Mexican Menudo Soup Recipe
Have you ever wondered what people in other countries use as a remedy to cure a hangover? Well, besides the classic 2 aspirins and drinking a lot of water, in México some people swear this tasty and aromatic Menudo soup, with its distinctive spongy texture, will do the magic trick of bringing you back to life. I am not sure about that, but maybe the high content of vitamin B has something to do about it, besides its rich flavor. 
This soup is usually sold on weekends in small mom-and-pop kitchens called “Fondas”, or in restaurants that specialize in Typical Mexican antojitos. The soup is called different names depending on the region. It is known as “pancita”, Mondongo, or Menudo. In the northern states, some cooks add Hominy to make a robust pair with the meat. The recipe also varies from region to region. Other cooks will add Ancho Peppers in addition to the guajillo and even tomato.
It can be stored in the refrigerator for several days and freezes well, preserving its flavor.
How to make Mexican Menudo Soup Recipe
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Simmer the cow feet and marrow bones in a large pot with 6 quarts of water, 5 garlic cloves, and an onion for about 15 minutes at medium heat without covering. Add the tripe and oregano and cook for about 2 – 2 ½ hours approximately until tripe is tender but firm. You could also use a crockpot and set it on low for 6 hrs. To cook in the INSTANT POT, cook the meat for 40 minutes on the in the manual pressure cooker setting, then add the dried peppers sauce and cook for 10 more minutes in the manual setting. (Please check the ingredients list below)
- Remove the cow feet and marrow bones from the pot. Skim the fat that forms on top of the broth. Remove the bones and chop the meaty parts of to be returned to the pot.
- While the meat is cooking, prepare the guajillo sauce. Toast the Guajillo peppers in a griddle over medium heat.
- Place the roasted peppers in a bowl and cover with water. Let them soak for about 25 minutes until soft. After that, drain the peppers and place them in your blender with the rest of the garlic, ½ cup of the broth, and cumin if using. Blend until very smooth. Strain the sauce using a sieve and pour into the pot. Simmer the broth for another 30 minutes, partially covered. Taste to season with more salt if needed.
Serve the soup in large bowls and place the garnishes in a dish in order for everyone to add to their liking.
HOW TO MAKE MEXICAN MENUDO SOUP RECIPE
This tripe soup is usually sold on weekends in small mom-and-pop kitchens called "Fondas", or in restaurants that specialize in Typical Mexican antojitos. The tripe soup is called different names depending on the region. It is known as "pancita", Mondongo, or Menudo.
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Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 342kcal
Ingredients
For the broth:
- 3 pounds of clean tripe cut into small bite size pieces
- 1 cow’s feet It’s usually sold already cut up in pieces
- 1 pound narrow bones
- 4 large garlic cloves
- 1 medium onion cut into thick slices
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt to taste
- 2 teaspoons dry oregano
For the sauce:
- 6 guajillo peppers cleaned seeded, open flat, and deveined
- 1 teaspoon of freshly ground cumin optional
- 3 garlic cloves
For the garnishing:
- 1 Tbsp. Piquin peppers crushed to add when serving if you like hot food.
- Lemons cut into wedges
- Dry Mexican oregano
- ¾ cup white onion chopped
- To be eaten with warm corn tortillas.
Instructions
- Simmer the cow feet and marrow bones in a large pot with 6 quarts of water, 5 garlic cloves and an onion for about 15 minutes at medium heat without covering. During this time, skim off the foam that forms. Add the tripe and oregano and cook for about 2 – 2 ½ hours approximately until tripe is tender but firm (make sure you do not overcook). For the INSTANT POT, cook for 30 minutes. For a Pressure cooker 45 minutes. You could also use a slow cooker and set it in low for 6 hrs.
- Remove the cow feet and marrow bones from the pot. Skim the fat that forms on top of the broth. Once the Cow foot cools a little, remove the bones and chop the meaty parts of to be returned to the pot.
- While the meat is cooking, prepare the guajillo sauce. Toast the Guajillo peppers in a griddle over medium heat. Press them down with a spatula slightly toasting them without burning them.
- Place the roasted peppers in a bowl and cover with water. Let them soak for about 25 minutes until soft. After that, drain the peppers and place them in your blender with the rest of the garlic, ½ cup of the broth, and cumin if using. Blend until very smooth. Strain the sauce using a sieve and pour into the pot. Simmer the broth for another 30 minutes, partially covered. Taste to season with more salt if needed.
- Serve the soup in large bowls and place the garnishes in a dish in order for everyone to add to their liking. Do not forget warm corn tortillas to soak in the broth.
Notes
Some people add Hominy to the soup. If you can buy Hominy in a can, drain it and add it to the soup in the final simmering.
Tried this recipe?Mention @Mexicoinmykitchen or tag #Mexicoinmykitchen!
Nutrition
Serving: 2cups per serving | Calories: 342kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 210mg | Sodium: 608mg | Potassium: 635mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 24.6% | Vitamin C: 9.4% | Calcium: 3.4% | Iron: 48.5%
¡Buen Provecho!
Mely
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one of my favorite foods of all time – I love menudo! Great recipe, thank you for sharing!
En México encanta este plato! el tuyo se ve exquisito!!
un beso
Gaby
¿Te acuerdas de la "sopa de colita" que le dieron a Tita, la protagonista de "Como agua para chocolate"?
Seguro que era tan buena como tu sopa de pancita.
¡Tus fotos son excelentes!!
welcome back! I love menudo, but did not know it was so easy to make at home! Thanks for the recipe. My husband was so happy with this menudo.
el menudo jalisciense fue mi primer desayuno en el Sanborns el dia despues de llegar a México, bien picosito, ay que rico.
Mely, que gusto ver otra receta tuya, por fin!
Un abrazo
Tlaz
Mely — Brilliant recipe and post! I can't wait to make this. Where do you get your cow's feet and tripe? Thanks!
If you are in the Los Angeles area vallarta has a meat sale every Thursday but its actually inexpensive u can go to el super also there are actually more and more supermarkets carrying them
Thanks a lot for this information meg. This will help people living in that area looking to buy tripe.
Have a great day!
Mely
Hi Angela,
I get the cow feet and tripe at "Shoppers" and I think they also sell them at the Asian markets here in the area but they might be frozen in those Asian stores.
Hola Tlaz,
Como cocinan esta carne el Italia? Digo aparte de sopas.
Hello Flores Family,
Thank you for stopping by. I visited your blog and read about your husband. I hope everything is going well.
Saludos,
Mely
Sí! por fin Mely! La pancita cruda que esta en esa foto luce tan buena y fresca! por fuerza que tu mondongo quedó deli, se me antojó con mucho orégano y chilito seco, tal cual en la foto, aunque haga calor aquí.
Sabias que la palabra más usada en el buscador es RECETA ? Siempre es bueno agregarla en el título de la entrada.
Un abrazo!
Mely,
que yo sepa la manera clasica de comer pancita (trippa) en Italia es como sopa, "alla parmigiana" es muy tipico, a pesar de que a mucha gente no le gusta la pancita en general, pero se encuentra bastante facilmente en los mercados y me imagino que alguien se la va a comer. Hay otra forma de comer pancita de ternera en Roma, con pasta, le dicen "rigatoni con la pajata", pero nunca he los he probado.
Ciao!
Mely no haz cocinado la pancita como un guisado?
Como a la mexicana, al último le pones cilantro picado y luego te haces unas dobladillas deliciosas!
Mely,
compré pancita, voy a hacer tu receta al ratito…
😉
Hola Talz,
Se que te va a quedar deliciosa. Ya investigue lo de la pancita a la pajata, interesante. Nunca me lo hubiera imaginado con pasta.
Saludos!
Oye NOra,
No, nunca lo he probado asi, solo en sopa con verduras o en sopa como estilo gravy. Pero esta buena la idea. Se antoja.
Gracias por el tip.
Saludos!
Love the blog.
Though it kills me to say it, my grandmother really was a terrible cook. I like learning how to cook the foods of my childhood the right way. My current obsession is tacos al pastor. Everyone I talk to says pineapple is the key, but something tells me it's achiote that is the real trick. Can you offer any advice?
this looks fab love the color
Hello Kirby,
I answered to your question in your blog.
Thanks for stopping by.
Mely
Your blog and your photos are wonderful!I would love to try this soon.If you won't mind I'd love to guide Foodista readers to this post.Just add the foodista widget to the end of this post and it's all set, Thanks!
I am new to your blog but I am already hungry for more recipes. I hope you post something new soon!
Hello there! I just learned of your work this morning.
I was thrilled to know that there is someone such as yourself who takes great pride in pursuing their total culture. Using fresh ingredients and cooking as our ancestors taught us is critical to our children and their children. Our legacies must live on no matter who we are and where we are from! Thank you for teaching us the food history of Mexico!!
Debra C.
Hola Mely, gusto en comentarte y devolverte la visita. Te he visto comentando con Nora y no te conocía. Celebro que haya más blogs de cocina mexicana, de buena comida. Y para más ejemplo un platazo como la pancita, que es de mis favoritos. Son bien pocas las víceras que me gustan: menudo y seso. Con ellos me envenenas y me vuelves loca. Pero lo mejor de la pancita es ver sus efectos restablecedores y terapéuticos después de una noche de copas, ja.
Te llevo a mis vínculos. ¿En qué lugar de Estados Unidos vives exactamente? No creas que pregunto por pensar en caerte por allá, sino para estadistica en mis vínculos.
Recibe un abrazo fraterno
Mely donde andas que hace rato no publicas, te pasé a saludar
besitos
Gaby
Mely: por favor ya, publica algo, el´público te aclama !!! 🙂
con cariño
PILY
I have never made it but I have eaten it. I like the taste. After chewing on some tripe for a while, I ended up giving it to my boyfriend who was Columbian. He gladly took it. I am really enjoying these recipes and your blog.
Easy? It takes time (all day) to make. My hands hurt after cutting up all that tripa! Delicious though, my boys will eat it for days.
Mely! I am so addicted to your site 🙂 So far I have made flour tortillas, green sauce tamales, horchata, and today I am making menudo. You see, my mom passed away 2 years ago and she would make all of this amazing food, but she never left me any recipes. So, In wanting to keep her traditions and foods alive in my family and I stumbled onto your recipes….Thank you so much for sharing. And by the way I have followed your instructions step by step and you have not steered my wrong once. I also have a blog, but I have not posted anything in a long time because I am going to school full time. When I do get a chance I would like to put some of your recipes on there as long as its ok with you, of course I will give you all the credit and link everyone to your site…If you're not ok with that I totally understand I will still visit you to continue to learn your wonderful technique…My family is very grateful as well they have loved everything I have made for them…Sorry to go on and on but I really appreciate you sharing 🙂
Liz Carcedo,
Thank you for your kind words Liz. I hope you family keep enjoying your cooking, because you are the one giving it the final touch and your own special seasoning.
Saludos!
Mely
Muy buenas las tengas hot me atrevi y hice el munudo siguiendo tu receta en ligature de comprarlo ya echo me saloon estupendamente delicioso gracias por compartir la receta
This is a wonderful recipe! I also added coriander seed and used special chiles from Spain called ñoras instead of the guajillos. They are sweet and slightly bitter, kind of like nuevo méxico chiles. Best menudo I've had! Thank you!
Hello,
I am so glad you were able to come up with a dish you enjoy! thanks for stopping by and comment!
Saludos!
I just came across your blog these are wonderful recipes.Thank you for sharing!!
You are very welcome!
I have always had flour tortillas with my Grandfathers manudo. This recipe looks great.
Thank you for sharing this recipe, it is absolutely delicious! My whole family loved, even my Mexican friends like it.
As a gringa I made your menudo for the first time because I got tired of only being able to get menudo on weekends. Your recipe was fantastic. The menudo was better than any I have had in restaurants. I am now stuffed, with enough left to eat for the next couple of days. Thank You
Cant wait to try this recipe. Was wondering if the cow feet are the the bones with the delicious clear joints that really make the dish. It takes on a clear appearance. Thanks for the blog.
Hello,
yes, that is the same thing.
I'm very fond of all your recipes! My husband is from Guerrero Mexico and all of your recipes that I make he enjoys very much. Thank you for opening your kitchen to us!
I feel very humble to know that the recipes can be prepare in other kitchens and be enjoyed! Saludos!
hola, lo puedo hacer en olla express?
Hola,
Si, cocina por 25 minutes, espera que baje la presión y checa si la carne ya está bien cocida suave. SI necesita más tiempo de coccion, vuelve a poner la tapa y cocina por 5 minutos más. Después, agrega la salsa y cocina por unos 10 minutos para que los sabores se mezclen.
What is tripe? can I use another meat to replace it?
Hello Louis,
It's the muscle wall of the cow's stomach. You can prepare a similar soup using this dried peppers salsa, it is similar to pozole, and some people even make pozole with chicken instead of pork.
I love your recipes! Everything is always good and authentic. I’m Asian and my husband is Hispanic so I try to cook Hispanic food to cater to his taste buds and fulfill our cravings at home. I’ve used your recipe for menudo several times and it always turn out good. My husband thinks it’s better than the restaurant’s! Thank you for the awesome recipe!
I love menudo. Both my grandmother’s made it all the time. My mom made menudo in the weather time. I made it around Christmas, my husband loves it to.<3
Hello, Diane,
Thank you for stopping by! Menudo is such a great winter soup.
Hi Mely, I love all your recipes and have used many of them with great success. I want to make the menudo but when i went to the Mexican butcher store yesterday, i was confused because they sell a couple of different types of “Tripe”/”menudo” – honey comb, and at least 2 others. Can you tell me what the differences are and what kind of tripe it would be. Thank you and keep those recipes coming.
Serranomom
Hello Jane,
You can buy a combination of the three, the cooking time, and the flavor is the same, the only thing that changes is the texture.
One is called tripe, other honeycomb and the other we call it “libro or librillo” (book) in Spanish because of its shape.
Gracias Mely. I will be shopping tomorrow and will buy 1 lb. of each tripe and make the menudo this weekend. I will let you know how it turns out.
looks delicious, i’ll try it as soon as possible!
in turkey we called “işkembe çorbası” (“tripe soup”) for a similar soup and there are so many restaurant working 24hours a day specialized on it (“işkembeci”)
i love to eat it when i was hangover 🙂
muchisima gracias mely!
gul
hola! puedo poner a cocer todo junto en la olla express?, los huesos, la pata y la tripa?… en tu receta dices primero poner a coser la pata y luego añadir la tripa… gracias!!
Hello Angelica,
The trip is added alter because it takes less time to cook. If you add them at the same time, the tripe will be over cook.
I could only find dried peppers do o still need to roast them?
Hello Kyle,
Yes, dried peppers are usually roasted, but you can skip that step and just soak them in warm water.
Dear Mely, yesturday we went to a Mexican food Rest. for Menudo, when it arrived it smelled awful!!! then I heard my mom say, they didn’t throw away the first boil where the menudo was? so she explained to us, you girls don’t smell that with my menudo because, I boil it first to take out the smell, and that awful taste, then the second boil is where I put all the condiments, add the Pata, and so forth. Her menudo is delish! unfortunaltely my sister and I are too nervous to ever try our hands at making menudo. so i have two questions. 1st-do you boil your menudo to clean it, like my mom does first, and then add the rest on final boil? 2nd-would a beginner like me have a hard time making menudo? thanks Mely for your time.
Hello Dee,
The cuts of meat used to make Menudo soup, like honeycomb and tripe, are usually first scalded before using them to cook a dish with them. As far as I know, must of those cuts of meat are sold scalded here in the USA. Some people, still want to precook, or rise once or twice with water, or a combination of water with lime juice or water and vinegar. Just to be safe about the cleanliness and smell of the meat.
I grew up eating/cooking menudo blanco. First time I ate menudo rojo was in Jaalisco, and it was delish! I never learned how to make the rojo, since my mom didn’t care for it. You have great directions, and I like that this is for a smaller amount, too.
One thing my mom taught me was to soak the menudo in cold water with lots of lemon juice. Whatever fat that was left, would rise to the top of the pan and was easily skimmed off. Plus, the menudo looked really white, and no longer had that gamey smell. I rinse a second time, then add to the olla. We also add nixtamal. Best cure for “la cruda!”
Finally, a menudo recipe that doesn’t feed an army! And, for menudo rojo! My parents didn’t care for menudo rojo, so I never learned to make it. But my brother and I love it. We add nixtamal, and definitely patas. Guess what I’m making this weekend?
Something I learned from my mom: Soak the menudo in cold water with lots of lemon juice. Any remaining fat will rise to the top, and is easily skimmed off. Rinse a second time in plain cold water. This also removes the gamey smell, and the menudo looks whiter. I also rinse the nixtamal before adding to the olla. The caldito is never cloudy looking, and there’s very little grease in the final product.
Can’t wait to make this. Thanks for the simple directions, Mely!
I love eating menudo, I just haven’t tried making it until I find a recipe
How would I cook this in a roaster slow cooker?
Hello Jane,
Sorry, I have never tried to cook it in a roasted slow cooker.
Can you leave the bones in and not take them out? Or take them out. And return them later for the final boil?
Thanks for the recipe. I’m going to try soon
Hello Mike,
Yes, you can leave the bones. Bones always give lot os flavor to the soup.