Siri Paye means head and feet, and both go into the pot. Where Zone 3’s Paya uses trotters alone — cooked with kewra and long-braised to a thin, glassy broth — the Sindhi preparation brings in the siri (head) alongside the paye (trotters), producing a richer, more substantial pot. The spice base is entirely different: no cream, no kewra, no rose water. Instead, asafoetida, amchur and whole cumin define the gravy. It is made for celebrations and funerals alike — one of the dishes that appears at the poles of life. The head contributes gelatin and fat; the trotters contribute collagen and time. The result, after a night on the lowest heat, is a dish that defies its humble ingredients.
Zone: Indus Plains
SOURCE: Sindhi community, Karachi, oral tradition, recorded 2020
LOCAL NAME: سندھی سری پائے
INGREDIENTS
- 6 goat trotters (paye, cleaned, skin on, cut at joints)
- ½ goat head (siri, cleaned and cut into 3–4 large pieces)
- 3 large onions (finely sliced)
- 1 tbsp ginger paste
- 1 tbsp garlic paste
- ¼ tsp asafoetida (hing)
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1½ tsp amchur (dry mango powder)
- 2 tsp salt
- 4 tbsp neutral oil or ghee
- 2 litres water
- 2 green chillies (slit)
- ginger juliennes (fresh coriander and lemon wedges to finish)
METHOD
- Soak the trotters and head pieces in cold salted water for 1 hour. Drain and rinse well. Singe off any remaining hair over an open flame.
- Heat the oil in a large heavy pot. Add the asafoetida and let it sizzle. Add the onions and fry until very deep golden, 15 minutes.
- Add the ginger and garlic pastes; cook 2 minutes. Add all the spices and salt. Fry for 1 minute.
- Add the trotters and head pieces and fry on high heat for 5 minutes until lightly coloured.
- Pour in the water, bring to a boil, skim the foam thoroughly, then reduce to the gentlest simmer. Cover and cook for 4–5 hours, or overnight at the lowest heat, until the trotters are completely gelatinous and the head meat is falling from the bone.
- Stir in the amchur and slit green chillies. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.
- Serve in deep bowls with ginger juliennes, coriander and lemon. Eat with kulcha or naan, dipping the bread into the sticky, tangy gravy.
NOTES
UK adaptation: Goat or lamb trotters from any halal butcher — ask for them cleaned and cut. Goat head or half-head from specialist halal butchers, requested in advance. Amchur (dry mango powder) and asafoetida from any South Asian grocer. Everything else widely available.
US adaptation: Goat trotters from halal butchers. Goat head from specialty halal butchers in cities with large South Asian or Middle Eastern communities. Amchur from Patel Brothers. Asafoetida from Indian grocery stores. Everything else widely available.
Cook’s note: Soak the trotters and head pieces in salted water for at least an hour before cooking to draw out any residual blood. Rinse thoroughly — the cleanliness of the pot at the start is important to the final clarity of the gravy.
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