Ingredients
Meat
- 1 kghorse rectum (karta), or beef large intestine
- 3 tbspcoarse salt, for cleaning
- 2 tbspflour, for cleaning
- juice of 2 lemons or 100 ml vinegar
To boil
- 3 litreswater
- 1onion, halved
- 2bay leaves
- 1 tbspblack peppercorns
- 1 tbspsalt
To serve
- kazy and other boiled meats
- boiled noodles, as for beshbarmak
- raw onion rings and black pepper
Directions
- Turn the intestine inside out — this is the defining step and the whole reason karta is what it is. The layer of fat that sits on the outside ends up on the inside, and it bastes the meat from within as it boils.
- Clean it thoroughly: rub hard with coarse salt and flour, rinse, then rub with lemon juice or vinegar and rinse again. Repeat until there is no smell at all. This takes three or four rounds and it is not a step to hurry — inadequate cleaning is the only thing that ruins karta.
- Cut into lengths of about 25 cm and tie each end with string so the fat stays enclosed.
- Put the pieces in a pot with the onion, bay, peppercorns and salt, cover with cold water and bring slowly to a simmer, skimming the foam off in the first twenty minutes.
- Simmer very gently for two to two and a half hours, never boiling, until a skewer goes in with no resistance. A boil makes it tough and rubbery.
- Lift out and let it cool slightly before slicing — it firms as it rests and cuts far more cleanly.
- Cut into thick rounds and serve warm on a platter with kazy, boiled noodles and raw onion, with a little of the cooking broth ladled over.
- Serve with plenty of black pepper and a bowl of the hot broth alongside.
Technique
- Clean it until it smells of nothing. Salt, flour, acid, repeat. This is the whole job.
- Turned inside out, not just cleaned. The enclosed fat is the point of the dish.
- Never boil it hard. Gentle and long, or it turns to rubber.
Substitutions
- Beef large intestine, which is far easier to source and cooks the same way.
- A pressure cooker, which brings it down to about 50 minutes.
Variations
- Some households smoke or dry the cleaned karta before boiling, which is a cured product the atlas gives no method for.
- Served cold in slices as part of a meze rather than hot with noodles.
History
Nomad butchery wastes nothing; karta is cured or boiled and served beside kazy at feasts.
Frequently asked questions
What is Karta?
Karta is a charcuterie & cured from Kazakhstan: horse intestine turned inside out and boiled, sliced onto festive tables. Nomad butchery wastes nothing; karta is cured or boiled and served beside kazy at feasts.
How long does Karta take to make?
Karta takes 1 hour of preparation and 2 hours 30 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6 as part of a platter. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Karta?
Yes, within limits. Beef large intestine, which is far easier to source and cooks the same way. A pressure cooker, which brings it down to about 50 minutes.
What is the most important thing to get right in Karta?
Turn the intestine inside out — this is the defining step and the whole reason karta is what it is. The layer of fat that sits on the outside ends up on the inside, and it bastes the meat from within as it boils.
