Soothing Your Cold Evening With This Paya Shorba
Image Credit: Paya Shorba - Photo Ayandrali Dutta

Mutton Paya Soup or the Paya Shorba is that delicious soup made with the lamb trotters. The lamb legs are known to have best and most inexpensive source of calcium, protein and minerals. The paya soup is indeed a much nourishing soup for kids, young ones as well as old ones. This clear soup made by boiling the trotters and spices together in lots of water too has a history and is supposed to have travelled from far of countries and cultures.

Paya Shorba 

 In the much modern version of this shorba it’s much thicker in texture and is known to be served with mostly appam. This slow cooked soup is a delight to have in winter. 

Ingredients 

•    Lamb trotters 4-5

•    Onions 2 medium

•    Garlic 5 cloves

•    Cloves 6-8

•    Green cardamoms 2

•    Cinnamon 1 inch

•    Salt to taste

•    Ghee 1/2 cup

•    Black pepper powder ½ teaspoon

•    Fresh coriander leaves chopped 1 medium bunch

•    Garam masala powder ½ teaspoon

•    Lemon juice 1 tablespoon

•    5 cups of Water

Method

•    Firstly when you buy the payas made sure to get some slit so that they are easy to boil and the juices mingle well. 

•    Wash payas thoroughly and keep them aside. Cut one of the onion into quarters and finely slice the other. Make a paste of quartered onions and garlic along with one cardamom and keep aside. 

•    take a large pot add five cups of water and the payas. Alongside add the onion paste, cloves, green cardamoms, cinnamon and salt.

•    Let all of these slowly cook for atleast 2 hours in medium heat so that each spice leaves it’s flavour and the paya leaves it juices. Boil till the payas are tender. If required, add another two to three cups of water. 

•    in a different wok heat ghee in a pan and fry sliced onions till golden brown. Green chilli and pepper powder.

•    Add these to the payas and cook for another 15 minutes. 

•    Slowly take it off from the stove and strain the paya as you separate the payas from the residue broth. 

•    Served the strained liquid and sprinkle some coriander leaves, a bit of fresh crushed pepper and there its ready to be savoured hot. Make sure not to miss on that piece of paya. The real flavours lie there.