Even after the donation of a one-third share each to family, friends and the needy, Muslim families are often left with a surplus of ritually slaughtered meat (of sheep, buffalo or camel, depending on where they are based) after Id al-Adha, or the Festival of Sacrifice, also known in south Asian countries as Bakrid. This is not to mention ‘spare parts’ like trotters and offal, which have their own fan following.
In Tamil Muslim households, the period after slaughtering the animal is the busiest, as meat is sorted out for the ‘uppu kandam’. As its name implies, the most basic form of this Chettinad recipe involves marinating chunky lean meat pieces in gingelly (sesame) oil, salt and turmeric overnight before sun-drying it until all the moisture has evaporated (a process that could take up to a week). These days, with pre-mixed masalas being so popular, other spices like pepper, cumin and garam masala are added to the marinade. The gingelly oil is thought to keep ants and maggots away from the meat as it dries out in the open.
The meat chunks were traditionally strung up on fine coir ropes, but this has been replaced with metal craft wire to speed up the drying process.
Once ready, the Uppu Kandam can last for up to a year in airtight containers. For cooking, it is usually cut into smaller pieces (you will have to use an aruva manai – a billhook knife mounted on a wooden base – if you want to be traditional) and flattened with a mallet first. This can be deep-fried as a crunchy accompaniment to rice-based meals. The other way to showcase the Uppu Kandam is with a tamarind curry ( puli kozhambu ). The salted and flattened meat is first boiled or pressure-cooked before it is added to a gravy base similar to the south Indian fish curry.
Making Uppu Kandam is usually a domestic affair, but nowadays it is possible to find butcheries in cities like Madurai selling ‘readymade’ versions all year round. The other prized dish in this category is the ‘kodal’ (intestine) Uppu Kandam.
Abon meat is a labour-intensive recipe from Indonesia that is often prepared in Tamil Muslim families that have links with southeast Asia. Boneless mutton or beef chunks are coated with pepper, cumin, ginger-garlic paste and salt and pressure-cooked (for two whistles). No water should be added while cooking, and care should be taken to see that the mutton is completely moisture-free before going to the second step, which involves hammering the meat until its fibres are separated.
The shredded meat must now be transferred to a heavy-bottomed kadhai, and be toasted on a low flame until the colour changes to a deep brown or black.
To finish, stir fry the meat with coconut oil that has been seasoned with one or two dry chillies.
Abon can be prepared from any other meat or poultry as well.
In Indonesia, it is often used as a garnish on rice dishes or congees, and like Uppu Kandam, lasts for months.
A local variation of Abon is to let the spiced and cooked meat rest in the fridge for a week before it is reinterpreted into its shredded version on demand.
As with any preserved meat, moderation is the key for those on low-sodium diets. These vintage recipes are as interesting as they are tasty, because they seem to combine a knowledge of food preservation much before the advent of refrigeration, while borrowing liberally from other cuisines and creating their own local spin-offs.
