NOORPUR THAL: The Thal tandoori mutton has been cooked in Noorpur Thal for over 40 years and is still famous throughout Punjab for its taste.
Food lovers spend thousands of rupees to visit the place only to enjoy the tandoori mutton. Nearly 40 years ago, a man named Muhammad Sultan Kasab of Noorpur Thal opened a small shop in the old main bazaar of the city, called Sultan Mutton House, where only mutton was sold.
A few months later, the idea of tandoori mutton came in the mind of Sultan and to implement his idea he built an oven (tandoor) with bricks in his shop and started roasting the meat on iron skewers over coal. In the beginning, it took a lot of hard work and only three to four kilogrammes of mutton was sold daily. However, he did not lose hope and continued to work hard.
When the popularity of roasted mutton reached other cities, he expanded his business, engaged his sons in it and the mutton dish became famous all over Punjab due to its unique taste.
Arshad Sultan, son of the founder, said that three hours are required for the preparation of tandoori mutton. “First, the mutton is pricked into the iron skewers and then they are placed into a burning oven,” he explained.
“When it is cooked, it is coated with black pepper and other special spices for an hour, then wrapped in eight to 10 newspapers before being packed in a shopping bag,” he added.
He said, “Special types of goats are brought from far-flung areas for the mutton.”
He informed The Express Tribune that three to four goats are used daily for tandoori mutton. “Special attention is paid to the weight and health of the goats,” said Arshad. The tandoori mutton remains hot for eight to 10 hours after its packing, he added.
Since the mutton stays hot in the packing, people from various districts of Punjab, including Lahore, Faisalabad, Sargodha, Khushab and Mianwali, order it by telephone. However, most of the people prefer to visit here. Mohammad Aslam, a resident of Lahore, said, “I ate this mutton at a friend's house so I came here to eat because of the taste of the mutton.”
The tandoori mutton, which was initially being sold at Rs400 per kg, now costs Rs1,100. One of the specialties of tandoori mutton is that till today its taste and aroma have not changed.
As many as 300 goats are slaughtered for the preparation of tandoori mutton during the three days.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 9th, 2020.
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