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Mazondo
Braised cow trotters
Mazondo: Zimbabwean cow trotters slow-stewed with onion and tomato
Mazondo is beer-hall and roadside-braai food in Chitungwiza and Harare's high-density suburbs, and a Saturday treat in homes where someone has the patience to tend the pot. Cow trotters are simmered for hours until the skin and tendons melt into a sticky, gelatinous gravy that coats the lips, then finished with onion, tomato and a little curry powder. It is rich and deeply savoury, eaten with the fingers and a mound of sadza to soak up the sauce. Buy the trotters already cleaned and cut by a butcher; the common mistake is rushing the simmer, which leaves them rubbery and tough instead of falling off the bone. Chef's tip: a pressure cooker cuts the simmer to about an hour, but finish with the lid off so the gravy reduces and turns glossy.
- Total time
- 240 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the trotters
- 3 ⅓ lb cow trotterscleaned, scraped and cut into pieces by the butcher
- 10 ½ cups waterplus more as needed
- 2 tsp salt
For the gravy
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- 2 onionssliced
- 3 garlic clovescrushed
- 2 tsp mild curry powdercheck the label is gluten free
- 3 tomatoeschopped
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 red chilli (optional)chopped
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Method
0/10 doneStep 1: Rinse 3 ⅓ lb cow trotters well under cold running water and check for any stray hairs, scraping them off with a sharp knife.
Step 2: Put the trotters in a large pot with 10 ½ cups water and bring to the boil over a high heat. Skim off the grey foam that rises for the first 10 minutes.
15 minStep 3: Add 1 ½ tsp salt and 2 bay leaves, cover, turn the heat to low and simmer gently, topping up with boiling water so the pieces stay covered.
180 minStep 4: Check the trotters: they are ready when the skin is soft and wobbly and a fork pulls the meat and gristle easily from the bone. If they still feel rubbery, keep simmering and check every 20 minutes.
Step 5: Lift out the trotters with a slotted spoon, discard the bay leaves and keep about 500 ml of the cooking liquid.
Step 6: Heat 2 tbsp sunflower oil in a wide heavy pan over a medium heat and fry 2 onions until soft and golden at the edges.
8 minStep 7: Stir in 3 garlic cloves, 2 tsp mild curry powder and 1 red chilli if using, and fry until fragrant.
1 minStep 8: Add 3 tomatoes and cook, stirring, until they break down and the oil starts to pool at the edges of the pan.
6 minStep 9: Return the trotters to the pan with the reserved cooking liquid, ½ tsp ground black pepper and the rest of ½ tsp salt. Simmer uncovered over a medium-low heat, turning the pieces now and then, until the gravy is thick, sticky and clings to them.
15 minStep 10: Taste for salt and serve hot with sadza. The pieces have been simmered for hours, so they are well beyond the safe 160°F all through.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 430 kcal
- Protein
- 52 g
- Carbs
- 9 g
- Fat
- 20 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does mazondo take?
- About 240 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 220 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 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.
- What can I use instead of bay leaves?
- Leave it out, or a pinch of dried thyme (it's a background flavour).
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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