Braised Beef Honeycomb Tripe is a Cantonese dim sum favorite for a reason – it’s slow cooked in an incredible variety of aromatics and sauces until succulently tender. The dish is made using a super cost effective cut and you’ll find all the tips and tricks to properly clean tripe!
A traditional yum cha favorite
Every time I get dim sum from our local yum cha restaurant, my eyes are always on the lookout for the iconic metal food trolley filled with Braised Beef Honeycomb Tripe.
It often comes as part of a meat stew (known as 牛雜, pronounced ‘ngau jahp’ in Cantonese), which contains an assortment of beef organs slowly simmered with daikon and traditional Chinese spices.
If you’re one of those people who loves to order the dish (like me), you may find that it’s often just you eating it! A serving is quite a fair bit for one person, which is why I prefer making it in my own kitchen.
Our home-friendly version uses just daikon and beef tripe and promises as much flavor as you’d get from restaurants.
Now, this is not one of those recipes loaded with a never-ending organ list that requires HOURS of cleaning. But if you’re after simple, perfectly cooked Braised Beef Honeycomb Tripe with a lusciously fragrant sauce that’s naturally sweetened by daikon, this dish is for you!
Everything you need to know about tripe
What it is
Inside a cow’s second stomach chamber is a wall of muscle, which is where tripe is found. It naturally has a yellow color, but you’ll usually find it white at the butcher’s. This is because they will have been boiled and bleached by an experienced dresser.
If you’re also familiar with the other types of tripe, they’re found in a cow’s other stomachs.
Taste
Just like most other organs, including pig stomach in soup, tripe doesn’t have much of a distinct taste, except for a mild offal scent if not cleaned well. It will take on the flavor of whichever sauce or ingredient it’s cooked with.
What makes this ingredient unique is its texture. It’s chewy and springy to the bite, quite often associated with the rubbery mouthfeel of eating firm squid.
Health Benefits
You’ll find lots of minerals and vitamins in tripe, including calcium, iron and zinc. It has a generous amount of protein and antioxidants to help with your body’s health.
Just keep in mind that it should be eaten in moderation as it is high in cholesterol. But whenever you do have this dish, it’ll be well worth it!
Why this recipe works
- Using a homemade beef stock means richer, deeper flavors in your Braised Beef Honeycomb Tripe.
- Daikons add a subtle sweetness without the need for extra sugar.
- The peanut butter adds a nutty creaminess and keeps it thick.
What you’ll need
For Cleaning
Which salt to use
We used regular salt for our cleaning because it was readily available, but rock salt is another great option. The bigger crystals will be more effective for scraping impurities.
For the Broth
About the bones
Ask the butcher to cut the bones into smaller segments if notice it is still in one long piece. It needs to be able to fit in your pot!
Braising Ingredients
About the sauces
All of the dried ingredients and sauces can be found in Asian supermarkets. Dried ingredients are usually packaged in plastic packets while sauces are normally stored in jars.
How to make this recipe
The Beef Broth
Bring a pot of water to a boil and blanch the beef bones for 2 minutes, then wash and clean the bones.
Fill a fresh pot of 2 1/2 L (10 1/2 US cup) water on high heat and bring to a boil, then add the cleaned bones in along with the peppercorns, ginger, Shaoxing rice wine and spring onions.
Keep it on a gentle simmer with the lid partially on for 1 hour while skimming the floating scum every 15 minutes, then remove the bones and aromatics.
Peel the daikon’s skin off, then peel off 2 layers from the surface. This will remove the bitter outer layer.
Cut them into 10cm (3.9″) chunks.
Put the daikon into the broth on a medium heat to simmer for 5 minutes, then scoop them out and set aside for later.
Preparing the Tripe
Rub the 4 tsp salt all over the organ and rinse with hot water. Repeat this 5 times.
Use a knife to scrape against the surface to remove any scum, then rinse using hot water.
Pour the vinegar over the tripe and knead it into the organ to clean, then wash off.
Bring a pot of water to a boil with the Shaoxing rice wine and ginger and blanch the tripe for 15 minutes, then remove and drain to be used later.
The Braising
Cut the tripe into 2 x 10cm (0.8″ x 4″) strips.
Smash the red fermented bean curd until it forms a paste, then combine it with the chu hou paste and peanut butter.
Heat up a wok on medium heat and pour the oil in until it gets hot. Turn the heat to high and brown the spring onion knot, garlic, ginger, dried tangerine peels and star anise for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
Add the fermented bean curd mixture in and mix for 30 seconds.
Pour the tripe in and stir for 1 minute.
Add the beef broth in along with the rock sugar, sesame oil, Shaoxing rice wine, oyster sauce and dark soy sauce and bring it to a boil, then let it simmer on a medium heat for 20 minutes.
Bring the heat back up to high and add the radish to cook on a medium simmer for 20 minutes or until soft.
Note: The longer you braise it, the thicker and richer the sauce becomes. Remove it from the heat when it has reached your desired consistency.
Serve hot as is!
FAQs
The closest sauce that would work in place of chu hou paste is hoisin sauce. If you want a closer flavor, you can mix in some five spice powder, ginger, salt and sugar.
If you have trouble finding this in Asian supermarkets, you can simply skip the ingredient or make your own using this recipe from The Woks of Life.
This organ is generally on the chewy and tough side, but to get it softer it needs to be cooked on lower heat for longer periods of time.
Tips for the best results
- Let it cook for longer on low heat. To get a more tender bite, keep the heat low and keep it braising slowly for a longer period.
- Use more bones for the stock. The richer the flavor in the beef stock, the more it will come through in the braising.
- Clean the tripe until there is no more odor. Make sure to give it a sniff before you boil the organ. If you still smell a hint of the offal scent, wash it in more salt and vinegar.
Make it a Cantonese feast!
- Curry Fish Balls (咖喱魚蛋) – Deeply aromatic, you’ll enjoy how these creamy and earthy sauce matches our Braised Beef Honeycomb Tripe.
- A plate of Ham Sui Gok (Fried Glutinous Rice Dumplings 咸水角) is the perfect way to have a juicy and crispy bite filled with pork mince.
- Rice Cooker Chicken and Mushroom Rice – There’s nothing more exciting than finding a rice cooker full of delicious, succulent meaty gems.
- Chicken Feet Soup (雞腳汤) – Balance all the flavors with a nutty and homey soup close to our hearts.
- Finish off a generous feast with our Snow Fungus Dessert Soup (雪耳糖水)!
Want more home cooked recipes?
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Braised Beef Honeycomb Tripe
Ingredients
Beef Broth
- 1 kg beef bones
- 1 tsp white peppercorns
- 2 1/2 L / 10 1/2 US cup water
- 30 g / 0.07 lb ginger (lightly smashed)
- 3 sprig spring onions (tied into a knot)
- 1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
- 1 daikon
Cleaning the Tripe
- 1 kg / 2 lb honeycomb tripe
- 20 tsp salt
- 1/4 US cup vinegar
- 20 g / 0.04 lb ginger
- 2 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
- hot water
The Braising Ingredients
- 3 cubes red fermented bean curd (plus 1 tbsp of its liquid)
- 2 tbsp chu hou paste
- 2 1/2 tbsp sugar (or to taste)
- 1 tsp salt (or to taste)
- 3 star anise
- 2 dried tangerine peels
- 3 slices ginger
- 4 tbsp cooking oil
- 3 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1/2 tbsp peanut butter
- 3 cloves garlic
- 3 sprig spring onion (tied into a knot)
- 2 1/2 US cup beef broth (made from beef broth ingredients)
Instructions
The Beef Broth
- Bring a pot of water to a boil and blanch the beef bones for 2 minutes, then wash and clean the bones.
- Fill a fresh pot of 2 1/2 L (10 1/2 US cup) water on high heat and bring to a boil, then add the cleaned bones in along with the peppercorns, ginger, Shaoxing rice wine and spring onions.
- Keep it on a gentle simmer with the lid partially on for 1 hour while skimming the floating scum every 15 minutes, then remove the bones and aromatics.
- Peel the daikon's skin off, then peel off 2 layers from the surface. This will remove the bitter outer layer.
- Cut them into 10cm (3.9") chunks.
- Put the daikon into the broth on a medium heat to simmer for 5 minutes, then scoop them out and set aside for later.
Preparing The Tripe
- Rub the 4 tsp salt all over the organ and rinse with hot water. Repeat this 5 times.
- Use a knife to scrape against the surface to remove any scum, then rinse using hot water.
- Pour the vinegar over the tripe and knead it into the organ to clean, then wash off.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil with the Shaoxing rice wine and ginger and blanch the tripe for 15 minutes, then remove and drain to be used later.
The Braising
- Cut the tripe into 2 x 10cm (0.8" x 4") strips.
- Smash the red fermented bean curd until it forms a paste, then combine it with the chu hou paste and peanut butter.
- Heat up a wok on medium heat and pour the oil in until it gets hot. Turn the heat to high and brown the spring onion knot, garlic, ginger, dried tangerine peels and star anise for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
- Add the fermented bean curd mixture in and mix for 30 seconds.
- Pour the tripe in and stir for 1 minute.
- Add the 3 US cup beef broth in along with the rock sugar, sesame oil, Shaoxing rice wine, oyster sauce and dark soy sauce and bring it to a boil, then let it simmer on a medium heat for 20 minutes.
- Bring the heat back up to high and add the radish to cook on a medium simmer for 20 minutes or until soft. Note: The longer you braise it, the thicker and richer the sauce becomes. Remove it from the heat when it has reached your desired consistency.
- Serve hot as is!
Notes
- Let it cook for longer on low heat. To get a more tender bite, keep the heat low and keep it braising slowly for a longer period.
- Use more bones for the stock. The richer the flavor in the beef stock, the more it will come through in the braising.
- Clean the tripe until there is no more odor. Make sure to give it a sniff before you boil the organ. If you still smell a hint of the offal scent, wash it in more salt and vinegar.
- We used regular salt for our cleaning because it was readily available, but rock salt is another great option. The bigger crystals will be more effective for scraping impurities.
- Ask the butcher to cut the bones into smaller segments if notice it is still in one long piece. It needs to be able to fit in your pot!
- All of the dried ingredients and sauces can be found in Asian supermarkets. Dried ingredients are usually packaged in plastic packets while sauces are normally stored in jars.
Looks so delicious and fun! My family would love this.
I hope your family gets to try it soon!
Homemade stock really does make all the difference to the flavour.
Definitely!
I bet this braised tripe makes your home smell AMAZING! So many great flavors.
It certainly does, Lisa! Thanks!
I don’t think I’ve ever heard of tripe!! This dish look absolutely amazing, so eager to try it!
It’s definitely worth a try, Tisha! I hope you get to one day soon!
Such interesting information about tripe! This is an intriguing recipe!
Thanks, Alison!
What do you do with the rest of the beef broth if only 2.5cups are used for the braising?
Hi, Maggie! I generally add some light seasoning to it and have it as a soup 🙂
Ah thanks for that suggestion Jeannette! Also wanted to clarify–is it 10.5cups of water or 3cups of water that is needed for the beef broth? The ingredients list seems to say 3, though 10.5 shows up in the instructions.
Hi, Maggie! Thanks for the spot! I’ve amended the recipe for that. It’ll be 10.5 cups to start for the broth, then you’ll use 3 in the sauce. Hope that helps!
I want to make this but can I use red miso paste as a substitute for fermented red bean curd? Would it be equal proportions?
Thank you,
Emily
Hi, Emily! I haven’t personally tried it with red miso paste before, but I imagine the flavor profile will be different in the end. If you do end up using red miso paste, let me know how it goes!