Thermomix Tripe Curry

I don’t expect many people will read this post once they see what it’s about, but it’s not a lot of old tripe.

In the introduction to a previous tripe dish that I adapted from “Grossi Florentino – Secrets and Recipes”, (now available in paperback), Guy Grossi says that “Tripe is one of those love-hate things”. I can only agree, having eaten this dish on many occasions in the Florentino Cellar Bar and recalling with joy to friends, who recoil at the mention of the word “tripe”.

The first time I purchased tripe was from Jonathon Gianfreda’s father’s shop in Box Hill, while still at university. The recipe I made was similar to Guy’s recipe and I fell in love with tripe. Many people, however, were first subjected to a dish of chewy meat and onions with a very bland white sauce and never revisited tripe.

In the introduction to his recipe, Guy also talks of a restaurant in Rome called Checchino dal 1887, in the Testaccio district. The restaurant faces the piazza opposite what was the abattoir (Mattatoio) and is now part of the MACRO, Rome’s Museum of Contemporary Art. The restaurant is definitely worth a visit if you like offal.

Using bleached, cooked tripe in recipes means that you do not have to be concerned about the aroma of tripe filling the house. Well, not as much as if you cook it from the “green” state - now stomachs are turning.

I vividly recall the What Tripe dinner at the Meat Market in March 1999 where 5 tripe dishes were presented, including one from Jimmy Shui, a Cantonese-style tripe. Being the fortnight of the Olympic Games in China I was hoping to do a Chinese style tripe dish, similar to Jimmy Shui’s, but for now we will make do with a tripe curry.

This is a dish based on a Charmaine Solomon recipe for Tripe Curry.

Thermomix Tripe Curry

Ingredients:

700g tripe, preferably honeycomb tripe
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoons cumin seeds
1 clove garlic1 cm fresh ginger
1 stem lemon grass (white part only, 2 cm pieces)
1 medium onion, quartered
1-2 teaspoons chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground kencur (optional)
2 sprigs fresh curry leaves or 20 dried curry leaves (optional)
1 strip pandan leaf (optional)
3 cardamom pods
3 whole cloves
1 small stick cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water or stock
400ml coconut milk
lime juice to taste

Method:

Wash tripe and cut into 5cm squares.

Place coriander and cumin seeds in TM bowl and dry roast for 3 minutes at 100°C on speed 1 until they are fragrant and darker in colour. Grind seeds for 30 seconds on speed 9. Remove and set aside.

Place garlic, ginger and lemongrass into TM bowl and chop for 30 seconds on speed 7. Scrape down every 5 -10 seconds to ensure it all gets chopped. Add onion and chop for another 15 seconds on speed 6.

Add remaining ingredients except half the coconut milk to the TM bowl. Cook for 30 minutes at 100°C on reverse + speed soft leaving the Measuring Cup out of the lid.

The tripe should become tender and the gravy thick.

Stir in reserved coconut milk and cook for 5 minutes at 100°C on reverse + speed soft.

Serve with rice.