Authentic Mexican Menudo Recipe (mondongo veracruzano) (2024)

FAQs

What is traditional menudo made of? ›

Menudo, also known as Mondongo, pancita ([little] gut or [little] stomach) or mole de panza ("stomach sauce"), is a traditional Mexican soup, made with cow's stomach (tripe) in broth with a red chili pepper base.

How much menudo do I need for my party? You figure a pound (lb) per person for menudo .

Honeycomb tripe, the most tender cut of the cow's stomach, is recommended for this recipe. This soup is a good excuse to visit your local butcher, since tripe and veal knuckle are available but might require a special request.

My own additional tip for the cleanest tasting and smelling menudo you've ever made is to give the tripe a salt and distilled vinegar body scrub before cooking in water seasoned with salt and vinegar, which will neutralize any lingering, unpleasant odors.

However, there are two main types of menudo, which are Rojo and Blanco. Menudo Rojo is the most popular one, and it uses dried chiles to add spice to it. Menudo Blanco, on the other hand, doesn't include dried chile nor pepper either, although some might add a bit of jalapeño to give it a bit of flavor.

Menudo has elements that are both heart healthy and less heart healthy. The good news is that menudo has plenty of fiber and resistant starch thanks to the hominy. However, people with high cholesterol may want to be aware of the fact that tripe can be high in cholesterol.

The tripe itself can look repulsive. Yes, you read that correctly: menudo is a soup made from a cow's stomach (tripe). Some people describe the smell of cooking tripe to be akin to the odor emanating from a barnyard.

"When it's overcooked, it's really slimy. If you undercook it, it's rubbery and you can't chew it," Garcia says. "Over the years, we've gotten it down to a science." One bad taste of menudo tends to turn diners off from the dish for good.

Menudo - also called Tripe Soup, Pancita, Mondongo. It's the BEST Mexican comfort food!

If the broth's taste is too bland for your liking (this can happen due to the type of tripe and bone used), add beef broth cubes to it. If using uncooked hominy, it can be cooked separately while the tripe cooks, to avoid lengthening the time preparing this recipe will take.

What is the corn in menudo called? ›

In Northern Mexico, Menudo is cooked with hominy, which is a form of corn that has been soaked in an alkaline solution.

Vinegar is acidic and is therefore useful at getting deep into the layers of the tripe and effectively cleaning it. Next, use the rock salt again and rub it across the tripe the same way you just did.

Cooking the Menudo

Place the tripe, beef feet, onion, unpeeled garlic, peppercorns, salt, oregano, and water in a large stockpot or soup pot. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Allow to simmer uncovered for about 2 hours, or until the tripe and beef feet are tender but not too soft.

One thing that I remember from my childhood was how my mother used to cook her Menudo; even though she had a pressure cooker that could cook those types of meats in a shorter amount of time, she preferred to cook it overnight in a large pot, leaving it to simmer gently for hours.

The big difference between these two soups is the meat that they use. While pork and chicken are commonly used to make pozole, menudo uses tripe, which is the stomach lining of the cow with a chewy texture very similar to that of sautéed calamari.

Menudo has elements that are both heart healthy and less heart healthy. The good news is that menudo has plenty of fiber and resistant starch thanks to the hominy. However, people with high cholesterol may want to be aware of the fact that tripe can be high in cholesterol.

Its origins remain a mystery – some people attribute its humble beginnings in Central Mexico during Mexico's pre-revolution era as a soup prepared from poverty – also known as “poor man's soup.” Usually, food waste and leftovers were given to peasant cooks, who invented menudo by using the stomach.