This Venezuelan Mondongo is easy to make and full of flavor. Made with beef tripe (panza), pork’s feet (paticas de cochino) and lots of vegetables, this tripe stew will be a pleasant surprise for your palate. Be adventurous and give it a try!
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Rumba Meats. All opinions are entirely my own.
If you are an adventurous cook you will love today’s recipe: Venezuelan Mondongo (tripe stew).
Venezuelan Mondongo is a very hearty soup, more like a stew, made with beef tripe (panza), pork’s feet (paticas de cochino) and lots of vegetables.
I have to be honest with you, the idea of eating cow intestines and pig’s feet does not sound very appealing to me and definitely would not be my first option if I have to pick. Having said this, I have eaten and enjoyed Mondongo on many occasions, especially during my childhood when my aunt Maria prepared it.
In my early years, I did not know what this soup was made of. They served me a bowl, which by the way smelled very good, and I ate it without asking. For me was a soup, period. Then, when my years of innocence were fading away and I found out what was done with, it was too late, I have allowed myself to be seduced by my taste buds instead of my brain.
Anyway…
I invite you to be adventurous and give it a try to this amazing and hearty Venezuelan Mondongo.
I was very lucky that my mom is visiting and she helped me prepare this Mondongo. Actually, this is her recipe and she did most of the work. My mom was so IMPRESSED with how clean and well packed was Rumba Meats beef honeycomb tripe. In a few words, she said that this one was the best Panza that she had ever seen.
And I agree.
If you had cooked beef tripe you know it has a nasty recognizable smell. Rumba Meats beef honeycomb tripe wasn’t that bad. It was super clean and fresh.
Like most of the Rumba Meats products, I bought beef honeycomb tripe in my local Giant store. If you don’t have a Giant store close by, make sure to check the store locator to find a retailer near you.
Although tripe might be not very popular here in the USA, it is in Europe, South America, and Asia. Actually, it is considered a delicacy in many places, such as Italy, Spain and France. And according to my grandma tripe is good to cure the hangover and increase libido. Go wonder!
TIP AND TRICK TO CLEAN AND COOK BEEF TRIPE:
- Wash the tripe thoroughly under running warm water.
- Scrub the tripe vigorously with lime juice and baking soda. Repeat this two times then wash the tripe again with warm water.
- If the tripe is too dirty scrape the entire surface of the tripe with a long sharp knife.
- Par-boil Beef Tripe: If you are not familiar, parboiling is basically partially cook something which will then be cooked another way. So, to par-boil the tripe place it in a large stockpot, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes. Throw out the water then rinse the tripe in cold water several times.
- Cook tripe in salty water until tender. I prefer to cook it in the Instant Pot (pressure cooker) because is faster, it just takes 20 minutes, but if you don’t have a pressure cooker available simmer for a 2 -3 hours in a normal pot.
LOOKING FOR MORE VENEZUELAN RECIPES?
- Instant Pot Venezuelan Oxtail Soup [Sopa de Rabo][Video]
- Venezuelan Pabellon Bowl [Video]
- Venezuelan Asado Negro
- Venezuelan Shredded Beef
- Venezuelan Polvorosas Cookies
Venezuelan Mondongo Soup
Ingredients
For cleaning and cooking the tripe:
- 1 ½ - 2 lb Rumba Meats beef tripe
- 8 – 10 cups water
- 2 – 3 limes
- 2 – 3 tablespoons baking soda
For the Mondongo:
- 10 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 1 cup mini sweet peppers, diced (I used red and yellow) (see notes)
- 1 cup leeks, sliced
- ½ cup green onion, sliced
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 ½ - 2 lb Rumba Meats beef tripe cooked and cut into small pieces
- 2 -3 corn ears, cut into 1-inch slices
- 1 1/2 cups green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 1/2 baby carrots, sliced
- 1 cup cassava (yucca), cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 cup yautia (ocumo), cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 cup white yam (ñame), cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 10 – 12 masa balls
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Fresh cilantro, chopped
Instructions
Clean and Cook the Tripe:
- Wash the tripe thoroughly under running warm water. Place it in a large bowl, squeeze the juice of the lime over the tripe, sprinkle with baking soda and scrub vigorously. Rinse and repeat; then wash the tripe again in warm water. Cut tripe into bite-size pieces.
- Stovetop: Place the tripe in a large stockpot, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes and then drain. Add more clean water and bring to boil over medium heat. Partially cover and simmer until tripe is very tender, about 2 hours. Drain and set aside.
- Instant Pot: Place tripe and water into the Instant Pot. Close the lid. Select “Manual” and adjust the time to 15 minutes. Cook. When the time is over, turn off and let the Instant Pot release pressure naturally, about 10 minutes. Carefully turn the vent to release any extra pressure that might still be in there. Remove the lid. Drain and set aside.
Masa Balls:
- To make the masa balls combine 1 cup of Harina P.A.N. with 1 ¼ cup of water and ½ teaspoon of salt. Knead until smooth and no lumps. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes. Form equal size mini balls, about 1 tablespoon each. Set aside until is time to add it to the Mondongo.
Mondongo:
- In a large pot over medium low heat, add chicken broth, onion, pepper, leeks, green onions, garlic and cooked tripe; stir to combine. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low, and let it simmer for 15 -20 minutes.
- Add corn, green beans, carrots, cassava, yautia and white yam; mix to combine. Cover and let it simmer for 10 – 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
- Add chickpeas and masa balls. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 – 10 minutes, or until the masa balls emerge to the top. Taste and add more salt and black pepper, if necessary. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro.
- Serve hot.
Video
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition
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- Instant Pot
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- Enameled Cast-Iron 5-Q
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- Chef Knife
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- Bamboo Cutting Boards
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