Ingredients
Pouches
- 8 piecesof leaf tripe, omasum, cut into squares
- coarse salt
- plain flour
- vinegar
Filling
- 500 gbeef bone marrow, from marrow bones
- 1 tbspginger garlic paste
- 1 tspturmeric
- 1 tspground cumin
- 1 tsptimur, Sichuan pepper
- 1 tspchilli powder
- salt
To boil
- 2 litreswater
- 1 tspturmeric
- 1 tspsalt
- 2bay leaves
To fry
- mustard oil, for deep frying
To serve
- chiura, beaten rice
- aila, Newar rice spirit
- achar
Equipment
- cotton thread
Directions
- Rinse the leaf tripe under cold running water and go over every fold. Salt and flour together act as an abrasive and lift the film in a way water alone will not. Rinse, then scrub again with vinegar, and repeat the whole cycle three or four times. Keep going until it is pale and smells clean. Blanch the cleaned tripe in boiling water for 10 minutes and discard that water.
- Soak the marrow bones in cold salted water for a few hours, which draws out the blood and makes the marrow come away cleanly. Keep the marrow cold and firm while you work with it, because it softens and smears at room temperature.
- Mash the marrow with the ginger garlic paste, turmeric, cumin, timur, chilli and salt. Now cut the tripe into squares of about 12 cm. Take a square, put a generous spoonful of the marrow mixture in the centre, and gather the edges up into a pouch.
- Fill it generously, because the marrow is the whole point, but leave enough tripe to close it fully. Tie the neck tightly with cotton thread. Tie it very tightly and double it. Now boil the pouches gently in water with turmeric, salt and bay for 45 minutes to an hour. Keep it at a gentle simmer rather than a boil. The tripe should become tender and the pouch should feel firm and full.
- Lift them out and cool them completely. A warm pouch is soft and it splits the moment it hits hot oil. Fry the pouches at about 180°C for 4 to 5 minutes until the tripe is deep brown and crisp.
- Stand back, because any trapped moisture spits, and turn them with tongs rather than a spoon. Do not overcook them, because the tripe toughens and the marrow inside can render out through the seams.
- Drain on a rack and snip the threads off. Serve them hot, with chiura and achar and a glass of aila. Warn people before they bite: the marrow inside is molten and it will burst out and it is extremely hot.
Technique
- Ask a butcher for leaf tripe and marrow bones together, and both are usually cheap.
- It is rich enough that one or two pouches is a serving.
- Newar cuisine has a whole family of buffalo offal dishes and this is among the most prized.
Substitutions
- Buffalo tripe and marrow, which is the traditional animal in Nepal.
- Any neutral oil in place of mustard oil, which is milder and less traditional.
Variations
- Made with buffalo, which is the Newar standard.
- With more chilli in the marrow.
- Boiled only, without the final frying.
History
A Newar delicacy of the Kathmandu valley served at feasts; the marrow melts inside the tripe bag.
Frequently asked questions
What is Sapu Mhicha?
Sapu Mhicha is a snack from Nepal: leaf-tripe pouch stuffed with bone marrow, boiled then fried until it bursts. A Newar delicacy of the Kathmandu valley served at feasts; the marrow melts inside the tripe bag.
How long does Sapu Mhicha take to make?
Sapu Mhicha takes 1 hr 30 min of preparation and 1 hr 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 8 pouches. It is rated hard to make.
What can I substitute in Sapu Mhicha?
Yes, within limits. Buffalo tripe and marrow, which is the traditional animal in Nepal. Any neutral oil in place of mustard oil, which is milder and less traditional.
What is the most important thing to get right in Sapu Mhicha?
Rinse the leaf tripe under cold running water and go over every fold. Salt and flour together act as an abrasive and lift the film in a way water alone will not. Rinse, then scrub again with vinegar, and repeat the whole cycle three or four times. Keep going until it is pale and smells clean. Blanch the cleaned tripe in boiling water for 10 minutes and discard that water.
