Paya Soup

Paya — meaning 'trotters' in Urdu and Tamil — is a slow-braised South Asian trotter soup with roots stretching back to the Mughal era. The Hyderabadi and Chettinad versions diverge in spice profiles but share the same reverence for long, patient cooking that extracts every ounce of gelatin and flavour from lamb trotters. This South Indian adaptation uses coastal spices.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 4 lamb trotters (paya), cleaned and split by the butcher
• 2 litres (8 cups) water
• 3 tbsp (45ml) ghee
• 2 onions, finely sliced
• 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
• 3 ripe tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tbsp coriander powder
• 2 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 2 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 10 black peppercorns
• 4 green cardamom pods, bruised
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 4 cloves
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 tbsp (45ml) lime juice
• Large bunch fresh coriander
• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. Rinse trotters thoroughly and blanch in boiling water for 10 minutes. Drain and rinse again.
2. Heat ghee in a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat. Fry onions until deep brown and caramelised, about 15 minutes — this is the flavour base.
3. Add ginger-garlic paste and cook 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and all spice powders (except garam masala); cook until oil separates, about 10 minutes.
4. Add trotters, whole spices and 2 litres water. Bring to a boil, skim foam, then cover and braise on the lowest possible heat for 3-4 hours, or until meat is falling off the bone and the broth is silky and gelatinous.
5. Season with salt and lime juice. Stir in garam masala and half the coriander.
6. Ladle into deep bowls, garnish with remaining coriander and an extra squeeze of lime. Serve with naan or idli.

Cook's Notes: A pressure cooker reduces cooking time to 45-60 minutes at full pressure, though the open-pot method yields a more nuanced broth. The collagen-rich broth sets to a firm jelly when cold — a sign of quality. Soak trotters in salted water for 1 hour before cooking for extra cleanliness.