Destination
Antalya
The story
Şırdan dolması is one of the specifically Adana offal dishes and one of the country's most passionately-defended regional specialities. The dish uses şırdan, the fourth stomach of a lamb (the abomasum), which is cleaned thoroughly, turned inside out, and stuffed with a mixture of rice, small pieces of lamb tail fat, minced onion, salt, black pepper and Turkish red pepper. The stuffed stomach is sewn shut, then slow-simmered in a spiced water bath for 2 hours until the outside is tender and the rice inside has cooked through and absorbed the flavour of the tripe and fat. Served hot in wide bowls with a spoon of the cooking broth over the top and a scatter of Aleppo pepper. Sold at Adana late-night stalls (starting from about 11pm and running until dawn) and considered one of the essential foods of the city.
Method
Turn each abomasum inside out. Rub thoroughly with salt for 5 minutes each. Rinse under cold running water. Rub with vinegar for 2 minutes each. Rinse again. Turn right-side out and rinse. This step is essential and cannot be shortcut.
In a large bowl, combine rinsed rice, diced tail fat, minced lamb if using, grated onion, red pepper paste, tomato paste, Aleppo pepper, cumin, salt, black pepper and parsley. Mix thoroughly by hand for 2 minutes.
Fill each abomasum about two thirds full (leave room for the rice to expand). Do not overstuff.
Thread kitchen twine through a large needle. Stitch the opening of each abomasum closed with several tight stitches. Alternatively, close with wooden toothpicks laced through the edges.
In a large heavy pot, combine water, halved onion, halved garlic head, bay leaves, peppercorns, Aleppo pepper and salt. Bring to a boil.
Reduce to a gentle simmer. Lower the stuffed abomasums into the broth. Simmer covered for 2 to 2.5 hours until the tripe is completely tender and the rice inside is fully cooked. Top up water if needed.
Turn off the heat and rest the abomasums in the hot broth for 15 minutes.
Lift each abomasum onto a plate. Cut open along the seam. Spoon the rice-and-fat contents onto shallow bowls, dividing among four servings. Ladle a small spoonful of the broth over each portion. Dust with Aleppo pepper and parsley. Serve immediately with turşu, ayran and warm bread.
Tips
- Buy pre-cleaned tripe. Cleaning is by far the most laborious step. A Turkish butcher will sell cleaned lamb abomasum ready for stuffing.
- Lamb tail fat is the flavour marker. It renders during cooking and gives the rice a specific richness. If unavailable, use butter as substitute, but the flavour is markedly different.
- Do not overstuff. Rice expands during cooking. Two thirds full is the target.
- Slow and low. Two hours minimum. Under-cooked tripe is chewy and unpleasant.
- This is a late-night dish. In Adana, şırdan is served from 11pm to 5am. Try it at home for a weekend dinner project.
More recipes
View all
Slow-cooked lamb shin over rice in a fierce garlic and Aleppo pepper broth, served at dawn from the specialist Gaziantep beyran shops that open only for breakfast.
Dried white beans slow-cooked with tomato and onion, served topped with kavurma of chunks of sautéed lamb. Turkey's most beloved home-cooked bean dish.
Diced lamb stir-fried hard on a saç with tomato, onion, sumac and parsley, wrapped in a thin lavash with pickled peppers and lemon. Mersin's late-night street wrap.
Paper-thin flatbread topped with a spiced mince of lamb, tomato, onion, red pepper paste and parsley, baked at high heat until the edges crisp. Turkey's most-shared street pizza.
Hand-minced lamb pounded with red pepper paste, cumin and salt, pressed onto flat metal skewers and grilled over charcoal. The signature kebab of southern Turkey.
Tiny hand-pinched lamb dumplings, boiled and served under a mountain of garlic yogurt with a drizzle of paprika butter. Central Anatolia's Sunday-lunch labour of love.