Pedda untalu / neikkarapatti Mutton URANDAI / MUTTON BALLS
Ingredients
Elaichi .......................................................... 10
Cloves ......................................................... 2 tbsp
Cinnamon ................................................... 5-6 (2” sticks)
Poppy Seeds (Kasakasa) ............................ 200 gms
Bengal Gram (Kadalai Paruppu) ............... 1/2 kg
Roasted Bengal Gram (Pottu Kadalai) ... 1/2 kg
Dried Red Chillies ..................................... 200 gms
Grated Coconut ........... 3 cups
Small Onions ............... 3 kg
Garlic ........................... 1/2 kg
Mint Leaves ................. 1/2 kg
Corriander Leaves ....... 1/4 kg
Green Chillies .............. 12
Ginger .......................... 1/2 kg
Lemon .......................... 4-6
Mutton ......................... 1 kg
Elaichi .......................................................... 10
Cloves ......................................................... 2 tbsp
Cinnamon ................................................... 5-6 (2” sticks)
Poppy Seeds (Kasakasa) ............................ 200 gms
Bengal Gram (Kadalai Paruppu) ............... 1/2 kg
Roasted Bengal Gram (Pottu Kadalai) ... 1/2 kg
Dried Red Chillies ..................................... 200 gms
Grated Coconut ........... 3 cups
Small Onions ............... 3 kg
Garlic ........................... 1/2 kg
Mint Leaves ................. 1/2 kg
Corriander Leaves ....... 1/4 kg
Green Chillies .............. 12
Ginger .......................... 1/2 kg
Lemon .......................... 4-6
Mutton ......................... 1 kg
Dry roast elaichi, cloves, cinnamon, poppy seeds, Bengal gram, roasted Bengal gram and dried red chillies in a kadai (vadasatti/wok) and lay it out on a tray. Once it has cooled, dry grind all the ingredients, sieve it and store it. The ‘pedda untalu’ mutton masala should ideally have an orange tint to it. This masala can be stored and used for various other recipes as well, although its best when used for the ‘pedda untalu’.
Grate the coconut finely. Make sure there are no brown remains from the coconut shell. Roast the coconut in the kadai (vadasatti/wok) till it turns a light orange shade. Lay it on a tray and let it cool.
Finely chop small onions, garlic, mint leaves, coriander leaves, and green chillies and keep aside.
Grind ginger and squeeze out the juice, leave the pulp and keep the juice. Squeeze the lemons into the ginger juice.
Clean the mutton and chop it into 1 to 2 inch pieces. Make sure to remove all the bones, fat and ligaments. Deep fry the chopped pieces in ghee. Mutton should be cooked soft inside and the outer layer should just start to form a crispy coating. Keep the fried mutton aside.
Remove excess ghee from the kadai (vadasatti/wok), till about 1 cup ghee remains in the kadai (vadasatti/wok). Add chopped small onions, garlic, mint leaves, coriander leaves and green chillies to the heated ghee and cook them.
While the chopped onion mix is getting cooked, it is time to get to an important part of the recipe, one that is age old and one that makes this urandai different from others. The deep fried mutton is now pound in an 'ulakkai' (a large stone mortar with a wooden pestle). The wooden pestle should be gently pound against the mutton, following slow and gentle motions. Make sure to not pound too hard. Within a few minutes of pounding, the mutton will fall out in soft fibres. Remove the mutton fibres and keep aside.
( A few of our friends who didn’t have access to an ‘ulakkai’ used a food processor instead, they put in a few pieces at a time and pulse blended the mutton to get a similar texture. )
( A few of our friends who didn’t have access to an ‘ulakkai’ used a food processor instead, they put in a few pieces at a time and pulse blended the mutton to get a similar texture. )
Once the chopped onion mix has cooked, combine it (while it is still warm) with the grated and roasted coconut. Next add the pound mutton, followed by about 1 cup of the ‘pedda untalu’ masala we initially made. Add salt (about 2 tbsp or to taste) and the ginger-lemon juice. Combine all the ingredients by hand. Once it is well combined, taste to check salt, spice and tangy levels and make necessary adjustments.
Pinch a hand sized portion of the well blended mixture and make balls that are about 2.5 inches in diameter. You should get about 30 balls.
To finish the preparation process and to give the Neikkarapatti Mutton Urundai its signature element is tying is up with 'vazhai naaru' (banana fibre). The vazhai naaru has to be freshly removed and wetted before the process of tying. The naaru is wrapped around the ball, making a loop around the ball each time and going over the main holding thread. The ends of the naaru are finally twisted and folded. Refer the video below. This holds the meat together while it is deep fried in oil.
The balls are then deep friend in oil, maintaining a medium flame to ensure the entire ball is cooked. The outer layer should be brown and crispy and the inside soft. Remove the ball from the oil, unravel the banana fibre and enjoy every succulent bite of the 'pedda untalu' made from a recipe that is many generations old.
The balls can be stored in a freezer for later use, they have to be defrosted before frying.