A mediterranean culture that mainly relies on whole-grains and vegetables is going to take full advantage of the special day when a lamb is available to feast on; thusly, every part of the animal is cooked in one way or another and intestines are no exception.
Here, they are thoroughly cleaned with lemon, coarse salt and vinegar and stuffed with minced meat, rice and spices.
This is an exquisite dish and one of the most traditional in Lebanese cuisine.
It was cooked by Asma, a Kurdish lady and one of the finest cooks I know. She carefully and methodically cleaned them, rubbing them with coarse salt, lemon, a few tablespoons of flour and a jiggle of vinegar to rid them of any attached fat, inside and out.
Then she stuffed them with a mixture of rice (medium-grain or sushi), minced meat, chopped onion and spices. The spices used were allspice, cinnamon, black pepper and salt.
The stuffed intestines are placed in a pot and covered with water seasoned with two onions studded with cloves, a few bay leaves and some quartered lemons (or the peel of an orange) as well as some black peppercorns. Cooked at a gentle simmer until the stuffing expands. (The stock is skimmed of any froth showing up at the surface).
These are often served under a layer of stuffed zucchinis. If cooked alone, they are served with their broth and some yogurt or a teaspoon of mashed garlic mixed with a teaspoon of dried mint.
26 Comments
Wow….. this is something I didnt eat for ages……………………………..
good that you are enjoying all that food
Those are absolutely delicious!! Grandma rest her soul, used to buy the emptied intestines from the local butcher, spend a good of time cleaning them and prepping them for cooking then serves them with a side of garlic sauce (crushed garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, salt)… good memories thanks for a nice post Joumana
I don’t know that I would have a clue where to get intestines… there are some middle eastern butchers not far from here.. is it a common ingredient or unusual there as here??
I think this would be delicious… all the flavors work beautifully… do I have the courage to do intestines??
@Deana: You can try a reputable butcher or a middle-eastern butcher; in any case, I am not going to lie to you: these take a long time to make!
I will admit the sound of the word “intestines” makes me grimace. With that said, I know that I eat casings for sausage all the time, that are no different than the casings for the beautiful stuffed lamb you present here,
Cheers.
Velva
Interesting dish! I’d like to taste it.
Cheers,
Rosa
Now this is something that we don’t see everyday! Looks wonderful!
It freaks me out, I won’t lie… but your description of this recipe makes me want to give it a try. Very interesting!
This is something that I look forward to trying someday. The dish is such a love of labor, so much preparation involved, but I agree that every part of an animal should be used.
Well its basically sausages right? Because it looks just like them just much more unique and flavorful and delish with the traditional ingredients. I am so glad you posted this! LOVE em’ and that last pic is my favorite.
chow! Devaki @ weavethousandflavors
This looks simply amazing.
E.A.T.
It seems every culture has some version of delicious sausages. Thank you for sharing yours. They sound like a lot of work but I know they must taste wonderful.
It is amazing to think about the hands-on care that goes into preparing a dish like this. Somehow the flavor and deliciousness is a reflection of the person who invested so much in the creation of these sausages.
Trop bon!!! j’adore la cuisine libanaise.
I would definitely love to try these handmade sausages, they sound so flavorful and amazing!
Ashamed to say that this is one of the few Lebanese dishes I could never bring myself to eat – possible because the evil aunt who made it was evil. Haven’t even seen fwaregh for over a decade; maybe it’s time I tried to make some.
J’aimerai pouvoir passer ma main au travers de cet écran et me remplir la panse avec ces délicieuses saucisses…
Something else here that my kids would love…I don’t eat meat, but it never stopped them and sausages are a favorite for them
By definition, intestines are not digestible, otherwise we would digest our own, no?
@Sigmund: I would refer you to a wikipedia article on natural versus artificial casings; if you prefer to consume artificial collagen or plastic that is your choice.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casing_(sausage)
Hey everyone! Im trying to find a place that serves lamb head and intestines. Does anyone know of a place near Chicago or Wisconsin?
We called it ‘kishi’. I miss it since my sitto passed.
HI JOUMANA
Could you use a sausage stuffer attachment to stuff the intestine or will it break the rice grains?
thanks
@Loulou: We did it the old-fashioned way here in Beirut but I would not hesitate to use a sausage stuffer!
(even if the rice gets a bit damaged, the taste will be the same)
yummmmmm….throw in some chickpeas, baby onions and cumin seeds or powder if you don’t like the feel of the seed into the stuffing. Absolutely divine!
Wouldn’t mind getting some tips of how to stuff the slippery suckers:-)
@Hazzi: Cleaning them is key with lots of lemon and flour and water. I think I took a clip of Asma stuffing them will have to go check on my youtube channel.