Mutton leg or Shankh Soup - Paya

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Paya, the celebrated dish of Mughlai Cuisine which is actually a light soup made out of the meat of a kid or a baby goat's leg portion and yoghurt.

But In India, since the Vedia ages and Ramayana, the art of consuming refined and delicious dishes and items had it's own aesthetics from the preparation to the presentation.

In Mahabharata, we see Nal and Beem as great cooks. We also see that meat soup was consumed with yoghurt and chillies. As per Shiva Tatva Ratnakara, there were many health benefits of consuming meat and yoghurt in a combined form. Meat gets tenderised by yoghurt as well as separates the fat. Hence any meat dish cooked with yoghurt helps the body to balance the lipid pre and post consumption and enables easy digestion. In India, after the advent of Islamic rule, various versions of meat and yoghurt concoctions entered from Turkey to Arab , Central Asia. The modern day Paya has it's various regional versions but the basic ingredients remains the same. Meat from leg of kid and yoghurt. A hearty dish for winters.