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Babath curry
බබත් කරිය (babath curry): beef tripe simmered slowly in a dark roasted curry with pepper and coconut milk
Babath curry belongs to the Muslim and Malay kitchens of Colombo and Slave Island, a frugal, rich dish of beef tripe that turns up at family lunches and in small rice-and-curry cafés where regulars ask for it by name. The tripe is cleaned, boiled with turmeric and vinegar until soft, then sliced into ribbons and simmered in a dark roasted curry with black pepper, cinnamon and a little coconut milk until it soaks up all the spice. The texture is pleasantly chewy and the gravy deep, hot and slightly sour, and it is eaten with rice, roti or bread to mop up the sauce. Many first attempts fail because the tripe is not boiled long enough first, so it stays rubbery however long it spends in the curry. Chef's tip: buy cleaned, bleached honeycomb tripe from a halal butcher, and boil it until a knife slides through with no resistance before you start the curry.
- Total time
- 150 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For boiling the tripe
- 1 /2 tsp ground turmeric
- 2 tbsp white vinegar
- 1 tsp salt
- 8 ¼ cups water
For the curry
- 3 tbsp coconut oil
- 5 cm piece cinnamon stick
- 2 sprigs curry leaves
- 10 cm piece pandan leaf
- 2 red onionssliced
- 6 cloves garliccrushed
- 3 cm piece fresh gingergrated
- 1 ½ tsp chilli powder
- 1 tomatochopped
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 ¼ cups tripe cooking liquid or water
- ¾ cup coconut milk
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Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Rinse 1 ⅔ lb cleaned beef tripe (honeycomb) very well under cold running water, rubbing all the folds, and trim off any fat.
5 minStep 2: Put the tripe in a large pot with 1 /2 tsp ground turmeric, 2 tbsp white vinegar, 1 tsp salt and 8 ¼ cups water, bring to the boil, skim, then simmer covered for 1 1/2 hours (or 35 minutes in a pressure cooker) until a knife goes through easily.
90 minStep 3: Drain, keeping 300 ml of the liquid, cool slightly and cut the tripe into strips 1 cm wide and 5 cm long.
5 minStep 4: Heat 3 tbsp coconut oil in a heavy pan over a medium heat and fry 5 cm piece cinnamon stick, 4 green cardamom pods, 2 sprigs curry leaves and 10 cm piece pandan leaf for 30 seconds.
2 minStep 5: Add 2 red onions and cook for 6–7 minutes until golden, then add 6 cloves garlic and 3 cm piece fresh ginger and fry for 2 minutes.
7 minStep 6: Stir in 3 tbsp Sri Lankan roasted (dark) curry powder, 1 ½ tsp chilli powder and 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper for 1 minute, then add 1 tomato.
2 minStep 7: Add the tripe, 1 tbsp white vinegar and 1 tsp salt and stir over a medium-high heat for 5 minutes until well coated.
5 minStep 8: Pour in 1 ¼ cups tripe cooking liquid or water, cover and simmer over a low heat for 20 minutes, stirring now and then, until the tripe is very tender and steaming hot throughout.
20 minStep 9: Add ¾ cup coconut milk and simmer uncovered for 6–8 minutes until the gravy is thick and dark. Taste for salt and rest 5 minutes before serving.
8 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 300 kcal
- Protein
- 24 g
- Carbs
- 8 g
- Fat
- 19 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does babath curry take?
- About 150 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 130 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of ground turmeric?
- Leave it out (it mostly adds colour).
- What can I use instead of white vinegar?
- Cider vinegar or rice vinegar, same amount.
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