This is another gem of a recipe from Neikarapatti amma. This is a specialty at amma’s house. The masala was always ground in the Attangallu (ஆட்டங்கல்லு). Once the maid finishes grinding the masala, amma would carefully portion out the masala and one part would be mixed with minced mutton and be made into mutton kola and the other would be mixed with plantain and be made into vazhakkai kola for the vegetarians. The making of kola urundai is mesmerizing. The wonderful aroma from the ground masala, the golden color and the round shape is so nostalgic and brings back so many good memories. Here is how to do Mutton Kola Urundai, Neikarapatti amma style.
Take the fried gram dal / pottu kadalai and make it to a fine powder in a small mixie jar / spice grinder. Please do not substitute besan for this recipe. The vada will come out rock hard.
Now comes the Kola Masala. You will need the following ingredients.
Add in all the ingredients listed under kola masala along with the salt into a mixie / blender and grind it to a smooth paste. Add very little water while grinding. Few tablespoon at a time. Take time to grind it as fine as possible. Trust me, that’s the key to this recipe. Once its finely ground, transfer the paste to a bowl. Set aside.
We will have to cook the minced mutton now. Clean the minced meat. Remove any extra fat that might be there in the minced meat. (The white fatty bits.) Most of the time the butcher himself cleans and sells. I hardly see fatty tissues these days. Take a kadai and add in the meat. Fry the minced mutton till its completely dry. The minced mutton will cook in its own juices. Do not add extra water. Once its cooked and thoroughly brown and dry, switch off the flame. Run the cooked minced mutton in a mixie / blender. Pulse for just a couple of times. Set aside.
Add the minced meat, ground masala and the fried gram (pottu kadalai) powder and mix well to form a soft dough. Apply little oil to your hands. Make small 1.5 inch balls with your hands. Make sure you do not make big balls as the inside might not cook when frying. So remember to make the balls small in size. Its a very soft messy dough. Handle the dough gently. Make the balls with a smooth finish.
I like to refrigerate the balls for 30 minutes before frying. This kind of crusts the outer skin and it helps in keeping the vada from disintegrating in hot oil.
Heat oil in a pan in medium heat. Once the oil is hot, fry the balls in low medium flame until golden. Do not crowd the pan or disturb the balls for the first minute. Either of this will make the balls to break. Just leave the balls and do not touch them after it hits the oil for the first minute. When the kolas are golden, remove from oil and drain on paper towels. Do not fry in really hot oil. The kolas will get browned faster and the inside will not have time to cook. So keep the flame at medium at all times.
Serve mutton kolas hot.
- Measurements Used - 1 Cup = 250 ml, 1 teaspoon = 5 ml, 1 tablespoon = 15 ml.
- ½ cup fresh shredded coconut
- 1 medium sized onion
- 5 cloves garlic
- 1 inch piece ginger
- 1 inch piece cinnamon
- 1 clove
- 1 cardamom
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 tablespoon khuskhus - white poppy seeds
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1 teaspoon red chilli powder
- 3 green chillies
- 2 sprig curry leaves
- 5 stalks coriander leaves
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 250 grams minced mutton
- ¾ cup to 1 cup fried gram / pottu kadalai
- 500 ml Vegetable oil
- Take the fried gram dal / pottu kadalai and make it to a fine powder in a small mixie jar / spice grinder.
- Add in all the ingredients listed under kola masala into a mixie / blender and grind it to a smooth paste.
- Take a kadai and add in the meat. Fry the minced mutton till its completely dry. Run the cooked minced mutton in a mixie / blender. Pulse for just a couple of times. Set aside.
- Add the minced meat, ground masala and the fried gram (pottu kadalai) powder and mix well to form a soft dough. Apply little oil to your hands. Make small 1.5 inch balls with your hands.
- Refrigerate the balls for 30 minutes before frying.
- Heat oil in a pan in medium heat. Once the oil is hot, fry the balls in low medium flame until golden.
- Serve mutton kolas hot.
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