Menudo

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 3 hours 30 minutes

Total time: 4 hours

Servings: 6–8 servings

Country of Origin

Mexico

Description

Menudo is a rich, spicy traditional Mexican soup made with cleaned honeycomb beef tripe simmered for hours in a red guajillo chili broth infused with garlic, oregano, and hominy. Renowned as Mexico's ultimate hangover remedy, it is traditionally served on weekend mornings.

Presentation & How It's Eaten

Laddled piping hot into deep clay bowls. Diners customize their bowl with crushed Mexican oregano, diced raw white onion, chopped chili peppers, fresh lime juice, and scoop up broth using warm corn tortillas.

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg (3.3 lbs) honeycomb beef tripe, thoroughly cleaned and cut into 1-inch squares

• 1 beef foot (calf's foot), split (adds natural gelatin to broth)

• 5 dried guajillo chilies, deseeded

• 2 dried ancho chilies, deseeded

• 1 can (800g / 28 oz) white hominy, rinsed

• 1 large white onion, halved

• 8 cloves garlic

• 1 tbsp dried Mexican oregano

• 1 tsp ground cumin

• Salt, to taste

• For Serving: Chopped white onion, cilantro, crushed oregano, chili flakes, lime wedges, corn tortillas

Step-by-Step Directions

1. Clean & Parboil Tripe: Place cut tripe and beef foot in a large pot, cover with water and 2 tbsp vinegar, boil for 10 minutes, then drain and discard water (neutralizes strong aroma).

2. Braise Meat: Refill pot with 4 liters fresh water, half the onion, 4 garlic cloves, and 1 tbsp salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 2.5 hours until tripe becomes tender.

3. Prepare Chili Base: Steep dried chilies in hot water for 15 minutes. Blend softened chilies with remaining half onion, 4 garlic cloves, cumin, and 1 cup chili water until smooth. Strain paste directly into soup pot.

4. Add Hominy & Simmer: Add rinsed hominy and dried oregano to soup. Simmer uncovered for another 45–60 minutes until tripe is meltingly soft and broth turns rich red. Adjust salt.

5. Serve: Ladle into hot bowls and serve with fresh onion, lime wedges, oregano, and warm corn tortillas.

Optional

• Menudo Blanco: Omit red chilies entirely for northwestern Sinaloa-style Menudo Blanco.

Cooking Tips

• Thorough Washing: Rinse tripe thoroughly in cold lemon or vinegar water prior to cooking to ensure a clean broth taste.

Nutrition Facts

(Estimated per serving, based on an 8-serving breakdown)

Calories: ~340 kcal

Total Fat: 14g

Saturated Fat: 5g

Cholesterol: 160mg

Sodium: 620mg

Total Carbohydrates: 22g

Dietary Fiber: 4g

Sugars: 2g

Protein: 32g