Menudo Rojo (Red Menudo)

Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 490 min
Servings: 8
Yield: 8 servings

Description

Learn how to make menudo with tripe, two kinds of chile peppers, and canned hominy. This vibrantly colored soup is mildly spicy and quite easy to prepare.

Ingredients

2 1/2 pounds beef tripe, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 gallon water
1 large white onion, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons ground red pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
5 de árbol chile peppers
6 japones chile peppers, seeds removed
6 cups canned white or yellow hominy, drained
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 medium white onion, chopped
8 wedges lime

Directions

1 Gather all ingredients.
2 Make the soup: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add tripe, reduce the heat, and simmer, periodically skimming off fat, for 2 hours; drain. Fill the pot with fresh water, and simmer tripe for 2 more hours; drain again.
3 Pour 1 gallon water over tripe in the pot; bring to a boil. Stir in onion, garlic, red pepper, oregano, salt, and black pepper. Reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour.
4 Meanwhile, set an oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler. Arrange árbol chiles on a baking sheet. Broil chiles in the preheated oven just until they begin to scorch, about 2 minutes.
5 Remove from the oven, slit lengthwise, and remove seeds.
6 Place árbol chiles into a blender or food processor with japones chiles; blend until minced.
7 Stir chile mixture into the pot and continue cooking over low heat for 2 hours.
8 Mix hominy into the pot and cook for 1 hour. Serve soup with cilantro, onion, and lime wedges.