Menudo

Storing and Planning Ahead

Better the next day. Keeps 4 days refrigerated, freezes 3 months.

Making Menudo

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1. Scrub the tripe with the scrubbing salt, rinse, and cut into 4 cm squares.

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2. Cover with cold water, bring to the boil, boil 10 minutes, then drain and rinse.

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3. Repeat the blanching once more with fresh water and drain again.

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4. Put the tripe in a large pot with the 4 litres of water, the halved onion, garlic bulb and bay leaves.

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5. Simmer gently for 2 hours, skimming occasionally.

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6. Meanwhile toast the guajillo and ancho chillies in a dry pan for 40 seconds a side, then soak them in hot water for 20 minutes.

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7. Blend the soaked chillies with a ladleful of their soaking water, the oregano and cumin, then strain into the pot.

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8. Add the hominy and the 2 tsp of salt and simmer 1 hour more, until the tripe is tender.

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9. Taste and correct the salt.

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10. Serve with diced onion, lime wedges, oregano and chilli flakes for people to add themselves.

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Tips for Success

• Two blanches, both discarded. That is what takes the smell out.
• Strain the chilli purée or the broth is gritty.
• The table condiments are part of the dish, not a garnish.

Behind the Recipe

Scrub and blanch the tripe twice, discarding the water each time, before it goes anywhere near the chillies. Tripe carries a strong smell that will otherwise dominate everything, and two changes of water takes it out completely. After that it is only time: three hours at a bare simmer turns it from rubber to something that yields between the teeth.

Good Alongside

Warm corn tortillas · Bolillo rolls · Cold beer

Sides from the same cuisine on this site: Instant Pot Black Beans, One Pan Mexican Rice, Pan de Muerto.

Ingredient Swaps

• Dried chilli flakes can stand in for the chillies. Heat varies a great deal between chillies and between jars, so start with a small pinch and add more to taste.
• Lemon is the everyday swap for limes in this kind of dish — the acidity plays the same role even though the flavour is not identical.
• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.

Menudo Nutrition Facts

Per serving, an approximate calculation from the ingredient list. Treat it as a rough guide: part of the energy comes from foods, or weights per item, with no recorded source. How the figures are worked out.

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