What tripe is best? Either honeycomb or blanket tripe should be good, but NOT leaf or book tripe. If you’re new at cooking beef tripe, there are three kinds with each coming from a distinct part of the cow’s stomach. In the market, tripe is often sold bleached which gives the offal a whiter appearance. Unbleached tripe is more yellow than white.
Rinse the tripe well. Use a soft brush to scrub the surface to remove any impurities. Rinse again and place in a pot.
Pour enough water into the pot to cover the tripe completely. Bring to the boil and boil hard for about 10 minutes. Drain, discard the water and rinse the tripe well.
Put the tripe in a clean pot and cover with water. Add the salt, peppercorns, garlic, shallot, ginger and bay leaf. Simmer until tender. Top with water as needed every two hours or so.
Drain the tripe and cool.
Marinate the tripe
Cut the cooled tripe into strips about half an inch wide and three inches long.
Place the tripe strips in a bowl, add half of the Vietnamese mixed fish sauce. Mix well.
Cover the bowl and marinate the tripe in the fridge overnight.
Deep fry the tripe
Heat enough cooking oil in a wok or pan to reach a depth of at least three inches.
Drain the tripe and discard the strips of kaffir lime leaves.
Add the starch to the drained tripe and toss to coat each piece well with starch.
When the oil is hot, drop the starched tripe strips into it. Fry, about 10 to 12 pieces at a time, until a deep golden crust forms on the surface of the tripe.
Drain the deep-fried tripe on a rack or a stack of paper towels.
Serve the deep-fried crispy tripe with the remaining half of the Vietnamese mixed fish sauce for dipping.