Mutton Feet Paya Recipe

Step 1: Clean and Prepare Mutton Feet

Wash the 7 mutton (goat) feet thoroughly under running water. To remove hair and any smell, first burn off any remaining hair over a gas flame using tongs. Then, rub the dry feet generously with wheat flour, massaging well, especially in the hooves, and scrape with a knife to ensure all hair and impurities are removed. Discard the used flour. Wash the feet again with water, rubbing them thoroughly, and let them sit for 5 minutes before a final rinse.

Step 2: Initial Boil of Mutton Feet

Boil water in a large pot. Once boiling, add the cleaned mutton feet and boil for 1-2 minutes on high heat. Turn off the heat. Strain the feet and discard this water, as it helps to eliminate any lingering odor from the feet.

Step 3: First Cook of Mutton Feet

Place the par-boiled mutton feet into a large pot. Add 1 whole onion, 1 whole ginger, 1 whole garlic, 1 broken bay leaf, 1 cinnamon stick, 2 brown cardamoms, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp turmeric powder. Pour in enough hot water to completely cover the feet. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and cook for 2 hours, allowing some water to evaporate.

Step 4: Prepare Masala Powder

While the feet are cooking, prepare the masala powder. In a dry pan, add 1 tsp fennel seeds, 1 tbsp whole cumin seeds, 1 tbsp whole coriander seeds, 10-15 black peppercorns, 2 brown cardamoms, 1 cinnamon stick, 4 cloves, 2 bay leaves, 4 green cardamoms, 10-15 black nigella seeds, a little black cumin (shah zeera), and 1 small piece of whole mace. Turn on low heat and cook for 2 minutes. Then, add 1/2 tsp carom seeds (ajwain) and cook for 1 more minute. Turn off the heat, let the spices cool down, then grind them into a fine powder in a blender. Transfer the powder to a separate bowl.

Step 5: Prepare Fried Onions for Gravy

Chop 1 large onion. Heat oil in a pan and add the chopped onions. Fry the onions until they turn light golden brown. If you cook them until dark brown, the gravy will become dark. After 2 hours of the first cook, remove the whole onion, garlic, and ginger from the mutton feet pot and add them to the fried onions in the pan. If you prefer not to use these boiled aromatics, you can skip this step. Turn off the heat, let the onions cool, then remove them from the pan into a separate plate. Strain the oil from the pan and reserve it for later use in the gravy.

Step 6: Blend Fried Onions and Aromatics

Place the cooled fried onions, along with the boiled onion, garlic, and ginger (if used), into a blender. Add a little bit of the mutton feet broth to help blend, and blend until a smooth paste is formed.

Step 7: Remove Mutton Feet and Strain Broth

After 3 hours of cooking on low heat, the mutton feet should be fully cooked and falling off the bone. Carefully remove the cooked mutton feet from the pot. Strain the broth into a separate container, discarding any remaining solid spices or onion/garlic pieces.

Step 8: Prepare the Gravy Base

In the same large pot, add the reserved strained oil. Add 1 tbsp of fresh garlic and ginger paste and cook for 1 minute. Then, add 1/2 tbsp red chili powder, 1/2 tbsp paprika powder, and a little turmeric powder. Cook these spices on low heat for 1 minute. Reduce the heat to low, then add 4 mixed tablespoons of yogurt, stirring continuously to combine well. Keep the heat low to prevent the yogurt from curdling. If the yogurt isn't mixing well, you can blend it before adding. Increase the heat to medium.

Step 9: Combine and Simmer

Add the blended fried onion paste to the gravy base and cook until the oil separates from the masala. Add the cooked mutton feet to the gravy and mix well. Cook on medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 2 tbsp of the freshly ground masala powder and mix thoroughly. Pour in the strained mutton feet broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for an additional hour. The paya should be tender, and the gravy will thicken as it cools.

Step 10: Serve Mutton Feet Paya

Once the paya is cooked to your desired tenderness and the gravy has thickened, carefully ladle it into a serving bowl. Garnish with chopped ginger, fresh cilantro, and green chilies. Serve hot with roti or naan.

• Thoroughly clean mutton feet by burning off hair and rubbing with wheat flour to remove any odor.

• Boil the feet for 1-2 minutes and discard the water to further eliminate any unpleasant smell.

• When frying onions for the gravy, cook them until light golden, not dark brown, to prevent the gravy from becoming too dark.

• Always add yogurt to the gravy on low heat to prevent it from curdling.

• Do not add flour to paya; unlike nihari, paya broth is meant to be thinner and will naturally thicken as it cools.

• Tomatoes are not typically used in this paya recipe.

• You can use a pressure cooker to significantly reduce the cooking time for the mutton feet.

• Cook the mutton feet in a pressure cooker to reduce the cooking time.