Batangas Goto (Tripe Soup) and a Picture-ful Weekend

So how was the weekend for you all??? We had a rainy and gloomy weather here last weekend. If not only for the Breakfast with St. Nick at church which we promised the girls we'd go to, I could have slept until noon. It was such a perfect day to stay in PJ's, but we had to leave before 8am for the event. Well, we didn't stay out that long. After eating pancakes and taking the girls' photo with St. Nick,

we went straight home, took some photos with our Santa,

and some photos for our 2011 Christmas card with pink and green theme, 

put our jammies back on, took some photos again

and then we all curled up and cuddled on the sofa to watch movies on Netflix. It was such a lazy day but such a wonderful weekend for the four of us.  We enjoyed taking pictures and doing something we love the most which is spending time with each other. 

We had simple but filling food which didn't require much cooking. For lunch we had hotdog sandwich and chips which Ryan prepared and for snack, we had a bucket of popcorn and some Chocolate Crinkles.

It was raining the whole day and it was really cold, so for dinner, I thought of making soup.  It's my father's favorite soup. Oh actually, it's every Batangueño's favorite and it's called Goto, which simply refers to Tripe Soup. The goto I grew up with is different from the “Goto Arroz Caldo” most Filipinos know. Like the traditional Chicken Arroz Caldo that I've shared with you before, Goto Arroz Caldo is made of glutinous rice but has tripe strips instead of chicken. Batangas Goto, on the other hand, is not congee type. It has no rice in it. It is simply a soup made of tripe, cow’s skin, intestines, liver, tongue, blood and beef simmered and seasoned with onions, garlic, ginger, pepper and salt. To add flavor and color, it is also cooked with annatto powder. Goto is best eaten while hot. It is usually served with soy sauce and calamansi dip with crushed chilies which reduces the gamy taste of the cow’s entrails.

I know that many of you will be grossed out by the mere thought of eating this kind of soup. But this has become a favorite to many Batangueños. The variety of soft, tender textures of meat and spongy skin and the light stickiness of tripe in it make this a hit to the people of Batangas and to those who have experienced eating this.

When I was still in the Philippines, I've seen how restaurants serving goto overflow with people waiting in turns to savor this native dish during lunch time. Available at 40Php-90Php($1- $2) per bowl, it is really cheap considering that it is so flavorful and really filling when eaten with rice.

I must admit that since I was a kid until now, I only enjoy eating Goto with just tripe and beef. I have tried it with all the other entrails. It's good especially when the entrails have been cleaned well before cooking, but it's still too pungent for me. The combination of tripe and beef is just perfect. So for those of you who are already saying "eeewwwww", let me tell you that the soup I made last weekend didn't have cow’s skin, intestines, liver, tongue nor blood. It's just tripe and beef...and it's delicious! Ryan cleaned the tripe really well so there was no gamy smell and taste at all. Even the girls loved it...they didn't eat tripe though. :)

If you are someone who's on the lookout for an extraordinary gastronomic experience, you should try this. Not only is this soup perfect for the cold weather and so filling when eaten with rice, it is also the perfect cure for hangover. A hot bowl of this flavorful soup will surely take away your headache and will put you back on track. Check it out! 

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs beef tripe
• 1 lb beef, cut into strips
• 6 cloves garlic (3 cloves crushed and 3 cloves minced)
• 1 onion, sliced (divided into two parts)
• 2 thumb sized ginger, (1 crushed and 1 julienned)
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Knorr Beef Cubes
• 1 tsp annatto powder
• 10 cups water
• 1/2 tsp peppercorns
• salt and pepper

Procedure:

1. Clean beef tripe. Rinse it well under running water. Rub with rock salt and soak in a cup of vinegar for 15 minutes, then rinse again under running water. Parboil for about 15 minutes, discard water, rinse tripe again then drain. Ryan did the parboiling part 2x.

 

2. In a pot, put in 10 cups water, tripe and beef. Bring to a boil over medium heat until scum appears on the surface. Remove all the scum or brown bubbles that will form on top of the broth. Add 3 cloves crushed garlic, half of the onion, 1 thumb-sized crushed ginger, bay leaf, 1/2 Tbsp salt and 1/2 tsp peppercorns. Cook until both tripe and beef are tender, about 1 1/2 hrs.

3. Remove tripe and beef from broth. Cut tripe into strips.

4. In a pan, saute garlic, onion and ginger in olive oil until onion is almost translucent. Add tripe and beef. Saute for 3 minutes. Add annatto powder and beef cubes. Saute until beef cubes ares melted.

 

5. Add sauted mixture into the broth. Bring to a boil. Add salt and pepper to suit your taste. Let simmer for 15 minutes.

6. Transfer to individual serving bowls. Top with green onions and drizzle with lime/lemon. Serve hot with steamed rice.