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Sopa De Mondongo Hondureña

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soups•honduran•contains meat, gluten-free, dairy-free
3 hours•8 servings•

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds beef tripe – trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 1/2 pounds beef feet – cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 1/2 cup white vinegar
  • 2 lime – halved
  • 2 quarts water – for blanching tripe
  • 4 quarts water – for soup
  • 1/2 large onion – halved
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons neutral oil
  • 1 tablespoon achiote (annatto) paste
  • 1/2 large onion – finely chopped
  • 1 medium bell pepper – diced
  • 6 cloves garlic – minced
  • 1 1/2 pounds yuca (cassava) – peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks (~1 large cassava)
  • 2 medium green plantain – peeled and sliced 0.5-inch thick
  • 1 large chayote – peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch chunks
  • 2 medium carrot – peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
  • 2 ears corn on the cob – cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup cilantro – chopped
  • corn tortillas – warmed (for serving)
Sopa de Mondongo Hondureña

Instructions

1. Clean the tripe: Rinse the beef tripe thoroughly, then scrub it with the white vinegar and the limes, squeezing the juice over the tripe and rubbing the cut sides across its surface. Let sit 10 minutes, then rinse well under cold water.

2. Parboil: Put the cleaned tripe in a large pot with the water (for blanching tripe). Bring to a rolling boil over high heat and cook 10 minutes. Drain and rinse the tripe; set aside.

3. Start the broth: In a large heavy pot, combine the blanched tripe, the beef feet, the water (for soup), the halved onion, bay leaves, dried oregano, ground cumin, and black pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer. Cook partially covered, skimming foam as needed, until the tripe is tender and the feet release gelatin, 1.5–2 hours.

4. Make the achiote sofrito: Heat the neutral oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the achiote (annatto) paste to tint the oil, 30–60 seconds. Add the finely chopped onion, bell pepper, and minced garlic. Cook, stirring, until softened and fragrant, 4–5 minutes. Scrape the sofrito into the soup pot and stir to combine.

5. Add the vegetables: Stir in the yuca (cassava), green plantain, chayote, carrots, and corn on the cob. Season the pot with the kosher salt (start with the full amount), return to a lively simmer, and cook until all vegetables are tender but not falling apart, 25–35 minutes. Doneness cue: yuca yields easily to a knife and plantain slices are tender at the center.

6. Finish and serve: Stir in the chopped cilantro and let the soup rest off heat for 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Ladle into warm bowls and serve hot with corn tortillas.

Sopa de Mondongo Hondureña is a rich, homey tripe-and-vegetable soup with deep beefy notes and a gentle earthiness from cumin and oregano. The broth gets a warm golden hue from achiote, while yuca, green plantain, chayote, carrots, and corn add sweetness, starch, and satisfying bite. Each spoonful balances silky tripe and gelatinous morsels from beef feet with bright cilantro and the comforting aroma of a long simmer.

Rooted in Honduran home cooking and market comedores, this soup is part of a Central American family of mondongo preparations that trace back to Spanish offal traditions adapted with local produce. In Honduras it is widely enjoyed on weekends and celebrations, often accompanied by warm tortillas and a squeeze of citrus. Regional touches vary—coastal and Garifuna communities sometimes enrich the broth differently—but the core practice of thoroughly cleaning and slowly simmering tripe with starchy vegetables remains a cherished constant.