No doubt there are as many versions of Mondongo as there are families who make it. Along with the tripe, potatoes, carrots and oregano seem to be the foundation. As usual, many versions will supplement the broth with trotters or hooves or other bones (adding gelatin and minerals). After reading several versions, I adopted the spices and vegetables that worked for us.
Spices
Tripe needs a base of flavorful spices because it will adopt the accompanying flavors. I used a variety of spices that I had on hand to mimic the latin ‘Sazon’ spice blends.
The all-purpose latin ‘Sazon’ (meaning ‘seasoning,’ or ‘flavoring’) was used in more than one recipe I saw. Some latin grocery brands such as Badia and Goya sell an all-purpose Sazon spice mixture. I was intrigued by this addition since it seemed promising for adding depth of flavor.
Among the ingredients in ‘Sazon’ – including coriander, cumin, chili, oregano (which I added) – I noticed anchiote, or annatto. This is the orange-red dye often used in cheddar cheese and it comes from a tree of a similar name. Paprika and tumeric together can be used as a substitute. I included those as well in the absense of annatto.
In the end, the flavor was rich, without adding a lot of heat (a deal-breaker for my littles).
Mondongo
According to Wikipedia, Mondongo is known in the former Spanish colonies – such as Latin America, the Carribean and the Phillipines.
Note that the tripe often needs to be prepped and parboiled in advance. For store-bought tripe, soak in lime juice and water then rinse well (up to three times) before parboiling to remove the smell of bleach from the tripe. For farm-fresh tripe, rinse well to remove any grass or debris and parboil. After your parboil, drain and do not reserve any liquid.
After this cleaning and prep, boil the tripe for 2-3 hours (covered) with a few aromatics so that it will be ready for your recipe. (This broth can be reserved and used as a base of the soup – especially if bones are added. However, in this case, I only reserved what I needed to cover the tripe.)
I had trimmed and boiled my tripe in advance (over the weekend) so it would be ready for a quick weeknight meal. I did not add bones or trotters for a combined long-simmered soup. Instead, I used a gelatinous bone broth that I already had on hand.
For vegetables, onion, carrot and potato made the base and beyond that every other recipe varied. I used onion, garlic, celery, bell pepper, and tomato for the base. Then, I added larger carrots and potatoes for hearty chunks to match the size of the tripe.
I cannot vouche for the authenticity of my Mondongo, never having had the original. But I can confidently assert that this recipe produces a flavorful soup, and we had no leftovers to spare. 😊
Mondongo, or Latin American Tripe Soup
Notes
The majority of the prep and wait time will be used preparing the tripe. This can be done up to several days in advance, reserving the tripe in it's cooking liquid or in a seal-tight container.
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs tripe, trimmed, rinsed and parboiled - cut into 1' cubes
- aromatics such as onion, carrot, celery, garlic bay leaf, cilantro
- 2 T lard
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 1 celery rib, chopped
- 1 bell pepper, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/8 t coriander
- 1/8 t cumin
- 1/8 t paprika
- 1/8 t tumeric
- 1/8 t chili flakes
- 1/8 t pepper
- 1/2 t oregano
- 1/2 t salt
- 8 oz canned tomatoes
- 2 yukon gold potatoes, in cubes
- 2 carrots, cubed
- 6 cups broth
- salt
- slice of lime
- 1 avocado, halved and sliced
- a few sprigs cilantro, stems removed (optionally chopped) as garnish
Instructions
- Soak, rinse and clean tripe. Trim any excess tissue. Parboil for 10 minutes and discard liquid.
- Bring tripe to a boil and skim surface. Add aromatics of choice and let boil for three hours, covered.
- Prepare soffrito. Add lard to pot. When melted, add onion, celery, and bell pepper. Cook for 6 minutes on medium-low heat to soften the vegetables, but do not brown. Add garlic, spices and salt, mix well and cook for another minute until fragrant. Add canned tomatoes, potato, carrot and tripe and stir well. Cook for another minute to two to let the flavors get to know each other. Add broth, bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. At a simmer, let soup cook for another 20 minutes until potatoes and carrots are soft. Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.
- Serve soup in bowls and add a squeeze of lime, plus a few slices of avocado and cilantro as garnish. Optionally use less broth for a thicker stew and serve over rice.
[…] Begin with 1.5 lbs of tripe. Trim, rinse, and parboil it. Rinse it with salt and lime juice to remove impurities. Then, parboil the tripe for 2 to 3 hours with aromatics to soften it13. […]