Matumbo

Ingredients

Tripe

• 1.2 kgbeef tripe, cleaned
• 2 tbspcoarse salt, for cleaning
• juice of 2 lemons, for cleaning
• 1 tbspvinegar, for cleaning

To boil

• water, to cover
• 1onion, halved
• 3bay leaves
• 1 tspblack peppercorns
• salt

Stew

• 4 tbspoil
• 2onions, chopped
• 6garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tbspgrated ginger
• 4tomatoes, chopped
• 2 tbsptomato paste
• 2green chillies, chopped
• 1 tspground cumin
• 1 tspground coriander
• 1 tsppaprika
• 1beef stock cube
• salt and black pepper

To finish

• a handful of coriander, chopped
• 1green pepper, sliced, if wanted

To serve

• ugali
• sukuma wiki, or braised greens
• kachumbari salad

Directions

1. Rinse it under cold running water for several minutes. Rub it all over with the coarse salt. Work the salt into the honeycomb sections with your fingers. Rinse it and repeat the salt rub once more. Rub it with the lemon juice and vinegar. Let it sit in the acid for ten minutes.
2. Rinse it thoroughly until the water runs completely clear. The tripe should no longer feel slippery when you are done. Put the cleaned tripe in a pot and cover it with cold water. Bring it to a hard boil and boil it for ten minutes. Drain it all off and rinse the tripe and the pot.
3. Cut the blanched tripe into strips about three centimetres wide. Cut across the honeycomb rather than along it. Return the strips to the clean pot with fresh water to cover. Add the halved onion, bay leaves, peppercorns and salt. Bring it to the boil and lower it to a steady simmer.
4. Simmer it for two to two and a half hours. Top it up with hot water so it stays covered. Take a strip out and cut into it. It should give easily under the knife with a slight springiness.
5. Drain it and keep about half a litre of the cooking liquid. Heat the oil in a wide heavy pan over a medium heat. Add the chopped onions and cook them for ten minutes until golden. Add the garlic, ginger and chopped chillies. Cook them for two minutes until fragrant.
6. Stir in the tomato paste and cook it until it darkens. Add the chopped tomatoes and the ground spices. Cook it down for eight minutes into a thick base. Add the drained tripe to the tomato base. Turn it so every strip is coated. Pour in the reserved cooking liquid. Crumble in the stock cube and season it. Simmer it uncovered for thirty minutes. The tripe will take up the sauce and darken.
7. Add the sliced green pepper for the last ten minutes if using. The sauce should be thick and should cling to the tripe. Cook it down further if it is watery. Add hot liquid if it has gone dry. Taste it and adjust the salt and chilli. Scatter chopped coriander over the top. Serve it hot with ugali and braised greens.

Technique

• Clean the tripe with salt, lemon and vinegar, then blanch it and discard that water.
• Simmer for at least two hours; tripe that is still rubbery cannot be rescued later.
• Keep some of the boiling liquid, since it carries flavour into the stew.

Substitutions

• Honeycomb or blanket tripe, both of which are used.
• A pressure cooker to shorten the first boil to about forty-five minutes.

Variations

• Cooked dry-fried, sold as matumbo choma.
• With potatoes added to the stew.
• With a mix of tripe and other offal.

History

A cheap butchery staple: offal is sold at a fraction of the price of muscle meat and is stewed for hours to soften it.

Frequently asked questions

What is Matumbo?

Matumbo is a soup & stew from Kenya: tripe simmered long with tomato and onion until tender, eaten with ugali. A cheap butchery staple: offal is sold at a fraction of the price of muscle meat and is stewed for hours to soften it.

How long does Matumbo take to make?

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

What can I substitute in Matumbo?

Yes, within limits. Honeycomb or blanket tripe, both of which are used. A pressure cooker to shorten the first boil to about forty-five minutes.

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

Cut the blanched tripe into strips about three centimetres wide. Cut across the honeycomb rather than along it. Return the strips to the clean pot with fresh water to cover. Add the halved onion, bay leaves, peppercorns and salt. Bring it to the boil and lower it to a steady simmer.