One of the dishes I miss the most from Saigon is pha lau! Introduced by the Chinese community living in Saigon, pha lau (offal stew) has become a popular street food across the city. Beef and pork offal, including omasum, reticulum, rumen, intestines, liver, and more, are slowly cooked with a blend of herbs and coconut water until tender and fragrant, then enjoyed with crusty bread. Let’s try making Vietnamese pha lau (offal stew) at home!

Ingredients of Vietnamese Pha Lau

Phá lấu is a rustic but complicated dish to prepare. Its main ingredients—beef and pork offal—are affordable and have a chewy-crunchy texture. However, transforming offal into a fragrant and flavorful dish requires multiple steps and plenty of time.

To make Vietnamese pha lau (offal stew) at home, prepare the following ingredients:

500g of beef and pork offal (17.6 oz): omasum (book tripe or leaf tripe), reticulum (honeycomb tripe), rumen (blanket tripe), beef/pork intestines, and beef/pork liver. You can choose any type of beef tripe you prefer. As for intestines and liver, they are optional—you’re free to select your favorite ingredients to customize the dish to your liking.

Herbs for rinsing & blanching offal: 1 cinnamon stick, 1 stalk lemongrass, a few slices of ginger, and Chinese cooking wine (optional). Besides, you can also use white vinegar instead of cooking wine.
Flavoring ingredients:
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 2 tbsp minced shallots
- 1/2 tbsp minced ginger
- 2-4 star anise
- 2 cinnamon stick
- 1/3 tsp five-spice powder
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/3 tsp salt
- 1/3 tsp Chinese cooking wine (optional)
- 1/3 tbsp annatto oil (optional)
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce (optional)
- 1/3 tsp curry powder (optional)
Cooking liquid:
- 200ml coconut milk/coconut water (~6.8 oz)
- 400ml water (~13.6 oz)
Seasonings: feel free to adjust following your taste preference
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp sugar
Dipping sauce (Calamansi/ Tamarind dipping sauce)
- 50g sugar (~3 1/3 tbsp)
- 30g water (2 tbsp)
- 20g calamansi/tamrind juice (1 1/3 tbsp)
- ½ tsp salt

How to Make Phá Lấu

The process of cooking phá lấu takes about 2.5 to 3 hours, primarily due to the time required for simmering the chewy offal until tender. Additionally, properly cleaning the offal to remove odors is essential for a flavorful dish. Follow these steps to make Vietnamese phá lấu:

Step 1. Rinsing and Blanching the Offal

Beef tripe & intestines: Wash thoroughly with clean water and a bit of salt. If available, use cooking wine/vinegar for an additional rinse to remove odors. Rinse the beef/pork liver gently with water to remove the blood and odors.
After rinsing, place all the beef tripes, intestines and liver into a pot with cinnamon, lemongrass, ginger, and cooking wine (optional). Boil to whiten and deodorize the offal. Once the water boils, continue simmering for about 15 minutes, then remove the offal and rinse again under clean water.

Step 2. Marinating the Offal

Combine the cleaned offal (tripe, intestines, liver) with the seasoning ingredients: minced garlic, shallots, ginger, star anise, cinnamon stick, five-spice powde, turmeric powder. curry powder (optional), cooking wine (optional), annatto oil (optional), and oyster sauce (optional).

To prevent staining your hands with turmeric and curry powder, wear gloves while mixing the seasonings into the offal. Gently massage to ensure the flavors are well absorbed. Let the offal marinate for at least 30 minutes, or overnight for better flavor.

Step 3. Simmering the Offal

Place the marinated offal in a pot with 200ml coconut milk (or coconut water) and 400ml water. Adjust the liquid quantity based on your pot size.
Heat the mixture over high heat until it boils. Then, reduce to low heat, cover, and simmer for about 2 hours. If using a pressure cooker, secure the lid and cook the offal over low heat for at least 1 hour.

After cooking, test the offal for tenderness by cutting a piece and tasting it. If it can be easily bitten through but still retains a slight chew, it’s ready. Adjust the seasoning with soy sauce, salt, and sugar to taste.

Step 4. Serving

When serving phá lấu, use scissors to cut the beef tripe and intestines into small pieces. Slice the liver thinly. Arrange everything in a bowl and ladle the hot broth over the offal. Serve with crusty bread for dipping.

For a dipping sauce, you can use a calamansi sauce or tamarind sauce:
- Calamansi Sauce: Cook 50g sugar, 20g calamansi juice, 30g water, and 1/2 tsp salt on low heat
- Tamarind Sauce: Cook 50g sugar, 20g tamarind juice, 30g water, and 1/2 tsp salt on low heat
If available, garnish the phá lấu with a few sprigs of Vietnamese coriander (rau răm) and cilantro for added freshness.

Now you have a delicious, flavorful Vietnamese pha lau bowl to enjoy!

Vietnamese Pha Lau (Offal Stew)

Introduced by the Chinese community living in Saigon, pha lau (offal stew) has become a popular street food across the city. Beef and pork offal, including omasum, reticulum, rumen, intestines, liver, and more, are slowly cooked with a blend of herbs and coconut water until tender and fragrant, then enjoyed with crusty bread. Let's try making Vietnamese pha lau (offal stew) at home!

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Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: Asian, Vietnamese, Chinese

Keyword: phá lấu, vietnamese offal stew, vietnamese pha lau

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 2 30

Servings: people

Calories: 427kcal

Author: Mia Pham

Ingredients

500 g of beef and pork offal: omasum (book tripe or leaf tripe), reticulum (honeycomb tripe), rumen (blanket tripe), beef/pork intestines, and beef/pork liver. ~17.6 oz
Herbs for rinsing & blanching offal: 1 cinnamon stick, 1 stalk lemongrass, a few slices of ginger, and Chinese cooking wine/vinegar (optional)

Flavoring ingredients:

1 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp minced shallots
1/2 tbsp minced ginger
2-4 star anise
2 cinnamon stick
1/3 tsp five-spice powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/3 tsp salt
1/3 tsp Chinese cooking wine optional
1/3 tbsp annatto oil optional
1 tbsp oyster sauce optional
1/3 tsp curry powder optional

Cooking liquid:

200 ml coconut milk/coconut water ~6.8 oz
400 ml water ~13.6 oz

Seasonings: feel free to adjust following your taste preference

1 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar

Dipping sauce (Calamansi/ Tamarind dipping sauce)

50 g sugar ~3 1/3 tbsp
30 g water 2 tbsp
20 g calamansi/tamrind juice 1 1/3 tbsp
½ tsp salt