MENUDO ROJO

Here’s a classic Menudo Rojo recipe—a traditional Mexican soup with tripe in a rich red chili broth. 🌶️🍲

Menudo Rojo (Red Menudo)

Ingredients (serves 6–8)

For the soup:

• 2 lbs beef tripe (honeycomb or cleaned tripe), cut into bite-sized pieces

• 1 lb beef feet or shank (optional, for extra richness)

• 2–3 quarts water

• 1 large onion, quartered

• 4 garlic cloves

• 2 bay leaves

• Salt to taste

For the red chili sauce:

• 4–6 dried guajillo chilies

• 2–3 dried ancho chilies (optional, for depth)

• 2 garlic cloves

• 1 tsp cumin

• Salt to taste

For serving:

• Chopped onion

• Chopped fresh cilantro

• Lime wedges

• Oregano (Mexican, optional)

• Crushed red pepper or chili flakes

• Warm tortillas or bolillo rolls

Instructions

1. Clean and boil the tripe

   • Rinse tripe thoroughly under cold water.

   • Boil in a large pot of water for 10 minutes, drain, and rinse again to reduce odor.

2. Cook the meat

   • In a large pot, combine tripe, beef feet or shank, onion, garlic, bay leaves, and water.

   • Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 2–3 hours until tripe is tender. Skim foam occasionally.

3. Prepare the red chili sauce

   • Remove stems and seeds from dried chilies.

   • Soak in hot water for 15 minutes until soft.

   • Blend soaked chilies with garlic, cumin, and a little soaking water until smooth.

   • Strain sauce to remove any bits of skin.

4. Combine chili sauce with soup

   • Add the chili sauce to the pot with the cooked tripe.

   • Simmer another 30–45 minutes to let flavors meld.

   • Season with salt to taste.

5. Serve

   • Ladle soup into bowls.

   • Garnish with chopped onion, cilantro, oregano, and a squeeze of lime.

   • Serve with warm tortillas or bread.

Tips

• Menudo tastes better the next day after flavors meld.

• For spicier soup, add chopped fresh chilies or crushed red pepper.

• Beef feet or shank add richness, but you can skip for a lighter version.

• Traditionally served on weekends or special occasions in Mexico.

If you want, I can also give a quick version that reduces cooking time using pre-cooked tripe and chili paste—much faster but still very flavorful.