Green tripe is the stomach lining basically unchanged from the way it came out of the cow. As its name implies, it has a greenish or grayish color. It needs to be thoroughly emptied and cleaned before cooking (see below). Cleaned tripe is tripe that has been rinsed and cleaned to remove the stomach contents. It’s lighter in color and requires less preparation on your part in terms of cleaning and rinsing. Bleached (or “Blanched”) tripe is tripe that has been cleaned, then soaked in chlorine to kill germs, giving it a very pale color. It’s the cleanest type of tripe you can buy, but, unfortunately, it must be rinsed several times to remove the strong chlorine odor and taste.
Rub the tripe with rock salt, loosening any small undigested bits (or “grit”). Rinse thoroughly with cold water. If necessary, use a clean toothbrush for hard-to-reach places. By doing this, you empty the stomach lining of any remnant pieces of partially-digested food. Repeat until you see no more grit. Soak the tripe for one hour in a dilute solution made by mixing a tablespoon or two of hydrogen peroxide with enough water to cover the tripe (turning and squeezing the tripe occasionally). Hydrogen peroxide is a disinfectant and a bleaching agent. [2] X Research source Discard the hydrogen peroxide solution and rinse the tripe thoroughly several times with water (squeezing as you do so). Trim edges that still appear unclean. The resulting tripe should be free from any obnoxious odor. After soaking, scrape the interior of the tripe with a knife to remove the inner membrane. Stomach lining is a complex tissue - parts of it are good to eat, but other parts aren’t. The interior membrane should be removed if it hasn’t.
Be sure to wash your hands after handling raw tripe, even if you’ve already cleaned it meticulously.
Here’s your chance - let your creativity shine! The final flavor of your tripe depends on the contents of the broth you cook it in. Spice things up however you see fit - a few added peppers, for instance, can give your tripe a real “kick,” while some slices of ginger will give the dish an Asian influence. Note that as long as there are enough ingredients to impart a substantial flavor, the proportions of stock are very flexible; feel free to add, modify, and remove ingredients to suit your own taste.
Individual tastes vary on tripe’s ideal consistency - some recipes will, for instance, recommend cooking for over four hours to give the tripe a very mushy consistency. [3] X Research source
If the tripe is tender but the stock is still thin, you can either continue cooking them together or remove the tripe and allow the stock to continue simmering on its own. By continuing to boil the stock, the water will slowly leave, concentrating the flavorful ingredients.
