Ordlak Ekh

Grular cuisine is unique in the World of Faelon and is a cultural relic of tradition, lifestyle, and practicality.   The Grular are a nomadic culture, living most of their lives in the saddle. Their camps sport large, beautifully designed tents with all the trappings of civilization inside. However, in many ways, the Grular are still a people of a bygone age.
They choose nomadism and refuse to settle, preferring the life of Hunter-gatherers, herders, and raiders. Their culture reflects these choices, from their professions to their food.
One of these foods, Ordlak Ekh, is found nowhere else in Faelon and seems unique among even similar cultures in places like the Karaimeth, the Urdaggar, and in Kandor.
Ordlak Ekh means Stomach Meat and is a staple among the Grular tribes. The finished product yields flavorful, tender meat and is enjoyed in several ways, including in a pocket of grainy bread or cut straight from the bone and munched on.
The meat is tender, and depending on how long it was cooked can be so tender it almost melts in your mouth. The flavor is rich, spicy, and tangy, resulting from its cooking process. Each family has its own recipe; of course, each region’s recipes vary with the kind of herbs and what the local herd animals are eating.
Ordlak Ekh can be made from almost any of the larger animals that the Grular herd. The diminutive sheep and goats that some tribes herd make great Ordlak Ekh, as do the large hairy yaks that the eastern and northern tribes specialize in.
Most Grular agree that the best-tasting Ordlak Ekh comes from the long-horned Ikher that form the majority of herds across the Khanate. The meat from Ikher tends to be more tender than the giant yaks and more flavorful than the sheep and goats that are also ubiquitous on the plains.
To cook Ordlak Ekh, you need a few key ingredients:

• An Ikher stomach.
• Several chunks of Ikher roast are roughly cut into fist-size pieces.
• The smooth round stones that often become visible from under the dirt of the plains.

The round stones, called yurtaal or egg stones, are carefully arranged in a roaring fire. The stones will be the primary heat source to cook the Ordlak Ekh, rather than the flames of a fire.
The Ikher stomach is tightly tied off on one end, and the roast is inserted. Also inserted is a mix of herbs and spices, each unique to the region and sometimes the family. This secret mix of spices is highly regarded by each family, as it is essentially the ingredients that set each Ordlak Ekh apart from others.
After spices are inserted, the stomach is pressed to evenly distribute the flavors between the roast and the stomach lining. Finally, a mixture of Tirg Xuy or fermented mare’s milk, the sticky pulp from the Hrum fruit, and a thick syrup made from boiling the roots of Birla and smoked bones in water is added to the stomach.
Finally, the superheated rocks are added to the stomach before they are tied off and airtight. The heat from the stones quickly expands the stomach, stretching it while it cooks both the meat and the belly. When the stomach shrinks to its original size, the flesh and the stomach have been cooked.
The stomach is untied, and the rocks are removed. The meat, covered in the thick, sticky sauce, is then removed and perfectly cooked.
Depending on how the Ordlak Ekh is served, the meat and the stomach may be chopped and eaten together. Sometimes, strips of the belly may be cut, and the saucy meat wrapped into the strips.