Mogodu

Ingredients

Tripe

• 1.5 kgbeef tripe
• coarse salt
• vinegar or lemon
• flour, for scrubbing

Pot

• 2onions, chopped
• 3tomatoes, chopped
• 4 clovesgarlic
• 2 tbspoil
• 1green chilli
• 2bay leaves
• 1 tbspcurry powder, optional
• 1 tsppaprika
• salt and black pepper

Also

• 1beef stock cube
• water, to cover

To serve

• pap, stiff maize porridge
• chakalaka
• morogo, wild greens

Directions

1. Rinse the tripe under cold running water, then scrub it hard with coarse salt and flour on both sides. Salt and flour together work as an abrasive, lifting the film and the smell in a way that water alone does not.
2. Rinse, then scrub again with vinegar or lemon, and repeat until the water runs clear and it smells clean. Do this three or four times if you have to. Trim off any dark patches or fat that looks or smells wrong rather than hoping it cooks away. Cut the tripe into strips or squares about 4 cm.
3. Cover it with cold water, bring it to the boil, and boil hard for 10 minutes. Discarding the first boil takes off the scum and the strongest smell, and it is the step people skip and regret.
4. Return the tripe to the clean pot with fresh water to cover, the bay leaves and a little salt. Simmer, covered, for 2 to 2 hours 30 minutes. It takes hours and it cannot be hurried.
5. Top up with hot water as it reduces, keeping the tripe covered throughout. It is ready when a piece can be cut with the side of a spoon and has no chew left.
6. Add the tomatoes and cook them down to a thick pulp. Add the fried onion and tomato mixture and the stock cube to the tripe pot, along with some of its cooking liquid.
7. Simmer uncovered for a further 30 minutes until the sauce thickens and clings to the tripe. Season generously with salt and black pepper and taste it. Serve hot with pap, chakalaka and morogo, which is the standard township plate.

Technique

• Ask the butcher for cleaned tripe, which cuts the preparation considerably but does not remove it.
• Honeycomb tripe is the most common and holds sauce best.
• It reheats well and many say it is better the next day.

Substitutions

• Sheep or goat tripe, which cooks faster.
• A pressure cooker, which brings the long simmer down to about 45 minutes.

Variations

• Mala mogodu, with intestines included.
• Curried, with far more curry powder.
• With samp and beans instead of pap.

History

Tripe cleaned and stewed for hours with onion and chili, a township weekend dish sold at taverns and eaten with pap.

Frequently asked questions

What is Mogodu?

Mogodu is a soup & stew from South Africa: tripe stewed with onion, served with pap. Tripe cleaned and stewed for hours with onion and chili, a township weekend dish sold at taverns and eaten with pap.

How long does Mogodu take to make?

Mogodu takes 40 min of preparation and 3 hr of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Mogodu?

Yes, within limits. Sheep or goat tripe, which cooks faster. A pressure cooker, which brings the long simmer down to about 45 minutes.

What is the most important thing to get right in Mogodu?

Rinse, then scrub again with vinegar or lemon, and repeat until the water runs clear and it smells clean. Do this three or four times if you have to. Trim off any dark patches or fat that looks or smells wrong rather than hoping it cooks away. Cut the tripe into strips or squares about 4 cm.