Gulai Kambing - Padang Style Lamb Curry

Gulai Kambing is a very popular dish, especially in Sumatra and peninsular Malaysia.  "Gulai" is a type of sauce from the Minangkabau ethnic group in West Sumatra.  Today, gulai is made with all kinds of meat, including squid, crab, prawns, beef, chicken, and all other meats.  However, the most popular kind of gulai is made with goat or lamb ("Kambing" means the animal "goat", but when speaking of meat, kambing can refer to goat and lamb meat interchangeably).  This dish is a popular part of what is called Padang food (makanan Padang) in Indonesia, which means food from Sumatera Barat province (the capital of which is Padang), which is very popular in all parts of Indonesia and Malaysia.  This dish is a lovely part of any Indonesian meal, and often serves to cool off the palette due to its mild flavor.  It is in many ways idiomatic to the Indian Korma, which also tends to be creamy, somewhat mild, and yellowish in color.  Now, let's get cooking!

Gulai Kambing recipe (serves 1-2)

For the rempah (spice paste).  Blend these ingredients to a fine paste.

• 4 small shallots
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1/2 inch galangal
• 1/2 inch fresh turmeric
• 1/2 inch ginger
• 1/4 tsp fennel powder
• 1/4 tsp cumin powder
• 1/4 tsp coriander powder
• 3 candlenuts
• 1/4 tbsp palm sugar (gula jawa is best)
• 1/4 tsp ground white peppercorn
• 1 tsp salt

Other ingredients

• About 200g lamb meat, you can also use mutton or goat.  Shoulder meat is best.
• 2-3 kaffir lime leaves, ripped
• 1 lemongrass stalk, white part only, bruised
• 2 cloves
• 1 star anise
• 1 Indonesian bay leaf (these are not the same as regular bay leaves, but if needed you can substitute regular ones.  Look for leaves labeled "daun salam" or "Indonesian bay leaf")
• 1 cardamom pod
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1.5 tbsp oil for frying
• 400 ml coconut milk (ayam brand is the best)
• 2 tbsp tamarind concentrate
• water

Let's go!

First, heat the oil in a large wok or other deep pot (I use a faitout).  Fry the whole spices (lime leaves, lemongrass, cloves, star anise, daun salam, cardamom, cinnamon) in the oil until fragrant, then adding the rempah (curry paste.)  Fry for about five minutes until aromatic and the oil separates out.  Then add in the lamb pieces and stir into the rempah until no longer pink.  Then pour in the coconut milk and tamarind.  Mix well with the spice paste and add enough water now to cover the lamb pieces entirely.  Let simmer on medium-low heat for about 2-3 hours depending on how thick you like your sauce.  In Sumatera people like it very thick, but the Javanese way is to leave the sauce a litle thinner.  Either way will be delicious!  Check seasonings before serving with plain rice, nasi kuning, nasi liwet, roti jala/canai or anything else you like.  Enjoy your gulai!