Egyptian Kawareh and Mumbar: Trotters and Stuffed Sausage
Trotters are cleaned with flour, vinegar and lemon, given a first boil whose water is discarded, then cooked for four to five hours over low heat with onion, cardamom and bay. The broth thickens on its own from the natural gelatine in the bone, with nothing added.
- Prep
- 40 min
- Cook
- 280 min
- Total
- 320 min
- Calories
- 480
Kawareh is Egyptian street cooking that demands patience and thorough cleaning. Cleaned properly, it gives you a rich broth with a velvety body that no other method can produce.
Method
-
1
Cleaning
Rub the trotters thoroughly with the flour, vinegar and lemon and rinse them several times until the water runs clear. This is the most important step, and everything depends on it.
⏱ 35 min -
2
The first boil
Boil the trotters in water for fifteen minutes with an onion, then throw the water away entirely and rinse them. This removes any off-smell for good.
⏱ 18 min -
3
Stuffing the mumbar
Mix the rice with chopped onion, spices and a little ghee, fill the casings only halfway because the rice expands, and tie both ends.
⏱ 25 min -
4
The long cook
In a large pot: the trotters with onion, cardamom, bay and mastic, and water covering by four fingers. Very low heat for four to five hours, until the meat comes away from the bone.
⏱ 280 min -
5
The mumbar
Add the mumbar for the final hour so the rice cooks without bursting. Serve hot with baladi bread and lemon.
Cooked it? Rate it
Your rating tells the next cook whether this recipe is worth their time.
✓ Thanks — your rating is in.
Tips that actually matter
- Cleaning with flour and vinegar isn't optional — it's the difference between a good dish and an inedible one.
- Mastic cuts any remaining aroma and gives the familiar Egyptian note.
- The broth thickens by itself as it cools — that's natural gelatine, and a sign it cooked properly.
People also ask
The trotters smell. What do I do?
The cleaning wasn't thorough, or the first boil was skipped. Rub them with flour and vinegar and boil once with the water discarded.
Can I use a pressure cooker?
Yes — ninety minutes instead of five hours. Slightly less depth of flavour, but a good result.
My mumbar burst open.
It was overfilled. Fill the casings only halfway and tie both ends firmly.
Cook mode
Egyptian Kawareh and Mumbar: Trotters and Stuffed Sausage
-
1
Cleaning
Rub the trotters thoroughly with the flour, vinegar and lemon and rinse them several times until the water runs clear. This is the most important step, and everything depends on it.
-
2
The first boil
Boil the trotters in water for fifteen minutes with an onion, then throw the water away entirely and rinse them. This removes any off-smell for good.
-
3
Stuffing the mumbar
Mix the rice with chopped onion, spices and a little ghee, fill the casings only halfway because the rice expands, and tie both ends.
-
4
The long cook
In a large pot: the trotters with onion, cardamom, bay and mastic, and water covering by four fingers. Very low heat for four to five hours, until the meat comes away from the bone.
-
5
The mumbar
Add the mumbar for the final hour so the rice cooks without bursting. Serve hot with baladi bread and lemon.
Comments
Cooked it? Tell us how it went, or ask a question — we read every comment.