Mondongo is a popular dish in Latin America, every country has its own variation of this dish. This is my grandmother's Colombian version of Sopa de Mondongo recipe.
What is Colombian Mondongo?
It's a filling and hearty soup made with pork, tripe, vegetables, spices, herbs and some cooks add chorizo. It's served in every traditional Colombian restaurant.
To make Colombian Mondongo, a variety of meats and vegetables are cooked together until everything in the pot is fork tender. Beef tripe is the main meat in the dish and it is balanced with lean pork and pieces of Colombian chorizo, which are used for rich flavor. If you don't like chorizo flavor just omit it.
This comforting soup is also signature dish in every home in the Andean zone of Colombia. My grandmother used to make the best Mondongo I've ever had!
Ingredients to Make this Soup
You'll find the printable recipe card with exact amounts and cooking directions below.
Beef Tripe: It's also known as mondongo or menudo. You can find it in many supermarkets in the United States or at your local Latin market.
Lime: To clean the tripe and to serve the soup.
Baking Soda: To clean the tripe.
Pork: You can use your favorite pork meat for stew or soups.
Colombian Chorizos: This ingredient is optional.
Vegetables: Tomato, scallions, onions, potatoes, yuca and garlic.
Spices: Cumin, achiote, salt and pepper achiote
Herbs: Fresh cilantro, replace it with fresh parsley if you prefer.
How to Make Colombian Mondongo
- Wash the tripe with warm water and rub with lime juice. In a large pot combine the tripe, baking soda, and enough water to cover the tripe by 2 inches.
- Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until the tripe is very tender, about 1 ½ to 2 hours or 45 minutes if using a pressure cooker. Drain the tripe and discard the water.
- In a large pot, place the cooked tripe, pork meat, chorizos, tomato, scallions, onion, garlic, cumin and achiote. Add enough water to cover.
- Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to low and simmer slowly. For about 45 minutes. Add the yuca, cilantro and potatoes. Cook for 30 minutes more.
- Ladle into bowls, and garnish with additional fresh cilantro and lime wedges. Serve with white rice, avocado, banana and hot sauce (ají) on the side.
How to Serve Mondongo Soup
This dish is a complete meal, accompanied by white rice, avocado, banana and drizzled with lime juice and ají sauce.
Tips to Cook Tripe
Tripe should be clean very well before cooking. Be sure to wash the tripe thoroughly with warm water at least twice and cut into bite size pieces.
Traditionally, the tripe is cooked in a pressure cooker, which cooks the tripe faster, in about 45 minutes. If you don't have one, simmer for a couple of hours in a normal pot.
My grandmother used to add chorizo to her mondongo soup, but you can omit it if you don't like the flavor. This is the perfect Sunday dish to enjoy with family and friends.
Storing Leftover Mondongo
Store the soup leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. It can be reheated in a pot on the stove top or in the microway oven.
More Comforting Soups to Try
Ajiaco Bogotano (Chicken ad Potato Soup)
Sopa de Moneditas (Green Plantain Chips Soup)
Crema de Alcachofas (Artichokes Creamy Soup)
Colombian Mondongo Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound beef tripe mondongo, cut into small pieces
- Juice of 1 lime
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ pounds pork meat cut into small pieces
- 3 Colombian chorizos sliced (optional)
- 1 tomato chopped
- 2 scallions chopped
- ¼ cup white onion chopped
- 4 small potatoes diced
- 1 pound yuca diced
- Salt and pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon achiote
- ⅓ cup fresh cilantro
- 1 garlic clove chopped
- water
Instructions
- Wash the tripe with warm water and rub with lime juice. In a large pot combine the tripe, baking soda, and enough water to cover the tripe by 2 inches.
- Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until the tripe is very tender, about 1 ½ to 2 hours or 45 minutes if using a pressure cooker. Drain the tripe and discard the water.
- In a large pot, place the cooked tripe, pork meat, chorizos, tomato, scallions, onion, garlic, cumin and achiote. Add enough water to cover.
- Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat to low and simmer slowly. For about 45 minutes. Add the yuca, cilantro and potatoes. Cook for 30 minutes more.
- Ladle into bowls, and garnish with additional fresh cilantro and lime wedges. Serve with white rice, avocado, banana and hot sauce(ají) on the side.
Belinda @zomppa
Oh, I LOVE mondongo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for the recipe!!!!!!
Anonymous
I'm going to try this recipe on Saturday. Glad I looked it up.
Tangled Noodle
Although I've never had this dish, I know I would love it! It reminds me of some of my tripe dishes. When you buy your tripe, do you have to 'clean' it or prepare it in any other way before actually cooking it?
Erica
Tangled Noodle- You have to wash it with warm water and I rub lime juice all over the tripe.
norma
Erica, I rememeber going out on a Friday night and then eating mondongo on saturday to give you energy from the night before. We used to call it "levanta muertos".....Wish I had a plate right now!
anncoo
Love the colors, looks so delicious! We used to have tripe in stew Chinese cooking.
Mariana @ History of Greek Food
There are many ways to enjoy tripe in Greece and one of them is patsa, a tripe soup which is the perfect hangover fix. There are many patsa restaurants serving it from the night to the morning (never during the day) and they have big signs on the windows that announce WE SERVE PATSA.
Your version sounds utterly delicious... I would like very much to try it.
Sarah Naveen
New recipe..looks so yummy!!
Joan Nova
Tripe is not for everyone...but for me, si, sí, sí! I love mondongo and yours looks delicious. Great photos with this one too.
Erica
Joan- You are right...tripe is not for everyone!!!! Thank you!
Barbara
I've never had mondongo, but I'd love to try it. Your soup has a marvelous combination of flavors.
rebecca subbiah
great soup tripe is common in NW England never tried it though texture put me of!
Baking is my Zen
My dear, tripe is not for this chick either. But, the soup without it must be good.
Sandra G.
Erica I Make Mondongo The Dominican And Peruvian way, Now I'm Going to try The Colombian Way, It Looks Delicious!
Erica
Thank you guys for visiting and for your comments!
ruth
Thats it! Cant take it anymore, either I go to your house for dinner or to Colombia on my next holiday! These recipes are incredible! Love chorizo, love tripe, just so drooling here!!
grace
tripe scares me a little bit, but my love for chorizo can overpower it. great soup!
Faith
I've never had tripe but my hubby loves it. I should make this for him!
Tangled Noodle
Thank you for the tip, Erica! (And correction on my original comment: I meant to say "my FAVORITE tripe dishes" - I've never made any before but want to!)
Juliana
Oh! I love tripes, but my husband will not go for it...your dish looks delicious, so so tasty 🙂
tasteofbeirut
sounds delicious Erica! I have not used tripe yet, but have heard how good it tastes many times from Mexican friends!
Bo
Erica...this looks great...but I just cannot eat tripe...it gives me the creeps...lol
Erica
Thank you everyone!
Chris
Alexis would divorce me if I tried to bring tripe into the house. Bad memories from her childhood, ha ha.
Kim
I've never had tripe before, but would love to try it if someone prepared it for me this way, as you've done here.
Oysterculture
Now I have to get my hands on some tripe - your soups are always amazing and this one looks as delicious as all the rest.
Maria
Yes, not everyone will go for tripe but I will! I've always enjoyed it the "Greek" way though so this looks so different in flavor and fantastic! I've heard of the Dominican version but have never gotten to taste that either ... will have to try Mondongo soon!
Amanda
This looks absolutely delicious! I will make this. Now, one of the garnishes you mentioned banana. Is that just a regular banana, peeled on the side with the avocado and lime?
Erica
Amanda- Yes, a regular banana.
Edgar La Rotta
Hi, we have a dish in colombia Norte de Santander and Santander States (Cúcuta and Bucaramanga) called MUTE, with mondongo (Tripe), but i don´t know if "Tripe" is the internal piece of cow stomach, or intestine??? i need to know. Thanks
michelle
i love your site because my husband is colombian and all his family is in colombia, and i can learn how to make colombian food from you, Right now i am making mondongo soup, for the first time, my husband said he loves this soup, so we will see how it goes, ill write back and tell you if he and our children like it. thankyou very much
Mike
I've eaten tripe in many ways. I'm Puerto Rican so we eat our fair share of mondongo. When I went to Medellin, Colombia I loved the way they served their mondongo. Rice, avocado, lime and don't forget the arepas. Simply delicious. Dios bendiga Colombia!!!!
Ashley
I am so excited to find your blog! My fiance is paisa and I have learned to cook a lot of his dishes. Mondongo is one of his favorites. Looking forward to reading your recipes!
Andrea
Erica,
I'm making Mondongo tonight and the smell is DELICIOUS!!! My husband is coming home from a long trip and I'm surprising him with this amazing soup.
Thanks for sharing. Love your website!
Jessica
I completely adore you and thoroughly enjoy your recipes! My parents are Colombian and I love keeping in touch with my roots.
lia liyelcy sanchez herandez
Que bueno me quedo el mio....!
Ana Frye
I'm so excited!! its been at least 13 yrs since i last had mondongo!! looking forward to making this at home and my husband trying out one of my favorite foods of my childhood! Thank you Erica!!
Question:
I dont eat pork at all (allergic), what other type of meat can i use in substitution?
Monica
Erika,
Thank you for your recipes. I just made the Arriz con Pollo & it was delicious. My father was from Barranquilla & his family from Cartagena & Bogota. He passed & I didn't get all the family recipes. From what I've tried, your recipes are Authentic In flavor.
I plan to make the Mondongo soon. Just want to know where I can find Colombian Chorizo? I have never seen it. Thank you & may God bless you.
Erica Dinho
Hi Monica,
I find Colombian chorizo at my local Latin market.
Monica
Erica,
Thank you. I will look for it. Can't wait to make it. ☺️
Mags
Can't help by notice that the recipe does not contain SALT. Is this a typo?
Erica Dinho
Add salt to your taste.
Dawn
I am planning on trying this recipe this weekend - how do you use the achiote? Is this just the seeds, or the paste? I know of a Columbian market I am goign to go to and hope I can find it. Thank You - My boyfreind is from Columbia and I have made several of your recipes (so far he has been pretty happy having a taste of home) He mentioned this soup last week and I knew I would find the recipe here and so I am going to give it a try - thanks again
Erica Dinho
I use the achiote powder.
WS
Best recipes!!! My husband is Colombian and this site helps me a lot in preparing delicious meals ❤️
Luz
Gracias ESPERO me salga bien
Jon Wellington
This dish is my favourite and most memorable of everything we ate over the six weeks we spent in Colombia. I’ve been craving it lately and this is the best recipe (en inglés). I made it years ago but I got the wrong tripe. I got the right stuff from my local market this week. Thank you!! Hope I do it justice!
Laura B
I love Mondongo but I don’t understand why Chorizo? When we would go to this place on the outskirts of Bogota, and many other restaurants in Bogota, they never added Chorizo. Then living here I went to a place near Philly and it was the first time I had chorizo in a Mondongo. Definitely not the same. I love it without the Chorizo.
Erica Dinho
Depending of your taste. You can omit the chorizo if you prefer.
Yaya
Amazing!
I doubled the spices and added cayenne because we like spice.
Thank you for a great recipe!
Billy Wagner
Just made this... I did make some changes. I cooked the Yuca/Potato longer to break things down more... and added a bit more lime juice... TOTALLY DELICIOUS!
This is going to be made more often.
Anonymous
Absolutely amazing!
I doubled the spices and also added some cayenne because we like spice.
Thank you so much for this great recipe.