This takes so much time but well worth it. I just recently ordered a whole 5 month-old goat, of course slaughtered and asked them to leave the stomach, small intestines, feet, kidneys, liver, heart, head etc. because I want to include some Yemeni delicacies on my blog for those of you interested. I called my mum today and asked her the best and fastest way [if there is such a thing] to clean the stomach lining, and then I spent about 3 hours doing it. So, I am sharing this.
When you get the stomach liming it’ll be a funny color, dark green. That layer has to come off. Some just wash it and then use it with the green on [which is the grass eaten by the goat], but like mine scraped off and cleaned because that’s how my mother used to do it, and that’s how I have eaten it all my life. You can see the contrast in this picture here of the before it is cleaned and after it is cleaned:
- Dark layer on right needs to be scraped off, leaving it white/pinkish like on left
For the dark layer to come off easily, you will need a very sharp paring knife. Bring some water to a rolling boil, and keep to your side. Wear some gloves so that you don’t burn your hands. In the sink take the whole stomach lining and spread it out, and then pour the boiling water on the part you are cleaning, then start scraping it off. It should come off easily if your knife is sharp enough. Continue doing that until it is very clean like in the picture.
- Soak in vinegar and water
Soak in 1 cup of vinegar and two cups of cold water for an hour to get ride of the smell. In the meantime wash the small intestines by attaching one end to the faucet and letting it fill up with water until it runs clear.
Now it is time to assemble. Cut up the stomach lining into squares with a pair of kitchen scissors , about the size of your palm. Roll each up like you would a roll, and tie it in place with a piece of small intestine [like a string] and knot. The rest you can leave as squares. I freeze these by wrapping about 8 or so in plastic wrap and put them in a Ziploc bag, so I can use them in stews, Kabsat, soups. Insha Allah as soon as I use them will be posting recipes on the blog.
Piles of square pieces of cleaned stomach lining
Nicely wrapped with small intestines
Cut into squares
A Yemeniyah's Recipes 
I had the rolled up and tied version served to me by the owner of a truck stop between Hodeidah and Sana’a. I believe he was honoring his American guests. I honestly felt like I was chewing on a wad of rubber bands. Not much taste. But I was glad to have the opportunity to eat it.
Lol Basboosa! Yes, if not cooked well enough then it is rubbery. So, you have to cook it very well, until it’s nice and tender. And it doesn’t have much taste, but picks up the spices and ingredients that you cook it in–whether stew, soup etc.
good to know :)
I have pleasant memories of cleaning this when I was a young child. My father would come with a lamb and he would kill it etc and then it was the children’s job to clean the small intestines and we would have to turn them inside out and wash thouroughly. But when stuffed with rice and minced lamb and plenty seasonings and slowly cooked over an open fire in the backyard, that taste was oh so good..
As we grew older we learnt to clean the other parts of the stomach…..
My husband and father love maahsab (the name of it in yemen). We cook these with the maraq for the aseed and we dont get it as much but on eid usually since they dont sell them here unless you buy the sheep and cut it yourself and whatnot at a farm… but yeah it is really good and if you cook it enough it’s tender and yummy..
Same here. They don’t sell them so it’s only when we have a sheep slaughtered. Love them when they’re cooked well.
thanks for sharing now i know how to clean it. i will be waiting for your recipe!
Thank you for the know-how to clean the stomach and intestines. It was the first time I try cleaning them :). Tomorrow I’ll try a Moroccan stew recipe, I hope I can do it well :D. Thanks again ^_^
do you have a beez recipe?
What is beez?
It is a method of cleaning ojari from its inner side where as I want the method of its cleaning the outer side.
What is Ojari ?
Omari is the Urdu word for the cow intestines and pachownie is the word for goat or lamb intestines. My maternal grandparents spoke Urdu and my father was Syrian.
I see .My mother would cut them into long strips and affix them to the mouth of the faucet ( tap) and let water run through them . Then she would take a pen , insert and flip the intestines and wash again thoroughly. It’s easier to observe it than it is to explain it .
Lamya
very good.
I wonder it is so clean in pics. well my mother used calcium hydro oxide for cleaning and it does work but takes much time in either way i.e. by using boiling water or CaOH.
I use boiling water too. It helps.