It has been quite a long time since I posted something new. It had been a very busy month, dotted with bouts of sickness. The cold weather which is slowly sneeking into this part of the world along with the flu virus, did give me quite a number of headaches. So, my expriments in the kitchen swayed from wild and wacky to bland and pure, in accordance to what my tastebuds craved. Wow, what a month it was! I feasted on plain steamed Basmati rice with steamed vegetables and loved the taste of it. The same could be said of pureed rice with buttermilk, and rice rawa porridge. Certainly bouts of sickness make me appreciate the taste and texture of food better.
Last week, on our grocery shopping I was shocked at the increase in rice prices. The rice variety in question being Sona Masoori. A little search threw me the news of ban on non-basmati rice varieties and also the news of the partial lift of the ban. News here: http://www.business-standard.com/common/storypage_c_online.php?leftnm=11&bKeyFlag=IN&autono=29218 Back to long grained rice in a short while, should I say?
On a sunny note, I found a particular brand of yogurt which gave me good homemade yogurt. I found Horizons Organic yogurt in Wegmans and I loved the texture and flavor of the yogurt I was able to make using it. Try it..You are sure to like it! 🙂
On a side note, Padma of Padma’s Kitchen sent me the Amish Friendship bread starter and I made a batch of bread. It turned out delicious. However I could not send the starter packages on time and hence have started the second batch. I will post on the Amish bread pretty soon.
Ok..enough of notes.. 🙂 Last week, for the first time, I made Aatukkal paaya which roughly translates to ‘Goat Leg Soup’. Back home, my dad gets smoked goat legs from our local ‘Baai’ and mom pressure cooks them in water laced with turmeric and salt and keeps them in the fridge overnight. Here, I made the Paaya the same day.
Onto the recipe now:
Aatu Kaal Soup – Paaya:
Hope you are feeling better Chandrika! I love Paaya,how long did you cook the legs for? I have heard that these have to be cooked for a long time, but pressure cooking must reduce the time, huh?
LikeLike
I don’t know whether you have seen the movie “Nilgiri Express” starring Jaishankar.. quite old.. In that movie Cho(Ramaswamy) will keep repeating “Paaya Saapadlama?”. I just remembered that 🙂
LikeLike
such an authentic recipe.. lovely!
LikeLike
Looks very simple, yet very delicious!!
LikeLike
That’s such a hearty soup…looks absolutely gorgeous.
LikeLike
Oh you just took my back to those when my grandma used to prepare mutton soup when some was recuperating from some illness adn it used to taste so goooood !! our version is different from this one…but your preparation just made me crave for a bowl of that 🙂Shn
LikeLike
wow…you made Paaya. My SIL makes this so good. I’ve eaten it in only once but I absolutely loved it. Thanks for sharing this recipe. Got to try it soon.
LikeLike
I so love Mutton dishes but I don’t have any Halal guys here. Lamb tastes totally different!Paaya looks so yum, thanks for posting your mom’s recipe. I just buy extra long grain rice we get here at the grocery, good with gravy dishes. I also like Dannon yogurt too!:)Happy Halloween!
LikeLike
They looke delicious. Can just imagine licking the bone
LikeLike
Wow, I’m not a meateater, but I can’t stop drooling over this picture! Maybe I should try these flavors with some veggies instead – though I can’t quite think of what I could substitute here that would be reasonably chewy. Any ideas?
LikeLike
lovely soup!!! though i havent tasted this ,i bet i would taste gud..looks delicious…
LikeLike
hmmm… the picture is tempting me to become a non-veggie 😉 ….I am pending a reply to u. been bzy – will reply soon.
LikeLike
I hope you are recovering Chandrika! I love this paaya soup which is very famous in hyderabad. We too get meat from Halal and I bet you it doesnt taste much different than what we get in India. That is one good reason for me not leaving NJ 🙂That soup is so warm and fulfilling
LikeLike
Chandrika, hope you are feeling better, the Paaya should have made any sickenss fly away:) looks awesome, have to see if can get hold of some goat legs. Yes Organic Yogurts come very close to home made yogurt, I felt the same with Stonyfield Organic yogurt too.
LikeLike
Sig, Yes, I am feeling much better, thank you..Yep, the legs take a very long time to cook..I normally pressure cook them for about 12 to 15 whistles! Quite a lot, isn’t it?
LikeLike
Suganya, ya..I remember that…:-) Paaya is a part and parcel of Tamil movies..
LikeLike
Thank you Nags! 🙂
LikeLike
Cinnamon, ya, comparatively the recipe is simple and it tastes great! Try it! 🙂
LikeLike
Thank you Sunita! 🙂
LikeLike
Shn, so I took you down the memory lane..:-) Good old days, aren’t they? Shall I send across some soup? 🙂
LikeLike
Kribha, this was the first time I made Paaya and I was very pleased with the results! 🙂 The recipe is quite simple..Try it..
LikeLike
Happy Halloween to you too Asha! No Halal shops at your place..oh that’s bad..The Halal guy ay my place closed down some months back, but being die-hard Mutton lovers as we are, we drive down 10 miles for a pound or two of lamb! 🙂 I found long grain rice to be slighly bland…But can’t help it…
LikeLike
Thanks Happy Cook! 🙂Thanks Kaykat, Wish I could think of some substitutes…The soup derives its unique flavor from the meat…I will let you know if I find an alternative..
LikeLike
Thanks Remya!🙂 Vidhya, take your time and take care!
LikeLike
Thanks Padma, yes..I am recovering..Courtesy the soup! 🙂 Just kidding..I am feeling much better now.. I totally agree with you..The meat we get from Halal is really good..Truly one of the reasons for not leaving NJ! 🙂 The starter is still with me, Padma…I will send it across pretty soon..
LikeLike
I am feeling good, Indosungod..Thank you…Yep, the Paaya did it’s magic…:-)Glad you liked the soup.. I was very surprised with the way my dahi turned out with organic yogurts..I will try Stonyfield Yogurt next!
LikeLike
Dear Chandrika,I am visiting your blog for the first time…My name is Pournamy working in Bangalore…If you don’t mind please send me your email address.Waiting for your reply.Pournamy
LikeLike
Hi Pournamy, welcome to my blog. My mail id is @ akshayapatra@inbox.com
LikeLike
i have seen a lot of dishes,but I never tastes this delicious ,tasty and juicy soup
R.Ajay
LikeLike
Delicious and mouth watering Chandrika. This has been a standard recipe in our home every week for the past 6 months. I was searching for a nice recipe to adapt. I'll try your version next week.
LikeLike