Mutton Paya is a traditional food of the indian subcontinent. It is usually slow cooked for hours (mainly overnight) on the stove but these days it is cooked in pressure cooker. Paya has a soup like consistency and served with Idiyappam or Naan, best eaten during the winter months.
Ingredients
To Pressure Cook:- Mutton Trotters - 6 pcs (or as you need) Pepper Corns - 1 tsp Cardamom - 1 tsp Fennel Seeds - 1 tsp Cinnamon Stick - 1" Clove - 2 Bay Leaf - 1 Salt Coconut Paste (Optional Step):- Grated Coconut - 1/2 cup Coriander Seeds - 2 tbsp Pepper Powder - 1/2 tsp For Gravy:- Ghee - 3 tbsp Oil - 3 tbsp Star Anise - 2 Cardamom - 2 Clove - 2 Cinnamon Stick - a small piece Onion - 1 (large, finely chopped) Ginger Garlic Paste - 3 tbsp Green Chilli - 4 (slit) Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder - 1 tbsp (acc. to spice level) Thick Curd - 1/2 cup (whisk well) Lemon Juice - 4 tbsp Coriander Leaves - 2 tbsp (chopped) Salt
Instructions
- Add the trotters, whole spices and salt (mentioned above) along with enough water to a pressure cooker and cook upto 15 to 20 whistles on medium - low flame. Drain the stock and keep aside.
- Heat oil and ghee in a heavy bottomed vessel, add star anise, cardamom, clove, cinnamon stick. Once it splutters, add ginger garlic paste and saute till raw smell fades.
- Add onion and green chillies and saute till onion turns pink.
- Meanwhile, grind coconut, coriander seeds and pepper to a fine smooth paste. Add the grounded coconut paste and saute till oil separates from it. (optional step)
- Add chilli powder and cook till raw smell fades away. Add curd little by little and stir. Add the cooked trotters and mix well till masala coats well.
- If you are skipping the cooconut paste, add coriander powder and pepper powder along with red chilli powder and mix.
- Now, add 3/4th of the stock and bring to a boil. Simmer and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour stirring in between to avoid sticking at the bottom.
- If the gravy is too thick, add the remaining stock and cook further.
- Add lemon juice and mix well. Check salt. Keep for 4 to 6 hours before serving for best result. Garnish with coriander leaves. Taste is even better when served the next day.
