Hasip

Ingredients

Filling

• 300 grice, rinsed and soaked 30 min
• 400 gsheep’s liver, boiled and chopped small
• 200 gsheep’s lung or heart, boiled and chopped, optional
• 250 gsheep’s tail fat or lamb fat, chopped small
• 300 gonions, chopped fine
• 2 tspsalt
• 2 tspblack pepper
• 1 tspground cumin
• 1 tspground coriander
• 500 mlstock from boiling the offal

Casing and cooking

• cleaned sheep’s intestine, about 2 m
• water, for poaching

To serve

• vinegar and sliced raw onion
• black pepper
• non bread

Directions

1. Clean the intestines thoroughly: turn them inside out, scrape them with the back of a knife, and rinse with salt and vinegar several times until there is no smell at all. This is tedious and it is not a step to hurry.
2. Boil the liver and other offal for 20 minutes, then chop small and keep the stock.
3. Soak the rice 30 minutes and drain it, but do not cook it. Raw rice is essential — it swells inside the casing as the sausage poaches, and pre-cooked rice turns to paste.
4. Mix the drained raw rice with the chopped offal, fat, onion and all the seasoning, then moisten it with a ladle or two of the stock so it is loose but not soupy.
5. Fill the casings no more than half full and tie into 20 cm lengths. Half full, not two-thirds: raw rice roughly doubles, and a fuller casing bursts in the pot without fail.
6. Prick each sausage five or six times with a needle.
7. Lower them into water at 85°C (185°F) and poach for about an hour, keeping the water below a simmer.
8. Never boil them. A rolling boil splits every casing in the pan and the rice goes into the water instead of the sausage.
9. They are done when the rice inside is fully swollen and tender — test by piercing one and taking a grain out.
10. Lift them out and serve hot, sliced thick, with vinegar, raw onion rings and a heavy grind of black pepper. This is a morning food in Uzbek bazaars and it is eaten within the hour.

Technique

• Half-full casings, raw rice, water at 85°C (185°F).
• Prick before poaching.
• Clean the intestines properly. Everything depends on it.

Substitutions

• Bought cleaned casings from a butcher, which removes the worst of the work.
• Beef intestine and beef offal, which is done where sheep is not available.
• Fried in slices the next day, which is how leftovers are eaten.

Variations

• The Kazakh nauryz-kozhe sausages and Tajik hasip are the same dish.
• Served with a bowl of the poaching broth alongside.

History

Made at slaughter and sold hot at bazaars in the morning, dressed with vinegar and onion.

Frequently asked questions

What is Hasip?

Hasip is a charcuterie & cured from Uzbekistan: sheep intestine stuffed with rice, offal and fat, boiled and sliced. Made at slaughter and sold hot at bazaars in the morning, dressed with vinegar and onion.

How long does Hasip take to make?

Hasip takes 1 hour 30 minutes of preparation and 1 hour 15 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes makes about 8 sausages. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Hasip?

Yes, within limits. Bought cleaned casings from a butcher, which removes the worst of the work. Beef intestine and beef offal, which is done where sheep is not available. Fried in slices the next day, which is how leftovers are eaten.

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

Soak the rice 30 minutes and drain it, but do not cook it. Raw rice is essential — it swells inside the casing as the sausage poaches, and pre-cooked rice turns to paste.