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
Ray Hanania is an award winning political and humor columnist who analyzes American and Middle East politics, and life in general. He is an author of several books.
"I write about three topics, the Middle East, politics and life in general. I often take my life experiences and offer them in an entertaining way to readers, and I take on the toughest topics like the Israel-Palestine conflict and don't pull any punches about what I feel is fair. But, my priority is always about writing the good story."
Hanania covered Chicago Politics and Chicago City Hall from 1976 through 1992. Hanania began writing in 1975 when he published The Middle Eastern Voice newspaper in Chicago (1975-1977). He later published “The National Arab American Times” newspaper which was distributed through 12,500 Middle East food stores in 48 American States (2004-2007).
Hanania writes weekly columns on Middle East and American Arab issues for the Arab News in Saudi Arabia at www.ArabNews.com, and at www.TheArabDailyNews.com, www.TheDailyHookah.com and at SuburbanChicagoland.com. He has also published weekly columns in the Jerusalem Post newspaper, YNetNews.com, Newsday Newspaper in New York, the Orlando Sentinel Newspapers, and the Arlington Heights Daily Herald.
Palestinian, American Arab and Christian, Hanania’s parents originate from Jerusalem and Bethlehem.
Hanania is the recipient of four (4) Chicago Headline Club “Peter Lisagor Awards” for Column writing. In November 2006, he was named “Best Ethnic American Columnist” by the New American Media. In 2009, Hanania received the prestigious Sigma Delta Chi Award for Writing from the Society of Professional Journalists. He is the recipient of the MT Mehdi Courage in Journalism Award. He was honored for his writing skills with two (2) Chicago Stick-o-Type awards from the Chicago Newspaper Guild. In 1990, Hanania was nominated by the Chicago Sun-Times editors for a Pulitzer Prize for his four-part series on the Palestinian Intifada.
His writings have also been honored by two national Awards from ADC for his writing, and from the National Arab American Journalists Association.
The managing editor of Suburban Chicagoland Online News website www.SuburbanChicagoland.com, Hanania's columns also appear in the Southwest News Newspaper Group of 8 newspapers.
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