Aatu Kaal Paaya ( Smoked leg of lamb cooked in a spicy sauce )

After removing the skin of goat or lamb, it can be used from head to toe.  Every single part starting from head can be eaten.  Head is used for head curry, even tongue and nose also used, it might bit dodgy if you are a vegetarian. The meat, intenstine, liver, brain everything is used for different preparation.  To be more clear, the blood is also consumed.  Paaya is prepared using the feet of lamb or goat.  When it comes to feet or leg , the skin cannot be peeled completely, so it's left out with a few hairy parts.

This feet or leg of lamb with hairy parts  cannot be used directly for any recipe.  Hence this is smoked or burnt completely until it burns out all the hairy parts outside .  This can be done only by butchers, not in home.  To read about this might be bit yucky,  but this is just a piece of information who have never heard the word paaya.  In case you have lost your interest after reading this, please don't.  This recipe bursts with flavours and also very good for your bones and joints.  Any non veg lover will love this,  appam with paaya or idyapaam with paaya is such a well known popular combination.  It does taste good with chapathi's and rice too.  So instead of your regular chicken or lamb curries and stews, try this for a change next time, you'll surely love it.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time:  45 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients:
Smoked feet- 2 sets ( which means 2 feet and leg of lamb chopped into pieces)
Ginger garlic paste- 2 tsp
Onion- 1 medium sized finely chopped
Tomato- 1 medium sized finely chopped
Cinnamon- 1/2 inch stick
Cardamom- 1
Cloves- 1
Bay leaf- 1 small leaf
Chilly powder- 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder- 1 tsp
Freshly ground pepper and cumin- 1/2 tbsp ( take equal amount of pepper and cumin and ground it coarsely )
Coriander leaves- 1 tbsp finely chopped
Coconut milk- 100 ml
Oil- 1 tbsp
Salt to taste

Method:
Wash the smoked feet well in water, rubbing the few burnt parts.  Heat oil in a pressure cooker, add all the whole spices, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and bay leaves.  Then add onions and ginger garlic paste.  Saute well until the raw smell goes and it looks light brown in colour.  Now add the tomatoes and saute till they look mushy.  Now add the chilly powder and coriander powder and mix it well.  Now add the leg of lamb and mix it well.  Add lots of water, until it looks completely immersed and the water level is well above the top.  At this stage add the freshly ground pepper and cumin.   Cover the cooker with it's lid, put the whistle.  Cook it for upto 10 whistles.
Generally it takes very long time to cook.  If it looks hard after 10 whistles, cook it for another 5 more whistles.  At this stage add coconut milk, coriander leaves and salt.  Cook it for another 3 whistles.  To check if it's cooked properly, when you touch it should be very soft and the meat should come of from the bone very easily.  Now you know it's ready, take it off from heat.  Serve while they are still warm with idiyappam, appam, rice or chapathi's.