Dish of Goat in Shrimp Sauce
(click to enlarge)

Goat in Shrimp Sauce


Africa, West   -   Njeh Ohleleh
Serves:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 5 main
***
11+ hrs
Yes		 This is an exceptionally flavorful stew and a good value because you get a lot with a modest amount of goat. Goat is the primary meat in much of Africa, since goats do well in dry rocky environments other domestic animals cannot thrive in.

3
2
ar
------
6
2
1-1/3
7
3
2-1/2
------
10
3
3
1/2
1/4
------
2
1-1/2
1/3
2
T
#

---
oz
cl
#
oz

oz
---
oz

T
t
t
---
T
T
c
c
Blackeye peas, dry  
Goat Meat (1)
Salt
-- Stew mix
Onions
Garlic
Tomatoes
Bell Pepper, grn
Chili, fresh (2)
Mushroom, white
-- Sauce mix
Shrimp (3)
Scallions
Tomato Paste
Salt
Pepper
------------
Oil, Dende (4)
Oil, Dende (more)
Ohleleh Paste
Stock (5)
Do-Ahead   -   (7+ hrs -45 min work)
  1. Process BLACKEYE PEAS into Ohleleha Bean Paste (see Note-6).
PREP   -   (45 min work)
  1. Debone GOAT and remove excess fat. Cut into 1 inch cubes (See Note-1) and rub lightly with salt.
  2. Chop ONIONS fine. Crush GARLIC and chop fine. Dice BELL PEPPER small, Chop CHILIS fine. Chop MUSHROOMS small. Mix all.
  3. Scald TOMATOES one minute in boiling water. Quench in cold water and peel. Cut into small dice.
  4. Chop SHRIMP fairly coarse. Split thick end of SCALLIONS and slice crosswise very thin.(white and green). Mix together all Sauce items.
RUN   -   (3-3/4 hrs)
  1. In a spacious sauté pan or similar heavy bottomed coverable vessel heat Oil and fry Goat until all exuded liquid has evaporated and it is lightly browned on all sides, being careful nothing burns in the pan.
  2. Stir in Stew mix, Tomatoes and 1/3 cup Water. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer slowly until Goat is tender (2-3/4 to 3-1/2 hours, depending how ornery your goat was). Tumble the Goat now and then and add water if needed.
  3. When Goat is tender, pour it all out into a bowl and hold aside. Clean the pan.
  4. If your Ohleleh Paste is quite dry, mix in water until it is fairly loose.
  5. Heat another 1-1/2 T Oil in the pan. Stir in the Ohleleh Paste and fry over moderate heat stirring constantly until oil begins to separate or the fond stuck to the pan threatens to get too brown. The objective here is to thoroughly cook the beans.
  6. Starting a little at a time, stir in the Stock until you have the sauce consistency you desire. It should be fairly loose.
  7. Stir in Goat mix, then Sauce mix. Bring up to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes.
  8. Serve hot with plenty of steamed long grain rice. This dish reheats very well.
NOTES:

  1. Goat Meat:

      - Weight is for boneless with all excess fat removed. Here in Los Angeles I sometimes buy goat as random chunks, sometimes at as low as US $1.99 / pound, but more often $2.99. These may yield up to 54% meat or as low as 34% depending on how much is fat. Shank end legs may be a better deal because they reliably yield about 64%. Loin end leg is more difficult to disassemble and yields only about 38%. Bones and trimmings make excellent stock for use in recipes. For details see our Goat Page.

  2. Chili:

      Except for the super hot Habanero / Scotch Bonnet chilis, African chilis are not much available in North America. The popular pili pili is a bird pepper, with heat similar to that of the Thai chilis now common in North America. Three Thai chilis will give this dish a decent bite, four if you like hotter. For details see our African Chilis page.

  3. Shrimp:

      Weight is for fresh peeled shrimp. The use of large amounts of dried shrimp in Afro-Brazilian cuisine (where dende oil is also used) leads me to wonder if that's also used in Africa for dishes like this. That's mighty powerful stuff, so experiment cautiously if you choose to do so.

  4. Dende Oil:

      (Palm Oil) This is a bright orange oil used in parts of Africa and Brazil, and needed to accurately reproduce the flavors of those regions. For details and possible substitutes see our Red Palm Oil / Dendê Oil page.

  5. Stock:

      That you made from the goat bones and trimmings is fine, or chicken stock, or whatever have you.

  6. Ohleleh:

      This is a standard ingredient in much of sub-Saharan Africa, required for many recipes, but a bit of a hassle to make. For details see our Ohleleh Beans page.
  7. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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