This is how I fell in love with this beef tripe recipe. So picture this. I was out with friends on a cold December evening. We met in one of the posh restaurants in Cubao called A Mano restaurant, We hadn’t seen each other for the past 10 years and the pre-ordered food lay forgotten on the table.
I absentmindedly reached for one of those easy-to-eat foods -something that looks like fries and I was mind blown. It was not fries. I had to ask what it was because while it tasted familiar I can’t quite recognize what it is. Turns out it is a deep-fried crispy tripe.
Now, I must confess, my initial encounter with this dish left me intrigued, yet uncertain. Tripe, that oft-overlooked delicacy, had always been soup in the Pinoy food pantheon. But as I savored each bite, the crispy exterior yielding to the tender, flavorful interior, I found myself utterly enamored and thought I’d definitely recreate this at home.
Good thing I stumbled upon a recipe on the delightful website called Umami Days, a veritable treasure trove of culinary delights from my blogger idol Coney Veneracion herself. Also used the Serious Eats Crispy Beef Tripe Recipe here!
How to Clean and Prepare the Tripe
But first, I had to properly clean and prepare the tripe. This is important as not cleaning the tripe properly will not be good for this dish because it will smell funky and a bit smelly :
- Rinse the tripe thoroughly under cold running water to remove any impurities or debris, then use a sharp knife to trim away any excess fat or undesirable parts.
- Rub the tripe with rock salt, then massage it with vinegar. The acid in the vinegar helps clean deep into the layers of the tripe. Repeat this process until the tripe looks and feels smooth and clean.
- Optionally, you can rub the tripe with baking soda and leave it 30 minutes to an hour to remove any remaining odors. Be sure to rinse the tripe well after.
- Heat up water, add the tripe and allow to boil for 5-10 minutes. Throw away the water and clean once again under running water.
- Place the cleaned tripe in a pressure cooker, cover it with water, add salt, garlic cloves, and 2-3 pcs laurel leaves, and bring it to a boil. Simmering for 30 minutes on the pressure cooker tenderizes the tripe, making sure it’s not chewy.
- After cooking, drain the boiled tripe, Let it cool until you can handle it safely.
- Cut it into strips, for frying. I patted the tripe pieces dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture before frying.
Crispy Beef Tripe Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup flour or potato starch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Pinch of 5 spice (just a pinch!)
- 1/2 tsp ground pepper
- (chili powder -optional)
- 1 kilo of stewed honeycomb tripe, cut into 1-inch slices lengthwise
- oil for deep-frying
- Vinegar and salt for dipping
Special Equipment Needed:
- Wok, Dutch oven, or deep pan for frying
Instructions
- Mix flour with salt, pepper, and 5 spice
- Heat up oil in your wok or deep fryer until its hot enough.
- Dredge tripe in flour and shake off excess flour. (This is important, do not leave excess flour or it;ll be too hard when it gets cold)
- Slip pieces of tripe into hot oil. Do not crowd the tripe, deep-frying a few sections at a time until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Transfer crispy tripe to a plate lined with paper towels to drain off excess oil.
- Serve hot with your choice of vinegar for dipping.
Notes
Please note the preparation instructions on the article.
I hope you enjoy this dish! Perfect for beer or some soju for Friday nights!
