Delicious beef tripe, casings stew

I HAVE discovered that it is either you like offals or you do not. There is rarely a middle-of-the-road stance for this dish.

While their texture and strong aroma might be off-putting for some, offals are a delicacy that deserves a chance in any kitchen. For me, when preparing any kind of offals — tripe (guru), casings (matumbu), kidneys, liver, et cetera — less is more when it comes to ingredients that I use.

When preparing offals or any food with a strong smell, pour a cup of vinegar on a plate with the meat to reduce the smell. I know many people dread preparing tripe and casings as they require a lot of time to cook, which one may not have.

So, the recipe below could possibly be a good way of preparing them, although a high level of precaution needs to be taken. Another advantage of preparing offals the way I do is that you avoid adding too much water to the tripe, which may eventually affect its taste. Here we go:

 Ingredients

Beef tripe and casings;

One tablespoon olive oil;

One chopped onion;

Half red bell pepper;

Half green pepper;

One cup crushed tomatoes;

One teaspoon red pepper flakes;

Salt and pepper to taste

 Directions

1. Boil the tripe and casings in water until tender. This may take two to four hours. Remove them from the pot and set aside.
2. Add oil to the saucepan, then onion. Sauté for about one minute and then add peppers. Add tomatoes and pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for about five minutes and add back the tripe and intestines. Cook on low for about 10 minutes.
3. Serve hot with sadza or rice and vegetables.

 Cook’s notes

It is important that you wash your offals thoroughly in warm water.

Trim any excess fat. This will ensure you will not have any fat emulsifying (kugwamba) both in the pot or on your plate when eating. Also make sure the offals are free from dirt, grit included.

Cut the offals into good size pieces and put them in a pot. Add water and salt.

Partly cover them and bring to a boil. Once boiled, reduce the heat to the lowest mark on your stove, cover the pot completely and let it simmer.

You can also make use of a slow cooker.

Enjoy your dish. — Wires