Vegetable Paya Recipe - Side dish For Appam, Idiyappam

Appam paya – Many of you would have heard this combo or tasted in restaurants. Paya – Popularly known as “Attukal Paya” is one of the most popular side dish for appam & idiyappam in Tamil nadu. It is basically a South Asian food that is served in festivals and occasions. Paaya means “Feet” in Urdu and Hindi. This dish is prepared by cooking goat legs (Trotters in English) in a spicy masala curry. This dish is adapted in local cuisines and this paya recipe vary regionally. The cooked leg pieces is served as soup for patients as it is considered to be healthy. I have heard about this dish from my Chennai friends. I thought it would taste more like Parota Salna.

Recently my friend Shalini told she tasted appam with vegetable paya in Saravana bhavan Grand style hotel in Salem. It tempted me to try this recipe at home. I browsed few mutton paya recipes and got this particular version from Mullai’s blog. I tweaked the recipe slightly as per my convenience and used potato instead of mutton. I made it for our Sunday breakfast as a side dish for South Indian appam recipe. It came out finger licking delicious.

Sendhil and myself loved it a lot. I am sure, I will make this vegetable paya recipe often in my kitchen. Friends, do try this side dish for appam and idiyappam for a change. You will love it like us. You can prepare this gravy with mixed vegetables too. Ok, Lets see how to prepare paya recipe with potato ( Vegetarian version) with step by step photo !

From tomorrow I will start posting Ganesh chaturthi recipes.

Paya recipe – Vegetarian version with potato

Paya recipe - Vegetarian version with potato Paya recipe – Side dish for appam with potato

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Side dish

Serves: 3

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 20 Minutes

Total time: 30 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup – 250ml

Potato – 2 nos
Big onion – 1 no
Tomato – 2 nos.
Cooking oil – 2 tbsp
Cinnamon – 1 inch
Cloves – 2 no
G&G paste – 1 tsp
Cardamom – 1 no
Bayleaf – 1 no
Black stone flower – 1 no
Fennel seeds – 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder – 1/8 tsp
Red chilli powder – 1 tsp ( I used kashmiri chilli pwd)
Garam masala powder or chicken masala powder – 1/2 tsp
Salt & water – as needed

To saute & grind : Paste 1

Cooking oil – 1 tbsp
Medium sized Big onion – 1 no or small onion – 6 nos
Coriander seeds / Dhania – 1.5 tsp
Green chillies – 2-3 nos ( use 4 for more spicy taste)

For paste-2

Grated coconut – 1/4 cup
Pottukadalai/Fried gram – 2 tsp
Water – to grind

Mint + coriander leaves – to garnish

HOW TO MAKE VEGETABLE PAYA – METHOD

Wash and peel the skin of potato. Cut into strips of 2 inches and set aside. I chopped it lengthwise to resemble goat legs ; )) Chop onion, tomato and keep apart.
In a kadai, heat oil and saute one chopped big onion, dhania seeds and green chillies. Switch off the flame and let it cool. Grind it along with coconut + Fried gram dal as I did. OR As per the original recipe, you should grind Dhania+green chilli+ onion to a smooth paste (Paste 1). Grind coconut + fried gram dal to a smooth paste separately ( Paste 2). But I ground everything together.

In a cooker base, heat oil and saute cinnamon, cloves, bayleaf, black stone flower, cardamom and fennel seeds. Add the chopped onions, g&g paste ( If you grind dhania+ chillies+onion paste separately, add it at this stage. Saute until its raw smell goes off.) Now add tomato, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, salt and saute until mushy. To this, add the sliced potato strips. Mix well for sometime. (Add coconut paste.i.e paste 2 if you have ground it seperately)

Now add the ground coconut paste and saute for a minute. Add 1.5 cups of water and garam masala powder. Mix well and pressure cook for one whistle in low flame or till the potato cooks soft but retain its shape.

Open the cooker after the steam is released. Mix well and check for taste and consistency. Add more salt, water and chilli powder if needed. Give a boil and finally garnish with mint+coriander leaves. This gravy thickens over time. So add more water accordingly.

Enjoy !

Note

Adjust the quantity of chilli powder and green chillies as per your taste.
You can skip adding coconut paste and make a watery gravy too.
Instead of potato, you can use mixed vegetables like carrot, cauliflower, peas and beans.

Delicious Vegetable paya with appam is a delectable combo. Do try it and enjoy !