Usban — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

Lamb tripe stuffed with a fragrant mixture of rice, herbs, liver, and spices, then slow-simmered until tender. This traditional Libyan delicacy is reserved for special occasions.

Ingredients

1 lamb tripe, cleaned thoroughly
1 cup rice, rinsed
200g lamb liver, finely diced
1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
1 bunch fresh mint, chopped
1 onion, finely diced
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp bzaar spice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Salt and pepper
Kitchen string

Instructions

1 Clean the lamb tripe extremely thoroughly, scrubbing with salt and rinsing multiple times until perfectly clean.
2 Mix rice, diced liver, parsley, mint, onion, tomato paste, turmeric, bzaar, cinnamon, salt, and pepper in a bowl.
3 Stuff the tripe loosely with the filling (rice will expand). Sew the opening shut with kitchen string or a needle and thread.
4 Place the stuffed tripe in a large pot of salted water. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce to a low simmer.
5 Simmer for 2-2.5 hours, checking occasionally, until the tripe is tender and the rice inside is fully cooked.
6 Remove carefully, let rest 10 minutes, then slice into thick rounds and serve with the cooking broth.

Did You Know?

Preparing usban is a communal event during Eid al-Adha, with entire families working together in an assembly line to clean, stuff, and sew.