Nani-maa’s Paya
My grandmother, like all grandmothers, is a great cook. As a child, I spent many a summer in Dewsbury and paya were frequently on the menu. Paya is a delicious, slow-cooked lamb trotter dish, served as a deeply flavoured, highly gelatinous soup.This Gujarati-style paya recipe was taught to Foodiechief by my grandmother, who passed on this culinary knowledge to me. Paya is a great winter warming dish and is also served as a nutritious soup during Iftar.
Equipment
- 1 large heavy-bottomed pot
Ingredients
- 1 kg lamb paya (trotters). cut into pieces
- 1 tbsp ghee clarified butter
- 3 tbsp oil
- 5 whole green cardamom
- 1 black cardamom
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 4 pieces cinnamon inch size pieces
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 tsp cloves
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 1½ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp garlic diced/minced
- 2 tbsp ginger diced/minced
Pearl barley, soup base
- 1 cup pearl barley
Wagaar (tempered spice paste)
- 1 medium onion diced
- ½ tsp cumin seeds
- 2 tbsp green chilli (quantity to taste) minced
- 2 tbsp garlic diced/minced
- 1½ tbsp ginger diced/minced
- 1 tomato grated, skin decarded
- 1 tbsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- ½ tsp black pepper powder
- salt to taste
- 1 tbsp roti atta or plain flour
- ½ tsp garam masala
Finishing herbs
- ½ cup fresh coriander leaves chopped
- ¼ cup fresh mint leaves chopped
- 2 green chillis (optional, to taste) diced
Red onion salad (kachumber)
- 1 red onions thinly sliced
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 3 tsp white vinegar
- ⅔ tsp salt or to taste
- ½ tsp sugar
- ½ tsp black pepper powder
- 2 tbsp fresh coriander leaves chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh mint leaves chopped
- 1 tsp green chilli finely sliced, optional
Instructions
- Today we are sharing my Nani's Paya recipe.
- This Gujarati-style paya recipe was taught to Foodiechief by my grandmother, who passed on this culinary knowledge to me. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
Slow cooking the paya
- Wash and drain the paya.You may want to add dry rub rice flour and rub into the paya to thoroughly clean off any small hairs, then wash,
- Heat a deep, heavy-bottomed pot and dry roast the whole spices, (cumin, cloves, cinnamon, cardamoms, black peppercorns and bay leaf) until they become fragrant.
- Add the ghee and oil. Followed by the paya.
- Fry the paya for a few minutes.
- Add the garlic, ginger, salt and turmeric powder. Then mix thoroughly.
- Add enough water to cover the paya.
- Bring the paya up to a boil and then lower the heat and simmer, cover the pot with lid and slow cook for approximately 5 hours. Check and stir occasionally.
Can you use a pressure cooker
- A pressure cooker will reduce the cooking time substantially, but be careful. As the pressure cooker can spit out hot oil. My Nani always cooked without pressure, its a long cook, but its mostly unattended. The slow and long cook of the paya most definitely enhances the final dish compared to pressure cooking. Finally, cooking without pressure allows you to control the texture of the paya. Pressure cooking sometimes overcooks the paya and they disintegrate into the sauce.
Pearl barley base
- Wash the pearl barley until the waters run clear.Add the pearl barley into a saucepan with water (2 inches above the surface of the pearl barley). Bring the pearl barley up to a boil and then lower the heat and simmer for approximately an hour. Top up water as required.
- The pearl barley is fully cooked, when it starts to stick to the bottom of the saucepan.
- Blend into a smooth paste using a hand blender.
- Strain the pearl barley through a fine metal strainer. Warning: This is hard work!
After 5 hours
- After 5 hours the paya are soft to the touch and coming away from the bone.
Wagaar (tempered spice paste)
- Dry roast the cumin seeds, then add the oil followed by the diced onion.
- After the onions have slightly browned, add the diced garlic and ginger and cook until the garlic and ginger become fragrant.
- Then add the salt, coriander powder, cumin powder, turmeric powder, black pepper powder.
- Add the diced green chilli.
- Add the grated tomato.
- Cook until the oil separates from the wagaar. Then add the flour and mix in, you will need to add a little water to ensure the flour mixes into the wagaar without clumping up (Not shown on video instructions).Add the wagaar to the boiled paya.
Adjusting the final consistency
- Add the strained pearl barley until you get to your desired consistency.You may want to water down your pearl barley, if it is too thick.
- Adjust the water and pearl barley, if you want to increase the soup to paya ratio.Taste and adjust salt to taste. Add the garam masala and mix well.
Finishing herbs
- Add the chopped coriander, mint and green chilli.
- Let the herbs infuse for 10 mins. This freshens up the dish.
- Serve with turkish bread or naan, lemon wedges and red onion kachumber.Chalo kawa.
How does its taste?
- Check out that gelatinous paya.
- Rich flavoursome broth, gelatinous paya with a touch of spice, the red onion give you a pungency, whilst the vinegar cuts through the fattiness. Perfection.
Red onion salad (kachumber)
- Make a vinaigrette with white vinegar, olive oil, salt, black pepper and sugar. Taste and adjust as necessary.
- Add the thinly sliced onion, fresh coriander, mint and green chilli (if using)
Any questions?
- Can you use a pressure cooker?
- Can you use Beef Paya for this recipe?
- Why did you add the barley?
- Can you cook the Paya in a slow cooker?