Karshat, stuffed lamb intestines recipe

Stuffed lamb intestines and tripe are popular Mediterranean food recipes. Here is a simple recipe to prepare this Middle Eastern delicacy.

By Ray Hanania

Stuffed lamb intestines is a very popular Mediterranean recipe in the Arab World, in Greece and in the Mediterranean sea region.

It’s a very simple recipe to create and serve and requires fresh lamb intestine. It’s often called karshat, or masareen, or tripe in Arabic, although tripe is mainly the stomach not the intestines.

The intestine is inverted and cleaned of all fat. It is washed thoroughly and the intestine becomes a skin for the ingredients. Rub salt on the intestines while cleaning (or use a salt saline solution to clean).

The ingredients include 3 pounds of diced lamb meat, 2 cups of rice (rinsed at least 3 times of starch), 1 diced onion, spices including Cumin, parsley, pepper, salt, diced garlic (or garlic powder), 2 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Add Cinnamon, Allspice and Nutmeg (1 tablespoon of each, or to your preference.

Pan of Karshat (stuffed lamb intestines). Photo courtesy of Ray Hanania

Thoroughly mix all of the ingredients in a bowl. You can also add cinnamon sticks in the boiling water with the stuffed karshat.

After thoroughly rinsing and cleaning the lamb intestines, carefully open the intestines and compress (like an accordion) and begin stuffing the ingredients. As you stuff the ingredients, the intestines lengthen.

You should have enough ingredients to stuff 12 intestine strands of 8 to 10 inches each.

Once completely stuffed, place in a large pot and cover the intestines in water. Add diced tomatoes, spice and slowly boil for about 45 minutes.

The intestines will enlarge slightly with the rising of the rice as it is cooked.

Before serving, prepare a large frying pan and add a tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Fry each strand of cooked intestine until the intestine is browned.

Add almond slivers and brown and sprinkle over the intestines when served. You can also serve with cook garbanzo beans (chick peas) drenched in Extra Virgin Olive Oil and served with diced garlic and diced onions, and miniature tomatoes (whole or halves).

Many Mediterranean cooks will also use Krouche or Tripe (lamb of cow stomach). The stomach has to be thoroughly cleaned. Cooks will actually sew the tripe into small pockets (using regular sewing thread that is removed by the consumer when the cooked meal is served.

Sahtein! Enjoy!

Karshat (stuffed lamb intestines) and stuffed grape leaves on a plate. Photo courtesy of Ray Hanania

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rayhanania

Op-Ed writer, author, radio host, podcaster at The Arab Daily News

Ray Hanania is an award-winning columnist, author & former Chicago City Hall reporter (1977-1992). A veteran who served during the Vietnam War and the recipient of four SPJ Peter Lisagor Awards for column writing, Hanania writes weekly opinion columns on mainstream American & Chicagoland topics for the Southwest News-Herald, Des Plaines Valley News, the Regional News, The Reporter Newspapers, and Suburban Chicagoland.

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Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.

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