Ah, menudo! 😋 That’s a classic Mexican soup, rich in flavor and tradition. It’s made with beef tripe (stomach), a hearty red chili broth, and spices—often eaten as a special breakfast, especially on weekends or as a hangover cure. Here’s a traditional recipe for it.
Ingredients (serves 6–8)
For the soup:
- 2 lbs beef tripe, cleaned and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 lb beef feet or shank (optional, for richer broth)
- 2–3 cloves garlic
- 1 large onion, halved
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons salt (adjust to taste)
- Water (enough to cover meat, ~10 cups)
For the chili sauce:
- 4–6 dried guajillo chiles, seeds removed
- 2–3 dried ancho chiles, seeds removed
- 1 teaspoon oregano (Mexican oregano if possible)
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ cup water
For serving:
- Chopped onions
- Chopped cilantro
- Lime wedges
- Crushed oregano
- Crushed red chili flakes
- Warm corn tortillas
Instructions
1. Prepare the tripe
- Rinse the tripe under cold water.
- Optional: Boil in water for 10 minutes, then discard the water to remove odor.
2. Make the broth
- In a large pot, add tripe, beef feet/shank, garlic, onion, bay leaves, and salt.
- Cover with water and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer 3–4 hours until the tripe is tender. Skim foam occasionally.
3. Make the chili sauce
- Soak dried chiles in hot water for 15–20 minutes until softened.
- Blend chiles with garlic, cumin, oregano, and ½ cup of soaking water until smooth.
- Strain the sauce to remove skins/seeds.
4. Combine
- Add the chili sauce to the broth and stir well.
- Simmer another 30–45 minutes for flavors to meld.
- Adjust salt to taste.
5. Serve
- Ladle into bowls.
- Top with chopped onions, cilantro, a squeeze of lime, and oregano or chili flakes.
- Serve with warm corn tortillas on the side.
💡 Tips for a great menudo:
- Tripe should be tender but slightly chewy, not mushy.
- Many people make it a day ahead—the flavors deepen overnight.
- You can freeze leftovers; menudo tastes even better the next day!
If you want, I can also give you a faster version using pre-cooked tripe that cuts the cooking time down to about 1 hour while still tasting amazing. That’s perfect if you’re short on time. Do you want me to share that version?
