Filipino Goto, Re-imagined: Slow Cooker Congee with Fried Crispy Beef Tripe

Slices of honeycomb tripe went into the slow cooker overnight, scooped out and set aside. Leftover rice was cooked in the tripe broth. After the tripe slices have cooled, they were tossed in flour and deep fried. Congee was ladled into bowls, topped with crispy tripe and garnished with fried shallots, crispy garlic bits and cilantro.

We’ve done fried tripe slices before. But combining them with congee? I’d been dreaming of making goto, Filipino congee with tripe, like this for weeks since I saw something similar on the menu of Jeepney, a Filipino gastropub in the New York. So inspiring.

Which one do we like better? Traditional goto or this modern take? I like this one. The textures are richer and more varied. Instead of getting a bowl of soft rice and tender tripe, you get a bowl of mushy rice and tripe that is tender inside but crispy outside.

Granted that cooking goto this way involves more work but food lovers who treat food as both creative artistry and gustatory delight shouldn’t mind the extra time and effort. Slow cooker congee with fried crispy beef tripe is really worth all the trouble.

Slow Cooker Congee with Fried Crispy Beef Tripe

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: Modern Filipino

Keyword: congee, slow cooker, Tripe

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 18 hours

Servings: 6 people

Author: Connie Veneracion

Equipment

• Slow Cooker

Ingredients

• 1 kilogram beef tripe honeycomb or blanket, or a combination
• 6 cloves garlic
• 2 shallots
• 1 one-inch knob ginger
• 10 peppercorns
• 2 bay leaves
• salt
• 1 cup medium-grain rice (We used Japanese rice)
• 1 cup flour (you may need more)
• cooking oil for deep frying
• fried shallots to garnish
• fried garlic to garnish
• cilantro to garnish

Instructions

Slow cook the tripe

• Rinse the tripe, place in a pot and cover with water. Boil for ten minutes. Throw our the water.
• Cut the tripe into slices about half an inch wide.
• Dump the tripe slices into the slow cooker. Cover with water. Add the garlic, shallots, ginger, peppercorns, bay leaves and one tablespoon salt.
• Set the slow cooker to LOW and cook the tripe for ten hours. Tip: Do this at night so that the tripe cooks while you sleep.
• Strain the cooking liquid. Discard the garlic, shallots, ginger, bay leaves and peppercorns.
• Spread the tripe slices on a tray, cover loosely and leave to cool.

Make the congee

• Measure the strained cooking liquid. Add enough water (bone broth is even better) so that you have six cups. Pour back into the slow cooker and add the rice.
• Make the congee. Set the slow cooker to LOW and cook the rice for eight hours. Tip: Do this after breakfast so that the rice cooks while you do what you have to do during the day.

Deep fry the tripe

• Heat enough cooking oil in a fryer to reach a depth of at least two inches.
• Dump the cooled tripe into a mixing bowl, add the flour, cover the bowl and shake vigorously to coat each piece of tripe completely with flour.
• Fry the tripe slices in batches until golden and crisp.

Assemble the congee

• Ladle congee into individual bowls. Top with several pieces of deep-fried trips, sprinkle with fried shallots, garlic and torn cilantro.
• Enjoy!

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