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Mutton balls (Kari urundai)

Mutton balls (Kari urundai)

Published on December 14, 2020 | In | By
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If you are from Coimbatore or have lived here then you will be familiar with the hype surrounding Sunday lunches. What I discovered, especially during this lock down, is that no matter what manner of foodies we are, Sundays at home are meant for biriyani and the many accompaniments.

There are two side dishes to this meal which the family always appreciates (with beaming smiles); home made potato chips and the quintessential kari urundai (mutton balls) . Having made so many versions of the minced meat balls, this one is special because of the memory associated with it.

It was just around lunchtime,one of my visits with Ammamma ,when she was still well enough to engage in conversation… she loved the kind of ‘fork and knife’ meals which I used to serve her at our home. Little did she know that back then , my repertoire was more towards Western cooking and I possessed very little confidence in my Indian culinary skills ! …Anyway she liked my food and that was all that mattered !

While talking about one particular salad recipe of mine, she called out to the old cook to note down the recipe. To say that I was aghast at having to teach the talented Ramudu was beyond me. Cooks of his era have magic in their fingers and cook from the heart. It was so endearing at how he humoured us and listened patiently to the super simple salad recipe and in exchange asked me if I wanted to know how to make any of his ! I remember being stunned for a few seconds because he is well known for keeping his recipes closely guarded   😀 It was my lucky day for sure.

The first thing that popped in my hand was to ask for his ‘kabab’ recipe and he rattled it off ,in his telugu, with hand measurements and approximations. I had nothing on hand to jot it down and didn’t want to interrupt his momentum. I am glad I didn’t because ,today while making this recipe, I like to visualise the passion for cooking ,he displayed, while giving me the recipe.

It took awhile for me to get the consistency and taste right. Again, this is my version. Maybe in a few years I will get to the standard he set. For now my family is happy with this version and I always think of him , living the retired life ,far away in his village. So thankful for the influence of such people in my life.

Did I mention Ammamma was vegetarian ?

 

 

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Ingredients

  • Mutton mince- 500 gms
  • Cinnamon stick- 1 piece (Fore finger length)
  • cloves-2
  • Tomatoes-4 de-seeded and chopped
  • Onions- 2 big diced
  • Ginger and garlic paste-1 Tbsp
  • Green chillies- 3- 4
  • Coriander leaves and stems- 1/4 C chopped
  • Chickpea flour (pottu kadalai maavu)- 1/2 C
  • Gingelly oil (cold pressed nallennai)- for frying
  • Water to add while pressure cooking
  • Salt to taste
  • Turmeric powder-1/2 tsp
  • Pepper powder-1 tsp

Instructions

  1. Wash and clean the mince and add it to a medium sized pressure cooker.
  2. Add in the chopped tomatoes, onions, cinnamon, cloves , turmeric powder and a little salt.
  3. Add just enough water to cover the meat, not too much.
  4. Set the cooker on the hob, turn on the flame and allow it to come to a boil.
  5. Close the lid of the pressure cooker and wait until 3 whistles
  6. Turn off the flame and set the pressure cooker aside,allowing it to cool.
  7. There should be hardly any water inside the cooker. If there is any liquid remaining, drain it to use as meat stock. Make sure the meat is well cooled before grinding.
  8. Add the meat, onions, tomatoes,cinnamon and cloves to a mixer jar or it can also be ground by hand in a traditional stone grinder.
  9. Add the ginger and garlic paste, salt to taste, green chillies, coriander leaves and stems and grind to a fine consistency.
  10. The mixture should not be too wet,it should come together easily.
  11. Check seasoning and add a tablespoon of the chick pea flour and mix in well.
  12. Check if the consistency is firm enough to make the meat balls, if not add a little more chick pea flour.
  13. Check seasoning again.It should be a little more salt and spice than usual so that it will balance out when fried in oil.
  14. Make small bite sized rounds and set aside.
  15. Deep fry in hot oil just before serving.

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