An Almost Foolproof Way to Perfect Menudo

Menudo or pancita is a traditional Mexican dish made with beef stomach, or tripe, in a broth with a red chili pepper base. (You can find the recipe at allrecipes.com.)

In Mexico, preparation of menudo is a family affair – everyone gets involved. It is often eaten at a community feast. It can be a big social event. Mexicans also believe that menudo can cure a hangover.

Here is a menudo recipe that uses a combination of chiles to give it a little bit of spice.

Here is what you will need:

• Three gallons of water
• Two and one-half pounds of beet tripe, cut into one-inch pieces
• Six cloves of finely chopped garlic
• One large finely chopped onion
• One and one-half tablespoons of salt
• One tablespoon of ground black pepper
• One and one-half tablespoons of dried oregano
• Two tablespoons of dried red pepper
• Five de arbol chile peppers
• Six japones chile peppers with the seeds removed
• Six cups of canned white or yellow hominy
• One-half chopped white onion
• One-quarter cup chopped cilantro
• Two limes, juiced

Here’s how to make it.

Bring one gallon of water to a boil in a large pot. Then add the tripe and allow it to simmer for two hours.  Occasionally skim off the fat with a spoon. Then pour out the water and put in another gallon. Reduce the heat and simmer for another two hours. Then drain the water again.

Pour the last gallon of water into the pot and bring the water to a boil. Stir in the garlic and one white onion. Season with the salt, pepper, oregano and red pepper. Reduce the heat and simmer for one hour.

Lay out the de arbol chile peppers on a baking sheet and broil them for about two minutes, just until they begin to get scorched. Take them out of the oven, slit them lengthwise, and take out the seeds. Take a food process (you also can use a blender), mix the de arbol peppers and the japones until they are finely chopped. Mix them into the pot and continue cooking for another two hours over a low heat.

Then mix in the hominy. Continue cooking the mixture for another hour. Serve the menudo with the remaining onion, cilantro and lime juice.

The total preparation time for the meal is a long one, about eight and one-half hours. It serves eight.

We don’t offer menudo here on our Mattito’s menu, but if you call us in advance and ask, we may be able to accommodate you. Contact our location nearest you.

By Luiishuerta (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons