Fusion of old, new tripe

07 Feb, 2020 - 00:02 0 Views
Fusion of old, new tripe

The ManicaPost

Cooking Chef Rerai
THE culinary history of Zimbabwe cannot not be complete without delving into the hunter and gatherer narrative where men went out and hunted for days.

If they caught something they would first eat the entrails because they were difficult to preserve.

The eating of the internal organs of an animal is the essence of our gastronomic heritage. The preparation of tripe has evolved from roasting on an open flame and on hot charcoals to stewing in clay pots and now to a new modern take with mostly the same basic ingredients and of course some borrowed. With this, a humble traditional food is turned into something special and elegant to provide an intimate experience with food.

The Old and New Tripe

Serves 6

Prep and cook time five hours

Ingredients

  1. 750 grammes tripe (maguru)
  2. ½ lemon cut into rings
  3. 1 litre water
  4. 3 medium-sized carrots, chopped
  5. 2 medium-sized potatoes, quartered
  6. 1 teaspoon ginger powder
  7. 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  8. 1 tablespoon paprika powder
  9. 1 large red onion, ringed
  10. 1 green pepper, chopped
  11. 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil
  12. 2 large tomatoes
  13. Salt and pepper to taste

Method

  1. Clean the tripe thoroughly, preferably under running water. You can also make use of warm water to remove all the impurities which at times would have caked.
  2. Cut the tripe into serving bite size pieces and put in a heavy base pot together with the lemon, salt and pepper and water.

These types of pots endure the lengthy cooking time and also distribute the heat evenly from the base of the pot.

The lemon has a dual purpose, to mask the heavy smell that draws flies and to be an acidic complement of the rich grassy tripe flavour. The lemon can easily be substituted by a tablespoon and half of vinegar.

  1. Cook in medium heat for four hours or until the tripe is almost fork tender. At this point the tripe is still intact. Any further cooking, and it will disintegrate. The long cooking hours will ensure that the tripe is cooked to the centre.
  2. Drain the liquid from the pot, add vegetable oil. Fry the tripe when about to brown, add the chopped onions, spices, carrots and pepper.

The paprika powder adds a bustling red colour to the dish and complements the other spices by giving a hint of heat which is a perfect counter point with the nutty, sweet and tangy flavour of the garlic and ginger.

The potatoes add texture and help in thickening the rich sauce.

  1. After frying and stirring for a few minutes, everything in the pot should be glistening. Add the chopped tomatoes. As soon as the tomatoes are well done add the drained stock maintaining a thick consistency.

The stock enhances and elevates the flavours of the veggies with that of the tripe.

  1. Simmer for five minutes and it is ready to be served.

Traditionally it’s served with a healthy portion of hot sadza (or if you dare to be different try it out with rice) and fried leafy greens.

The dish produces a fantastic palate of different flavours.

The tripe can be served on its own because of the richness and thickness of the soup together withits “melt in your mouth” tenderness which makes it a “meal within a meal’”as we hold on tight to our culinary traditions.

The spices create a balance between the earthy and grassy flavour, creating a tantalising dish.This is one of the unique foods that echo the history of family togetherness and enable you to travel back in time.

Rather than coming from the past, it takes you to the past.

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