Kawareh

Ingredients

The feet

• 4cow’s feet, split by the butcher
• or 8 pieces of split trotter
• coarse salt, for scrubbing
• 2 tablespoonsplain flour
• juice of 3 lemons
• 2 tablespoonsvinegar

The pot

• 2onions, halved
• 1whole head of garlic
• 4bay leaves
• 1 tablespoonwhole black peppercorns
• 6cardamom pods
• 2cinnamon sticks
• 1 tablespoonwhole coriander seed
• about 4 litres water
• salt

The finish

• 8garlic cloves, crushed to a paste
• 2 tablespoonsground cumin
• juice of 2 lemons
• 3 tablespoonsghee or butter
• 1 teaspoonground coriander
• black pepper

To serve

• flatbread, torn into the bowl
• lemon wedges
• chopped parsley
• vinegar with chilli, dakkah or shatta

Directions

1. Use coarse salt and a stiff brush on the skin. Work into every fold and crevice of the hoof. Rinse them repeatedly until the water runs clear. Repeat that until the skin is completely smooth.
2. Put the pieces in a large bowl of cold water. Add the lemon juice, the vinegar and the flour. Flour is used across the region to clean offal. Rub the flour mixture hard into every piece. Leave them to soak for at least two hours. Change the water and repeat it if you can.
3. Rinse them thoroughly before they go in the pot. Put the cleaned pieces in a very large pot. Cover them with plenty of cold water. Bring it slowly up to a rolling boil. Let it boil hard for a good ten minutes. Rinse each piece under running hot water.
4. Return the rinsed pieces to the clean pot. Add the halved onions and the whole garlic head. Add the bay leaves and all the whole spices. Cover it with about four litres of fresh water. Bringing it to temperature takes attention.
5. Bring it slowly up to a gentle simmer. Skim off any remaining foam as it rises. Keep skimming for the first twenty minutes. Then lower it until it barely moves at all. Cover it partly and let it simmer very gently. Give it at least four hours of cooking. Top up with boiling water if it drops too far. Judging when it is done takes a real check.
6. Lift out all the pieces with a slotted spoon. Strain the broth through a fine sieve. Discard the onions, garlic and whole spices. Return the clear broth to a clean pot. Let the pieces cool until you can handle them. Pull off all the soft skin and gelatinous meat.
7. Discard the bones and any hard gristle. Cut the softened skin into bite-sized pieces. Return all of it to the strained broth. A thick layer of fat sits on top of the broth. Crush the garlic cloves to a smooth paste. Add plenty of salt to help it break down. Melt the ghee in a small frying pan. Add the garlic paste to the warm ghee.
8. Cook the garlic for under a minute only. It should turn fragrant but stay pale. Take it off the heat the moment it smells right. Stir the garlic and its ghee into the broth. Add the ground cumin and ground coriander.
9. Add the lemon juice and plenty of black pepper. Let it simmer together for five more minutes. Taste it and adjust the salt and the lemon. Serving it is done very hot in deep bowls. Tear flatbread into the bottom of each bowl. Ladle the hot soup and its pieces over it. Scatter chopped parsley over the top. Put chilli vinegar on the table alongside. It keeps four days refrigerated in its jelly.

Technique

• Feet are almost entirely skin, bone and connective tissue with barely any muscle, and that tissue is collagen in quantity; long slow cooking turns it into gelatine that dissolves into the water, which is what gives the broth its body and makes it set solid when cold.
• Feet are the dirtiest part of the animal and need far more cleaning than any other cut: scrubbing with coarse salt, singeing any remaining hair, a long soak with lemon, vinegar and flour, and then a hard ten-minute blanch that is tipped out entirely before the real cooking starts.
• This belongs to a wide family of head and foot dishes, alongside kaleh pacheh in Iran, kallapocha in Tajikistan and kelle-bashayak in Turkmenistan, each turning cheap cuts into rich broth; kawareh uses only the feet rather than the head.

Substitutions

• Split veal or calf feet work the same way and cook a little faster.
• Whole spices are used rather than ground so the broth stays clear.

Variations

• Some cooks chill the broth overnight and lift the set fat off in a sheet.
• Others leave the fat in deliberately for a richer bowl.
• Cairo soup houses sell it alongside mombar and other offal dishes.

History

Sold in specialist Cairo soup houses and eaten as a restorative; the trotters are simmered for hours until the broth sets when cool.

Frequently asked questions

What is Kawareh?

Kawareh is a soup & stew from Egypt: gelatinous cow’s-foot soup with garlic and cumin, poured over bread. Sold in specialist Cairo soup houses and eaten as a restorative; the trotters are simmered for hours until the broth sets when cool.

How long does Kawareh take to make?

Kawareh takes 1 hour plus soaking of preparation and 5 hours of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Kawareh?

Yes, within limits. Split veal or calf feet work the same way and cook a little faster. Whole spices are used rather than ground so the broth stays clear.

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

Return the rinsed pieces to the clean pot. Add the halved onions and the whole garlic head. Add the bay leaves and all the whole spices. Cover it with about four litres of fresh water. Bringing it to temperature takes attention.