Heat half a tablespoon oil in a pan on a low heat. Add red chilies, coriander seeds, star anise, cinnamon, cloves, black pepper and cardamoms.
Roast for a minute and then add the fennel seeds, cumin and curry leaves. Roast until crunchy and aromatic but not burnt.
Cool completely and transfer them to a grinder jar. Save half of the curry leaves for the last step. Make a coarse powder and grind with half cup water to make a thick paste. Add more water as required.
On a low to medium flame, heat oil in a heavy bottom pan or Dutch oven. Add the whole spices and garlic.
When they begin to sizzle, add the shallots and sliced onions. Regulate the heat to medium and sauté until transparent, for 5 to 6 mins.
Turn down the heat to low and add the ginger garlic paste. Saute for a minute until aromatic.
Add the tomatoes, turmeric and salt. If the pan is too dry, add a splash of water. Saute until the tomatoes break down and turn soft.
Add the goat and saute for 3 to 4 minutes until the color of the meat changes slightly.
Pour hot water (start with lesser if using boneless) and add the ground masala. Mix well and bring to a gentle boil.
Cover and simmer until the meat is tender and almost cooked, for 1 hour 30 minutes. During this time, stir every 15 to 20 min and add more hot water in batches as required.
Leave out this step if using canned coconut milk or prefer not to use coconut. To make the coconut paste, grind together raw coconut, fennel, crisp fried curry leaves & black pepper with ¼ to ⅓ water to a very smooth paste. Keep this aside.
When the goat meat is fully cooked & tender, stir in the coconut paste. If using coconut milk add it here along with the curry leaves, black pepper and fennel powder. Avoid cold coconut at this stage.
If your goat curry is too thick, pour ¼ to ⅓ cup hot water and simmer for at least 10 minutes. Turn off once done and rest for at least 15 to 20 mins before serving. The gravy will thicken a bit after cooling so turn off accordingly. Taste test and add more salt as needed.
Serve goat curry with rice, Chapati, Tandoori Roti, Naan or Ragi Mudde. You can also serve with Dosa, idli, Idiyappam or appam.