On Friday got a pack of 4 mutton legs nicely cleaned from the Nesto hypermarket. We love paya curry and soup made with the trotters. My mom used to make Aatu Kaal (goat leg/ trotters ) soup often.
Trotters always bring the thoughts of eid days where mom and dad together used to clean them and burn them in the temporary wood fire made for cooking biryani in the noon. Then used to tie them with rope together and hang them in the kitchen near the stove so that it gets dried up. When it’s dried up well after about a week mom used to make soup with it at night.
We love it. But I haven’t cooked it here as I was not sure of how clean it would be. Finally got it yesterday and cooked it. It was cleaned well and cut into pieces. I cleaned it again adding all-purpose flour, learnt this technique from my friend. She used to cook Nihari with it. I have also had it at Pakistani restaurants. It used to be like a thin soup and tastes well with paratha.
At my grandma home, they usually make broth with the trotters in the morning and use the broth to make aatu kaal soup and use the cooked Aatu Kaal( trotters ) to make curry ( kuzhambu) for lunch.
I made this paya for dinner to have with wheat parotta. Paya is a good accompaniment for appam, idiyappam, dosa, idli ……
let’s see how to cook it.
Preparation Time: 30 mins
Cooking Time: 1 hr
Serves: 4
INGREDIENTS REQUIRED
Groundnut oil – 2 tbsp
Cinnamon – 2-inch piece
Cardamom – 3
Cloves – 3
Onion -2 ( sliced )
Curry leaves – 3 sprigs
Ginger garlic paste – 1 tbsp
tomato – 1 ( chopped)
Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp
Kashmiri red chilli powder – 2 tsp
coriander powder – 1/2 tsp
Paya/ trotters/ aatu kaal – 4 ( cut into pieces)
Water as required
Salt as required
For Grinding
Grated coconut – 1/2 cup
Poppy seeds – 1 tsp
Green chillies – 3
METHOD
1.Clean, cut and wash the trotters pieces well. I have used all-purpose flour to clean it. Just rub the trotters well with the flour and then wash them well.
2. In a pressure cooker add oil. When it’s hot add cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, star anise. Let them sizzle. Then add chopped onions and a little salt. Saute until the onions turn light golden brown. Then add ginger garlic paste, saute until the raw smell leaves. Add chopped tomatoes. Saute well. Then add Kashmiri red chilli powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder and mix well. Add the cleaned paya/ trotters into it. Mix well. Add 3 cups of water to it and pressure cook for 15 to 20 whistles.
3.Grind grated coconut, green chillies and poppy seeds into a fine paste, adding water.
4. After 15 to 20 whistles, switch off the flame .when the pressure is released. Open the lid. Add the ground coconut paste, water as required(I used around 2 to 3 cups of water) into it .check for salt and add as required, mix well and bring it to boil. When it comes to boil, add pepper powder , coriander leaves and curry leaves to it and switch off the flame.
Paya kuzhambu is ready.
Serve with Appam, Idiyappam, dosa, paratha or idli.
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