Tripe curry cooked in under 45 minutes? We've got the recipe

Tripe has a rich heritage in many South African households, treasured for its unmistakable taste, cultural significance and culinary comfort. Now, designed to suit the dynamic lifestyles of contemporary families, a retailer is offering ox tripe that can be ready in less than 45 minutes, with minimal fuss.

Traditionally tripe takes hours of preparation and cooking but Woolworths has come to the rescue of tripe lovers with oven- and pot-ready, ox tripe. Carefully slow-cooked for 17 hours in a flavoursome beef stock, this beloved traditional delicacy, renowned for its rich flavour and hearty texture, now comes conveniently prepared and ready to add your own unique and nostalgic flavour and is available in selected stores countrywide.

With 20 years' experience, senior product developer Sharon Mbonambi is no stranger to the kitchen. Preparing tripe invokes memories of her dad while she was growing up in Durban. She remembers how it was a well-loved dish by all the children she used to play with in her street. The smell of the tripe cooking would get them excited about dinner and once that happened, playtime was officially over.

While ox tripe is traditionally cooked with salt, pepper, and onions, Sharon adds a twist to her recipe. She adds a spoonful of apricot jam at the end of cooking to give it a sweet-savoury flavour. Whenever she's feeling nostalgic or wants to relive memories she has of her father, she always cooks a pot of tripe.

CURRIED TRIPE

Recipe by Sharon Mbonambi 

Serves 6.  Prep time 25 minutes. Cooking time 50 minutes

30ml (2 tbsp) canola oil

2 medium onions, chopped

½ green pepper, chopped

2 medium potatoes, cut into 1.5cm cubes

30ml (2 tbsp) medium curry powder

1 cloves garlic, crushed

5ml (1 tsp) paprika

400g can crushed tomatoes

1kg pre-cooked ox tripe

Salt and ground black pepper taste

10ml (2 tsp) smooth apricot jam

1. Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat and sauté the onions, green pepper and potatoes for about 8 minutes. Add the curry powder, garlic and paprika and cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent the spices from catching.
2. Add the tomatoes and cook over a low heat for 5 minutes. Add the tripe, mix, season with salt and pepper and cook over low heat for about 30 minutes. Lastly, add the apricot jam and check the seasoning.
3. Serve hot with, pap or samp or steamed bread.