meant there was some type of celebration going on. Either it was Eid, our semi annual muslim celebration, a special family celebration, or company was coming. No matter what the purpose, I knew there was a treat to look forward to later that day.
The excitement starts when the meat is first marinated with a blend of aromatic spices. As the slow cooking starts the mouth watering smell permeates the entire house. The anticipation builds up throughout the day and dinner time is eagerly awaited.
If you've never eaten goat meat, you need to give it a try! However, If you feel squeamish about it, as I know some people do, then follow this recipe using a nice whole leg of lamb.
CHOOSING YOUR MEAT
One of the Key steps to a good goat leg roast is your choice of cut. As I've mentioned in a few other recipes on my blog, for example my Nihari recipe, buying the right meat is the key element in a slow cooked recipe.
Of course the better the cut of meat , the more expensive it is. However, since you're likely making this on a special occasion and spending a minimum of 18 hours on prepping it I would suggest going for the best.
The younger and smaller in weight the animal, the more tender the meat.So when I'm at the butchers I try and aim for a whole leg of goat that is no more than 2-2.5 pounds.
PREPARING THE MARINADE
Marinating the meat properly to insure that it is adequately seasoned and tenderized is a vital part of cooking this recipe. You can see in the picture below that I've made a few slanted cuts in the leg. This allows the marinade to really penetrate and flavor the meat.
When you apply the marinade, you must rub it well into these cuts. As mentioned above, assorted tenderizers can be used in the marinade. For my recipe I chose to stick with a yogurt based tandoori masala blend I prepared. This blend is a little different from the one that I use on my Tandoori Chicken, as goat meat is richer in taste and tougher in texture, thus requiring deeper flavors.
The first step is to fry the onions to a dark brown. These will then be cooled and added to the marinade.
All of the ingredients are then put through a food processor to prepare the marinade.
Next, the meat is marinated and placed in the fridge overnight.
SEARING THE ROAST
Now that the meat is well marinated, sear it in very hot oil to seal in the juices. You need a good bit of oil for this to be done properly but can discard the excess amount later. I use about 1 cup of oil in order to have a thin layer on the entire bottom of my pot.
Once the oil is well heated remove the Raan and let it sizzle for a good 5-10 minutes before flipping it carefully. If you're cooking 2 goat legs then sear each one separately to help maintain the oil temperature and get an even brown. The pictures below illustrate what the meat should look like once seared.
SLOW COOKING THE MEAT
There are two ways to cook the meat. The traditional, stove top or "dum pukht" technique or the newer oven method that many people prefer.
Stove Top Method
Once the meat is seared you can remove the excess oil and add the goat back to the pot. Fill the pot with the remaining marinade and water till halfway full. Seal tightly with foil and cover with a lid, cooking on high for about 10 minutes. At this point, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 3 hours before checking on the meat.
After the 3 hour mark insert a knife in the meat to gauge how well cooked it is. I usually need to cook mine for another hour at least but do so uncovered so as to dry some of the excess liquid. If you still have too much liquid and your meat is done, then remove the meat. You want it to fall off the bone but not become mushy and this allows you to thicken the gravy without that happening.
Oven Method
Although I personally prefer the traditional "dumpukht" stovetop method, the oven method is always an option. First sear the meat on the stove and then follow the directions as detailed in the recipe card below.
Cooking The Potatoes
At this point I peel and cut some potatoes into quarters and cook them in this marinade. This gives them all that flavor from the yogurt and spices, making for a very flavorful side.
Once the potatoes are done, I remove them from the pot and continue to thicken the liquid. I use the thick gravy as a drizzle on my meat and potatoes once I plate them to prevent the roast from getting dry.
The Leftovers
Storing
In the event that there are leftovers, I remove the meat off the bones and store it in an airtight container. In the fridge the meat can be kept for upto 2 days and in the freezer for upto 1 month. If freezing the meat, the potatoes cannot be frozen as they become crumbly and loose their texture. It's best to make fresh potatoes to go along with the leftovers.
Reheating
I usually drizzle the gravy on top when storing so that when I reheat the meat there's moisture and the meat doesn't dry out. Both the microwave or the oven can be used to reheat leftovers. If using an oven, preheat it to 350 degrees and place the meat and gravy in an ovenproof dish covered with foil. Heat for 30 minutes and serve.
I hope you decide to try this recipe this holiday season or for your next big celebration. Please don't forget to rate the recipe and comment below to let me know how it went!
Roast Leg Of Goat (Raan)
Ingredients
Spice Blend
- 1 piece mace
- 1 inch cinnamon stick
- 1 piece star anise
- 3 pieces cardamom
- 1 tsp fennel
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tsp salt (see notes)
- 2 tsp red chili powder
- 1 tsp corriander powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder
- ½ tsp black pepper
Marinade
- ½ onion
- 1 tbsp ginger
- 1 tbsp garlic
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 cup yogurt (see notes)
- ¾ cup tomato paste (see notes)
- 2 serrano chillies
- ½ cup cilantro
- spice blend
Roast Goat Of Leg {Raan}
- 2.5 lb whole goat leg (see notes)
- ½ tsp salt
- marinade
- ½ cup cooking oil
- 6 cups water
- 4 potatoes
Instructions
Spice Blend
- Dry roast all of the whole spices in a preheated frying pan. (see notes)
- Cool for a few minutes and then grind them to a fine powder.
- Mix these with all the powdered spices and set aside to use later. (see notes)
Marinade
- Slice the onion and fry it to a deep brown, strain from the oil and set it aside to cool.
- Add the spice blend, the cooked onion and all of the other ingredients to a food processor or blender and grind everything to a paste.
Roast Goat Of Leg (Raan)
- Wash the leg of goat and pat it dry.
- Stab it with a knife to create 10-12 deep cuts. (see notes)
- Rub ½ teaspoon salt all over the goat (see notes)
- Massage the marinade into the leg, making sure to get it into the cuts you made and refrigerate the goat leg overnight.
- Place the marinated goat leg on the kitchen counter for 1 hour before cooking it. (see notes)
- Preheat your oil to about 350° to get a good sear on the leg.
- Scrape off the marinade coating the leg and placethe meat in the oil.
- Let it sizzle and cook for 5-10 minutes before flipping it over to sear on the other side.
- Use the preferred method of cooking your goat leg referenced below.
- Peel and quarter the potatoes and add them to the roast near the last 15-20 minutes of cooking (see notes)
STOVE TOP METHOD
- After the sear, add the remaining marinade along with 6 cups of water to the pot. (see notes)
- Bring this liquid to a boil and then seal the pot tightly. Cover it with foil, place the lid on top and reduce the heat to medium low.
- Do not open the pot or touch the meat for 3 hours for the steam to work. (see notes)
- After 3 hours, gently open the pot, test the meat using a knife or a meat thermometer. (see notes)
- Since we want the meat to fall off the bones, once the raan is 90% done, turn the heat up and cook the meat uncovered on medium high till the marinade thickens. (see notes)
OVEN METHOD
- For the oven method, while you're searing your meat, preheat the oven to 325?.
- After searing the meat, place it in a roasting pan, along with the marinade and 2 cups of water.
- Cover tightly with foil and cook uninterrupted for 2 hours.
- After 2 hours, uncover the meat and check to see if the meat is 90% cooked. At this point continue to cook it uncovered until it reaches the ideal cooking temperature, about 30-40 minutes.
- Once done, remove from the oven and let the meat rest for 20 minutes.
- If there's too much liquid in the roasting pan, pour it into a saucepan and boil it to make a thick concentrate that you can then pour over the leg
Sajid
Yes thanks for clarifying . I actually ended up procuring goat leg, approx 5lbs including bone, so will probably double up on the marinade. Looking forward to making this on xmas day! Thank you!
untoldrecipesbynosheen
perfect! message me if you need any help!
Sajid
Hi Nausheen. Can you simply replace the goat with a bone-in leg of lamb?
untoldrecipesbynosheen
Yes Sajid, easily replacable. I think I wrote it in the recipe but will clarify for sure.
farzana malik
I tried this recipe ,and the results were great!
The steps are so well explained and illustrated that you can't go wrong .The marinade prep did not take very long and the cooking took about 4 hrs.
well worth the time and effort, every one loved it!
untoldrecipesbynosheen
Thank You for trying my recipe and for the feedback Farzana.I’m so glad you liked it ?