Durban Mutton Curry

the intensely spiced, turmeric-laden slow curry of the KwaZulu-Natal Indian kitchen

Origin: Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

From the journey of Turmeric.

Durban curry is the most distinctive regional curry style in the Southern Hemisphere: intensely spiced, fiercely hot, deep golden from turmeric, and characterised by a sauce that reduces to coat the meat in a thick, almost dry masala. It was developed by the Tamil and Hindi-speaking indentured labourers who arrived in the Colony of Natal from 1860 onwards, and it has evolved in the hundred and sixty years since into something entirely South African; the spice balance is heavier and the heat level higher than in the original Madras or UP traditions it draws from. Served as a bunny chow (curry ladled into a hollowed loaf of white bread) or with bread rolls on a Sunday, it is one of the definitive national foods of South Africa, crossing every ethnic and class boundary in the country it was born in.

Ingredients

Curry

  • 1.2 kg bone-in mutton or lamb shoulder, cut into 5 cm pieces
  • 4 tbsp neutral oil
  • 2 large onions, finely chopped
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
  • 3 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
  • 2 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
  • 1.5 tsp fine salt, or to taste
  • 200 ml warm water
  • 1 sprig fresh curry leaves (about 10 leaves)

Spices

  • 3 tbsp Durban curry powder or hot Madras curry powder
  • 2 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 2 tsp hot chilli powder, or to taste
  • 1 stick cinnamon
  • 4 whole cardamom pods, lightly crushed
  • 3 whole cloves

Method

    The Gastrographer

    The Gastrographer

    Mapping Culinary History

    To explore — select an ingredient below.

    Journey Point Map Key

    Ingredient originTrade or transit route
    Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control
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