Boil Pork Stomach with This Secret Ingredient — Every Piece Turns Out White, Fragrant, and Perfectly Crunchy

When boiling pork stomach, mastering the following tips ensures it stays crispy and odor-free.

Pork stomach (also called pork tripe) is a popular ingredient used in many delicious dishes. Among them, boiled pork stomach is one of the simplest to prepare. However, the cleaning step is crucial, as raw pork stomach often has a slimy texture and unpleasant odor that must be thoroughly removed before cooking.

Tips to Remove Odor from Pork Stomach

1. Use Lemon and Flour
To clean a regular pork stomach, you’ll need one fresh lemon and about 4 tablespoons of flour.

Turn the stomach inside out, then rub it thoroughly with flour and sliced lemon to remove the slime. Squeeze the lemon firmly to release the juice — it helps neutralize odors.

The flour will absorb the mucus on the stomach’s surface. Rinse several times under clean water until the smell and slime are completely gone.

2. Use Salt and Vinegar
White salt and vinegar are excellent natural cleaners and deodorizers.

Turn the stomach inside out, add 3 tablespoons of coarse salt and half a bowl of vinegar (you can use rice vinegar, homemade vinegar, or apple cider vinegar).

Rub the salt and vinegar mixture all over the stomach to clean and deodorize it. Then rinse thoroughly several times with clean water.

3. Use Fish Sauce
Rubbing the pork stomach with concentrated fish sauce also removes odor and slime effectively. Use traditional fish sauce with a high salt content for better results. Since fish sauce has a strong smell, wear gloves to avoid lingering odor on your hands.

4. Blanch with Boiling Water
After cleaning, blanch the stomach briefly in boiling water for a few seconds. Then, immediately soak it in cold water, turn it inside out, and scrape off any remaining residue before rinsing again with clean water.

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Secrets to Boiling Pork Stomach

• Add enough water to fully submerge the pork stomach.

• Add smashed ginger, lemongrass, and a pinch of pepper (or use crushed ginger and shallots). These ingredients help remove odors and enhance flavor.

• Wait until the water is boiling vigorously before adding the pork stomach. Use chopsticks to press it down so it’s fully submerged.

Prepare a bowl of cooled boiled water mixed with ice cubes and a few lemon slices.

After boiling for 4–5 minutes, remove the pork stomach and soak it immediately in the ice water. Once cooled, bring the pot back to a boil and simmer the stomach again for 20–30 minutes, depending on its size.

Afterward, soak it once more in ice water. This step helps the pork stomach become whiter, firmer, and crunchier.

When it has cooled slightly, drain it and slice into bite-sized pieces. Arrange on a plate. For a warm serving, you can briefly steam it again for a few minutes.

Boiled pork stomach is best enjoyed with chili-garlic fish sauce or fermented shrimp paste, accompanied by blanched scallions and fresh herbs like Vietnamese coriander.