Dim Sum Tripe Stew

Dim Sum Tripe Stew

Dim sum tripe stew, or niu za (牛雜), is pronounced phonetically in Cantonese as ngau tzop (excuse the weird spelling). Like many of these old and classic dishes, there usually is a variety of organ meats included in this dish but over the years, the ingredient list was reduced and became more simple, thank goodness for that!  Beef tripe is the main and sometimes only ingredient of the dish, along with Chinese turnips, so these are the ingredients we used for our version of tripe stew. If you go to a Cantonese dim sum place, you can order a little bowl of this beef trip stew, and they’ll also give you a bit of hot oil for dipping. When we were kids, the “elders” (our moms, dads, and grandparents) would always order it and sometimes prepare it at home.

Ingredients

For Stage 1:

• 2 lbs fresh honeycomb beef tripe,
• 2 quarts water
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 slices ginger, smashed
• 1 scallion, cut into 2-inch pieces and smashed with the cleaver or knife
• 2 tablespoons shaoxing wine

For Stage 2:

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 3 slices ginger, smashed
• 4 star anise
• 1 large Chinese turnip (about 1.5 pounds), cut into 1½ inch cubes
• 1 tablespoon shaoxing wine
• ¼ cup light soy sauce
• ¼ teaspoon dark soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
• 2½ cups water
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• pinch of white pepper
• salt to taste
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch, mixed into a slurry with 1 tablespoon water
• 1 scallion, chopped

Instructions

1. Thoroughly rinse the tripe under cold running water. In your wok, add the tripe, water, salt, ginger, scallion, and shaoxing wine. Place it over high heat until the water comes to a boil. Turn off the heat and let it sit for 5 minutes. Remove the tripe from the wok and rinse with cold water. Put in a colander to drain. This step "cleans" the tripe and makes the flavor a little bit more mild.
2. After the tripe has cooled, cut it into 1½ x 2½ inch pieces. In Dim Sum restaurants that serve this dish, this is generally the minimum size because the tripe will shrink further as it cooks. But you can really cut whatever size you prefer.
3. Heat a large pot over medium high heat and add the oil, ginger slices, and star anise. Let it cook for about 30 seconds. Turn the heat to high and immediately add the tripe and turnips. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 2 minutes. Add the shaoxing wine and stir another 30 seconds.
4. Next, add soy sauces, brown sugar, water, sesame oil and white pepper. Stir until everything's combined. Bring the mixture to a boil and turn it down to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Cook the beef tripe a bit longer if you like your tripe more tender but Chinese like the tripe in this dish a little bit chewy.
5. Add the turnips and continue to cook for another 20 minutes or until the turnips are tender. If you like the turnips softer, then you can certainly cook them a bit longer. Taste for seasoning, and if it needs more salt, then add some now.
6. To finish the dish, turn the heat to medium high until the liquid comes to a boil. Stir in the cornstarch slurry and the white parts of the chopped scallions. Mix well for 30 seconds, until thickened slightly. Serve, garnishing with the rest of the scallions.

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