Braised Beef Tripe is an extremely comforting dish that tastes amazing with a bowl of rice. After just one and a half hours, the tripe takes on a very tender texture and soaks up the flavor of the sauce. I love to add potatoes to the pot as well, but today I used daikon instead. Feel free to use whatever!

overhead shot of braised beef tripe in clay pot.

Growing up, I was never the biggest fan of beef tripe. I remember my parents always ordering it at dim sum, but I never wanted to eat it because I knew it was made from a cow's stomach. Instead, I would eat dishes like spare ribs with black bean sauce. But now as an adult, I actually really enjoy the taste and texture.

After I made braised beef tongue and braised oxtail, I wanted to try cooking some more "variety meats." One thing I've noticed is that all these "variety meats" require low and slow cooking methods to become tender. Beef tripe is no exception.

What beef tripe to use?

There are several different kinds of beef tripe you can get at the grocery store. My personal favorite is honeycomb tripe. It's the thickest and most gelatinous of the tripes. It soaks up a lot of sauce and is very tender. I've used book tripe (also called omasum tripe) before, but it's not nearly as gelatinous or tender. So I recommend honeycomb.

How to prepare beef tripe?

In the olden days, most people would have to scrub down the tripe with vinegar and salt before boiling it. But nowadays, it's not really needed because most beef tripe is bleached and commercially cleaned beforehand. However, I still like to boil the tripe for 5 minutes before using it just to clean off any remaining smells that may be on it.

beef tripe being boiled in pot of water.

beef tripe cut into small chunks on cutting board.

package of unblanched honey comb tripe. — Here is a picture of beef tripe I found which was not bleached beforehand. In this case, you would need to scrub it down with vinegar and salt, and boil it.

What is chu hou sauce?

Chu hou sauce makes up the base of our braising liquid. If you're not familiar with it, it's a condiment made of fermented soybean paste and is very salty and savory. The brand I use is from Lee Kum Kee, and the jar specifically says it's for braising meats and vegetables.

Braised Beef Tripe

This braised beef tripe is similar to the ones you'll find at a dim sum restaurant.

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1 45

Total Time 2

Course Main Course

Cuisine Chinese

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

2 ½ pounds honey comb beef tripe
2 tablespoons oil
1 medium onion (chopped)
1 tablespoon minced ginger
¼ cup Shaoxing cooking wine
⅓ cup Chu Hou sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon chicken bouillon powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 pieces star anise
1 pound daikon or potatoes (cut into 1 ½-inch chunks)

Instructions

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add the beef tripe and boil for 5 minutes. Beef tripe can be dirty so this is just to clean it. Rinse with cold water and transfer to a cutting board. Chop the tripe into 2-3 inch pieces.
Heat a clay pot over medium-high heat. Add the oil, onions, and ginger, and cook for 3 minutes until the onion is translucent.
Add the Shaoxing wine, chu hou sauce, brown sugar, dark soy sauce, chicken bouillon powder, salt, star anise, and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil.
Add the tripe. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting, cover, and cook for 1 hour. Check every 20 minutes to make sure the water level is not too low.
After 1 hour, add the daikon/potatoes and continue cooking for 30 minutes until tender. Enjoy!

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