Aunty Taj's Aattu Kaal Paya - Goat Trotter Curry from Aunty Taj

 It was 2018 and I was in Chennai, visiting my friend Munavar and her family.  Aunty Taj, Munavar's mother is a fantastic cook and I have tasted her food from the time we were in University.  Aunty is  well read and well travelled and always ready to explore more.  She came with us in the hot Chennai sun to visit the spectacular Mahabalipuram temples built in the 7th and 8th century AD just because I wanted to go there.  She also made sure I tasted some unique delicacies while I was in Chennai since she knew that I probably would not get these things back home in Melbourne.

On the last day of my stay with them, I was down - I always feel down when I have to leave India - and aunty dished out this spectacular curry with dosas.  When I asked her about it, she gave me the recipe but told me that if someone was not going to clean the trotters for me, don't bother making this dish.  Just have it when you come here the next time, she said. 

I have never seen goat trotters in all my time in Melbourne. The only trotters I have seen are pork trotters and I have never bought them. Well, all that changed last week when I spied these beauties in my favourite butcher shop, cleaned and cut, and they almost looked anaemic.  I was so excited that I rushed home and hunted high and low for the recipe - but I couldn't find it.

Thanks to Watsapp, my friend Munavar messaged the the recipe and here it is, the yummy goat trotter curry from aunty Taj. This curry is full of flavour and nutrition without the fat - it has the sweet bone marrow, gelatinous cartilage, a flavoursome broth that is best mopped up with a spongy bread of your choice.

Bone broth is specially nutritious and good for bone and joint health, has amino acids, produces anti aging molecules, may help you to sleep better and is good for digestion and good health. (Source: BBC Good Food https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/the-health-benefits-of-bone-broth)

I also support the idea of eating all the parts of the animal that you slaughter.

Mutton Sukka Varuval - Pan roasted goat South Indian style

 I know what you are thinking - who would eat mutton, right? Well, let me tell you, my friends.  If a South Indian person calls you over for Mutton, never say no!  

What you call mutton is old sheep meat.  What South Indians call mutton is young goat meat.  Confusing, right?

Try it just once and you will get hooked.  You can get beautiful goat meat in Preston Market - you can either buy it chopped or you can get a leg of goat and request it to be chopped.  I always buy it with the bone as it adds a lot of flavour to the gravy.

A sunny winter afternoon, drink in hand, story book and some beautiful mutton sukka varuval.  What more can you ask for?  That is heaven in a plate right there!

In my University days in the hostel, my roommates and I used to bribe the watchman to buy this for us from the local tea stall.  We called him watchman thatha (watchman grandpa) and he treated us like his children, indulging us even if we asked for it late at night. We relished it with parotta (layered Indian flat bread).  Mmmm - it is a marriage made in heaven!  This was the equivalent to HSP in our youth, kids, if you are reading this! :-)

Goat Curry

 Indians love goat.  I realised when I moved to Australia that goat meat was a speciality.  It was no where to be found - until one fine day in Adelaide in 1993 - I walked into a "game meat" store where they sold - you guessed it - GOAT meat!!!!  Except if I wanted it I had to buy half a goat as they were not ready to sell small quantities.  Those days it was just me and my husband and half a goat was about 5 kilos. I decided to buy it anyway and freeze it.  That was my first experience with goat in Australia.

These days I can just walk into Preston market and buy it by the kilo - it is freely available and it is very popular.  My first experience with the slaughter and cooking of goat meat was at my aunty Radha's wedding. I was still in primary school but I distinctly remember how every bit of the goat was cooked including the blood.  That is the way it should be - if you are prepared to kill a whole live animal, then be prepared to eat every bit of it from the blood and brains to the meat and bones.  My kids will roll their eyes at me - but that is my philosophy.  I am not a fan of buying just one part and discarding the rest.

This curry is a favourite in my family along with goat biriyani. We are lucky in Melbourne to get beautiful young goat that is freely available by the kilo. I still do buy half a goat if it is 4-5 kilos and get it cut up and then freeze it.   People who are not used to the smell of goat meat might find it a bit "gamey" - but once you get used to it, there will be no going back.

Appam and Stew

Christmas time is a time of eating and making merry in our culture like a lot of cultures. In particular a lot of my compatriots will remember getting up early for the Christmas morning service and coming home with tummy rumbling to a delightful breakfast of appam and stew.  Today I recreate the magic for you with all locally available ingredients in Melbourne.  You will have to create the magic yourself, though! Both these recipes are gluten free with the option of making the stew vegetarian.