Eevery once in a while, I pig out on tripe. Before you turn your nose up at it, realize that it's a staple at dim sum places all over the U.S. and commonly added to pho. And, of course, it's swimming in the tasty menudo at your favorite taqueria over the weekends. This is my recipe for my favorite dim sum dish. I can't get it as perfect at the skilled hands that make this for hundreds of people every Saturday and Sunday morning, but it's still good.
To pick a good section of tripe, you want to pick something bright-white and moist-looking. Slimy, off-colored, or dry-looking tripe is a sign that you might not want to serve this to yourself. Like most meat, it really won't have a strong smell until it is going to turn.
The recipe, after the jump.
Ginger Tripe
- 1 pound or so beef tripe
- 6 green onions, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, sliced
- Salt and white pepper
- Soy sauce
- Vegetable oil
- Sesame oil
- Fresh ginger -- one-inch section, sliced thin
To prep your tripe, unroll the packaged tripe and rinse it well. Prep a large stock pot with water and bring it to a boil. Gently lower your tripe into the stockpot, cover, and simmer for about 10 -15 minutes (if you do prefer softer tripe, it is perfectly acceptable to simmer for 20-25 minutes instead). You may add a little vegetable stock or salt if you like. Your goal is to get the tripe soft, yet with a light crunch - the easiest way to test this is to stick a fork in your tripe. If it gives easily, it's done.
Drain and lay your tripe on a plate and let it come to room temperature. Chill for about 30 minutes, as this will make it easy to remove any extra fat, and not overcook your tripe. After chilling, slice thinly and set aside.
In a wok or thick bottomed saucepan, heat some vegetable oil with garlic and your ginger over medium heat for a couple of minutes. Turn heat to high, add tripe and whites of the green onion, and stir-fry for a couple of minutes. Add the green of the green onion, a little salt and pepper, and a dash of soy and sesame oil. Fry everything for about two minutes and serve hot.
