Ishkènbé Chòrbassi

Ingredients

• 3 pounds (approximately 1.35 kg) Bullock's tripe, well-cleaned and uncooked (Ask your butcher for honeycomb or smooth tripe, already cleaned. Give it a thorough rinse under cold running water before use.)
• 2 pints (approximately 1.1 litres) Water (Cold water to start the tripe cooking.)
• 1 to taste Salt (Add enough to season the cooking water — start with about 1 teaspoon and adjust later.)
• 2 pints (approximately 1.1 litres), or 1 pint minimum Broth (plain meat or beef broth, No. 1) (Use a good-quality, plain, unseasoned or lightly seasoned beef or meat stock. Shop-bought low-salt beef stock is a suitable modern substitute.)
• 3 yolks (or 2, as preferred) Egg yolks (Use fresh, large eggs. The yolks are used to enrich and slightly thicken the soup at the end — a technique called tempering (see step instructions).)

Instructions

1. 1Place the 3 pounds of well-cleaned bullock's tripe onto a clean chopping board. Give it a final rinse under cold running water and pat it dry with kitchen paper. Check it over and trim away any remaining fat or discoloured patches with a sharp knife. This is your only prep step — the tripe goes into the pot whole at this stage, so no chopping is needed yet.
2. 2Place the prepared tripe into a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan or stewpan. Pour in 2 pints (approximately 1.1 litres) of cold water. Add a sufficient amount of salt — begin with about 1 teaspoon. The tripe should be mostly covered by the water; if your pot is narrow, you may need to fold the tripe to fit.
3. 3Place the saucepan on the hob over a medium-high heat. Bring the water to a full, rolling boil — this will take roughly 10–15 minutes. As it heats up and begins to boil, a grey-white foam (called scum) will rise to the surface. This is normal. Use a large spoon or a ladle to skim this foam off and discard it. Keep skimming until the surface of the liquid looks mostly clear. This step improves the flavour and appearance of your final soup.
4. 4Once skimmed, reduce the heat to low so the liquid is at a gentle simmer — small bubbles breaking the surface, not a vigorous boil. Place a lid on the pot, slightly ajar to allow steam to escape. Allow the tripe to simmer until it is completely tender. This will typically take 1.5 to 2 hours, depending on the thickness of the tripe. To test for tenderness, pierce a piece with a fork or knife — it should offer no resistance and feel soft throughout. Do not rush this step; undercooked tripe will be tough and chewy.
5. 5Once the tripe is tender, remove the saucepan from the heat. Allow it to sit for 5 minutes so the fat rises to the surface. Use a large spoon or a ladle to carefully skim off as much of the fat floating on top of the liquid as possible. Discard the skimmed fat. This makes the soup lighter and cleaner in flavour.
6. 6Using tongs or a slotted spoon, carefully lift the cooked tripe out of the pot and transfer it to a chopping board. Allow it to cool slightly for a few minutes so it is safe to handle. Then, using a sharp knife, chop the tripe very finely — aim for small, uniform pieces roughly 3–5 mm in size. Fine chopping ensures the tripe distributes evenly throughout the soup and gives a pleasing texture. Set the chopped tripe aside. Do not discard the liquid remaining in the pot.
7. 7Set a fine-mesh sieve over a large bowl or jug. Carefully pour the cooking liquor from the pot through the sieve to strain out any solids or impurities. Discard whatever is caught in the sieve. Return the strained liquid to the saucepan. Add the finely chopped tripe back into the pan with the strained liquor.
8. 8Pour in 1 to 2 pints (approximately 570 ml to 1.1 litres) of broth (a plain meat or beef broth). Use 1 pint for a thicker, more concentrated soup, or 2 pints for a lighter, more broth-forward result. Stir to combine. Place the saucepan back on the hob over a medium-low heat and bring it to a gentle simmer. Allow it to simmer for approximately 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste the soup and adjust the salt if needed.
9. 9This step follows the technique described as 'prepared as in No. 8' in the original text, which refers to tempering egg yolks to prevent them from scrambling when added to hot liquid. To do this: separate 2 to 3 egg yolks into a small bowl and whisk them lightly with a fork. Reduce the heat under the soup to as low as it will go, or remove the pan from the heat entirely. Ladle about 4–5 tablespoons of the hot soup liquid into the bowl with the egg yolks, whisking constantly as you pour — this gently raises the temperature of the yolks without cooking them. Then, slowly pour the warmed yolk mixture back into the main pot of soup, stirring continuously. Do not return the soup to a boil after adding the yolks, or they will curdle. Stir gently for 1–2 minutes over a very low heat until the soup is slightly thickened and silky.
10. 10Immediately ladle the soup into warmed serving bowls. Serve hot. The soup should be savoury, slightly thickened from the egg yolks, and filled with tender pieces of finely chopped tripe throughout.