Modje (also spelled modjé) is the Cape Verdean braised goat or lamb dish, made for Sunday lunches and celebrations. The Portuguese braising technique combined with island spices.
Tear into the modje goat — fall-apart tender, in a rich tomato-wine-paprika sauce with soft potato chunks. Bite: the long-braised goat melts; the Portuguese paprika and Mediterranean notes meet the island's heat. A Sunday celebration plate.
Long braising at low heat tenderizes tough goat. Wine adds acidity. Paprika is the Portuguese signature.
Variations
Modje de São Nicolau, the best-known version, served with a medley of root vegetables — cassava (mandioca), yam (inhame), sweet potato, squash, and green banana. With lamb instead of goat. With chicken. A broth-less relative on other islands called guisado (carne guisado). Family-recipe variations across islands.
On the Palate
Where Modje sits in the Cape Verdean flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 6
How it's made
10 steps · 35 min active + 1 hour 55 min waiting
- 14 min
Cube 1.2 kg goat (or lamb) into 5-cm pieces; season.
- 29 min
Brown in 4 tbsp olive oil 8 min. Remove.
Watch outSear the goat in batches until deeply browned on all sides — crowding the pan steams the meat grey and you lose the braise's depth.
- 311 min
Sauté 2 onions + 6 garlic + 1 bell pepper 10 min.
- 49 min
Add 3 tomatoes + 2 tbsp paste + 1 tbsp paprika + 1 tsp cumin + 1 chopped chili; cook 8 min.
- 55 min
Add 300 ml white wine; simmer 4 min.
- 62 min
Add 500 ml water/stock + 2 bay leaves + 1 sprig rosemary + 1 tsp salt.
- 795 min
Return meat. Simmer covered 90 min until fork-tender.
Watch outKeep it at a bare simmer for the full 90 min — goat is tough, and only slow, gentle heat coaxes it to fork-tender.
- 827 min
Add 300 g potatoes (cubed); simmer 25 min more.
Watch outAdd the potatoes only in the last stretch — go in too early and they collapse into mush before the meat is done.
- 91 min
Stir in parsley.
- 104 min
Serve with rice or boiled cassava.
