Sopa de mondongo (tripe stew)

 

Que es sopa de mondongo? 

Sopa de Mondongo, often called tripe soup, is a dish deeply rooted in Salvadoran culinary history. Made with tender beef tripe, an array of vegetables, and aromatic spices, this soup is more than just a meal; it's a celebration of community, family, and the vibrant flavors of Central America. 

You'd imagine that you would eat this on a cold day, I would eat this on a hot day and boy would this soup make me sweat. As soon as I would smell that stew in the air I knew that lunch or dinner would be good but one thing was for sure the house would be burning up and their would be no escape from the heat. So let's dive into this delicious plate that is worth the heat. 

How to make it? 

This recipe is special to me because it is my mom's recipe and how she would make it. 

Ingredients

- 1 lb beef tripe, cleaned and cut into bite-sized pieces  

- 1Lb of cow feet (make sure to get it cut into pieces)    - 2 large yellow onion

- 1 garlic head                                                                  - 2 whole corn (cut in thirds)

- 1large yuca cut into small pieces (cassava)                  - 2 carrots (cut into pieces)

- half a small cabbage                                                     - 1 chayote (cut into 5th) 

- 1 zucchini ( cut into 5th)                                              - cilantro 

- a pinch of salt                                                               - 5 tomato

- relajo (salvadorian spices)                                            - lime to serve 

serves for at least 5 plates.   

Step 1 Preparing the tripe 

Thoroughly clean the beef tripe and feet with lime, and vinegar for at least 5 minutes, remove any fat or membrane. Cut it into bite-sized pieces and set aside. After doing all of that add your pieces of tripe and feet into a pot add 2 liters of water, 1 whole onion (but cut it in half), and cook it at medium heat for at least 2 and a half hours till meat is tender. 

Step 2 Prepare the sauce 

We are now going to make a sauce to give our meat flavor and to the stew. You are going to blend the 5 tomatoes with some of the relajo (Salvadorian spices) and 6 garlic teeth. Once you blend that you add it onto the meat that you are cooking and add a pinch of salt to your taste. 

Step 3 Add your veggies 

Once your meat is tender add your pieces of corn to the stew. 15 minutes after putting the corn you are going to add all your cut vegetables and your mince cilantro and wait another 15 minutes till your vegies are cooked. Once done turn off and serve. 

You are also going to want to serve a side of minced onion and cilantro so you can add it as a topping and a bit of lime.  Voila, you have one of my all-time favorite soups and I hope you enjoy it and as always till next time.