The Romanian tripe soup is a very creamy, garlicky, slightly sour soup. Is one of the most popular soups in Romania and my favourite of them all. It doesn’t require many ingredients and it’s a soup that is usually made in big quantities, often served at big family celebrations.
Tripe soup is one of those dishes that you either love or hate. I have always loved it, from the first time I tasted it, at my parent’s work canteen. It was before one of their events, and the chefs were making it in a large quantity, in a massive pot. As a child, I was very curious and loved to explore the grounds, so I would often find myself in areas I shouldn’t have gone to. Like the kitchen. I remember the chef sitting me down at a table and placing a bowl of hot tripe soup in front of me –it was love at first site. I had five bowls that day, one after another, ignoring every other dish that came out of the kitchen. From that moment on, every time my parents would take me with them to work events, I would end up in the canteen, munching on tripe soup. Until recently, my mom never made it at home because it’s quite complicated.
But don’t worry, I want to teach you the easy way to make this delicious Romanian tripe soup recipe. Yes, we are going to cut a few corners, but the result will be the same tasty soup that I fell in love with years ago.
Firstly, we are going to use pre-boiled tripe. Nobody has the time to clean and wait for hours for the tripe to boil. Secondly, instead of homemade bone broth, I usually use rich ready-made beef stock. It gives the same depth of flavour and it doesn’t take hours to make. Classic chefs would say that ready-made stock doesn’t offer the same flavour, but I disagree. Beef bones are not easy to find where I live, and when I do go to the butcher to buy some, I am offered the entire cow’s leg. So I just use stock pots. These two “cheats” transform this Romanian tripe soup recipe from a laborious one to a relatively easy one.
The Ingredients for the Romanian Tripe Soup
You may be surprised that the tripe soup doesn’t require a lot of ingredients. The main one is the tripe, which I highly recommend buying washed and pre-boiled, to save 3-4 hours in the process of making this recipe. When it comes to vegetables, the tripe soup requires the classic carrots, onions, a parsnip and a lot of garlic. Serving this soup, I often say that if you have a cold you will be instantly cured because of the amount of garlic in it.
You can make your own beef stock by boiling bones for a couple of hours. I skipped this step as it’s not easy to find bone where I live, so I just bought some good quality rich stock pots. You can choose whatever options it’s easier for you.
When it comes to aromatics, this soup only requires a few bay leaves, peppercorns and salt, which I added at the end.
To dress the soup you will only need good quality, fatty sour cream, and egg yolks.
How to Make the Romanian Tripe Soup Recipe
Start the Romanian tripe soup by filling a large pot with about 4 litres of water. Add 3 of the 4 carrots, parsnip, onions, bay leaves, and peppercorns to the pot. You can add them whole or chop them in large chunks. Bring to a boil and simmer for approximately 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft and cooked.
While the stock is simmering, wash the pre-boiled tripe thoroughly until it’s white and has lost its odour. Add the pre-cooked beef tripe to the pot and continue to boil for another 30 minutes.
Remove the bay leaves and peppercorns from the soup. Take the vegetables out of the soup and blend them until smooth. Return the blended vegetables to the soup.
Grate the remaining carrot and sear it in a separate pan until lightly caramelized. Add the caramelized carrot to the soup pot and boil for another 10-15 minutes.
Crush the garlic cloves and mix the paste with 2 tablespoons of water. Add the garlic sauce to the pot.
While the soup is slightly cooling down, whisk the egg yolks with the sour cream in a large bowl. Gradually add one ladle of soup at a time to the sour cream bowl while continuously whisking. Continue until the temperature of the sour cream mixture matches that of the soup. This step is essential to avoid cooking the eggs and splitting the soup. Only dress the quantity of soup that you plan to serve.
Pour the sour cream and egg mixture into the soup and mix well. Serve the soup hot with pickled green chillies, extra vinegar, and sour cream on the side. Optional, you can add some slices of pickled red pepper inside the soup, for decoration.
Notes and Tips:
- Don’t dress the entire pot of soup if you are not planning to serve all of it, as the dressed soup won’t last.
- Using pre-boiled tripe from a Romanian or Polish shop saves time and effort. Fresh tripe requires cleaning, washing, and boiling for several hours to become tender.
- When dressing the soup, add the mixture gradually to avoid scrambling the eggs and splitting the soup. Whisk continuously while adding one ladle of soup at a time to a separate bowl.
- Taste the soup after adding vinegar to ensure it’s not too sour, and adjust the amount accordingly.
- Some people discard the boiled vegetables. I don’t like waste so I blend them and put them back in the soup.
Romanian tripe soup recipe
Ingredients
- 1 kg beef tripe pre-boiled
- 4 carrots medium
- 2 onions
- 1 parsnip
- 7-8 garlic cloves
- 4 egg yolks
- 350 gr sour cream
- 5-6 tbsp vinegar
- 2 beef stock pots
- 3 bay leaves
- 10 peppercorns
- salt to taste
- pickled red pepper optional, for decoration
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with about 4 litres of water.
- Add 3 carrots, parsnip, onions, bay leaves, and peppercorns to the pot.
- Bring to a boil and simmer for approximately 30 minutes until the vegetables are soft and cooked.
- Wash the pre-boiled tripe thoroughly until it's white and has lost all smell.
- Add the pre-cooked beef tripe to the pot and continue to boil for another 30 minutes.
- Add the beef stock pots to the pot and stir well.
- Remove the bay leaves and peppercorns from the soup.
- Take the vegetables out of the soup and blend them until smooth.
- Return the blended vegetables to the soup.
- Grate the remaining carrot and sear it in a separate pan until lightly caramelized.
- Add the caramelized carrot to the soup pot and boil for another 10-15 minutes.
- Separately, crush the garlic cloves and mix the paste with 2 tablespoons of water.
- Add the garlic sauce to the pot.
- While the soup is slightly cooling down, whisk the egg yolks with the sour cream in a large bowl.
- Gradually add one ladle of soup at a time to the sour cream bowl while continuously whisking.
- The sour cream mixture is ready when its temperature matches that of the soup.
- Pour the sour cream and egg mixture into the soup and mix well.
- Season with salt to taste.
- Optional, add slices of pickled bell pepper in the bowl, before serving, for decoration.
- Serve the soup hot with pickled green chillies, extra vinegar, and sour cream on the side.
FAQ:
Can I make tripe soup with fresh tripe instead of pre-boiled tripe?
Yes, you can use fresh tripe, but it requires thorough cleaning, washing, and boiling for several hours to become tender. Pre-boiled tripe, which can be found in the frozen section of Romanian or Polish shops, saves time and effort.
How do I prevent the soup from splitting when adding the sour cream and egg mixture?
To prevent the soup from splitting, add the sour cream and egg mixture gradually to the soup while continuously whisking. This allows the mixture to gradually come to temperature and prevents the eggs from scrambling.
Can I make tripe soup in advance?
Yes, you can make tripe soup in advance but only dress it just before serving. Once dressed, the soup won’t last long, so it’s best to dress only what you plan to consume.
What should I serve with tripe soup?
Tripe soup is traditionally served with pickled green chillies, extra vinegar, and sour cream on the side. It pairs well with crusty bread as well.
For more traditional Romanian soups, check out my recommendations below:
Like it? Pin it!
