Name: Sancocho de Mondongo from San Estanislao: Colombian Tripe Soup
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 3 h 20 min
Total time: 4 h 5 min
Cuisine: Colombian
Ingredients: 900 g cleaned beef honeycomb tripe; 3.5 L water, plus up to 1 L boiling water to maintain the level; 150 g white onion, chopped; 60 g scallions, thinly sliced; 100 g celery, thinly sliced; 12 g garlic (3 medium cloves), crushed; 20 g fresh cilantro, stems and leaves chopped; 1 small fresh green ají, about 15 g, slit once; 500 g peeled ñame, cut into 3 cm chunks; 500 g peeled yuca, woody core removed and cut into 4 cm chunks; 1 medium green plantain, about 350 g, peeled and cut into 4 cm pieces; 500 g potatoes, peeled and cut into 3 cm chunks; 14 g fine salt, or to taste

Bowl of beef-tripe sancocho from San Estanislao with yuca, ñame, potato, green plantain, cilantro, scallion and a green ají.

Region San Estanislao de Kostka, Bolívar, Canal del Dique, Colombian Caribbean

Category Beef-tripe sancocho with tubers and green ají

Active preparation About 45 minutes

Passive time None required

Cooking time About 3 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients ↓

Overview

Sancocho de Mondongo from San Estanislao: Colombian Tripe Soup

A slow-simmered Caribbean broth with beef tripe, ñame, yuca, plantain and potato

In San Estanislao de Kostka, Bolívar, sancocho de mondongo is an everyday soup built around beef tripe and a group of local staples: potato, ñame, green plantain, yuca, green ají, onion, celery, scallion and cilantro. A Colombian Ministry of Culture inventory records the dish and credits local cook Nidia Ester Pacheco. Its companion Canal del Dique cookbook describes simmering the tripe until tender, cutting it into cubes, then cooking it with the aromatics and root vegetables.

This home version keeps that sequence and sets practical quantities for eight bowls. The source gives no measurements or times, so the amount of water and the long simmer are kitchen adaptations. Buy cleaned beef tripe from a reliable butcher. The cultural source describes cleaning it with lemon and bicarbonate; for a home kitchen, follow the butcher’s or package directions and avoid splashing raw tripe around the sink. Acidity is not a substitute for cooking.

The soup is substantial enough to serve on its own. In the local source, oil rice and agua de panela are suggested alongside; serve them separately if you like. Green ají is kept whole and slit so it seasons the broth without overwhelming it. Remove it before serving, or cut it open at the table for more heat.

Ingredients

Tripe and broth

900 g cleaned beef honeycomb tripe
3.5 L water, plus up to 1 L boiling water to maintain the level

Aromatics

150 g white onion, chopped
60 g scallions, thinly sliced
100 g celery, thinly sliced
12 g garlic (3 medium cloves), crushed
20 g fresh cilantro, stems and leaves chopped
1 small fresh green ají, about 15 g, slit once

Bastimento (roots and plantain)

500 g peeled ñame, cut into 3 cm chunks
500 g peeled yuca, woody core removed and cut into 4 cm chunks
1 medium green plantain, about 350 g, peeled and cut into 4 cm pieces
500 g potatoes, peeled and cut into 3 cm chunks

Seasoning

14 g fine salt, or to taste

Method

Set up the tripe safely Use fresh, butcher-cleaned beef tripe and follow any package directions. Do not rinse raw tripe under a running tap; if the supplier directs additional cleaning, use a deep bowl and clean the sink and surrounding surfaces afterward. Keep it, its liquid and its knife and board away from ready-to-eat foods. Cut the tripe into pieces that fit your pot; you will dice it smaller once it is tender.
Simmer the tripe without salt Put the tripe in a large heavy pot and cover with the 3.5 L water. Bring to a boil, skim any foam, then lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cover partly and cook about 150 minutes, adding boiling water as needed to keep the tripe covered. It should be fork-tender and reach at least 74°C throughout. If it is still chewy, continue simmering and check again; tenderness depends on the tripe and its prior preparation.
Dice the tripe and return it to the pot Lift the tripe onto a clean board and let it cool only until it is safe to handle. Cut it into bite-size cubes, then return it to the broth. Keep the broth hot while you prepare the vegetables.
Add the first aromatics and ñame Stir in the onion, scallions, celery, crushed garlic and whole green ají. Add the ñame and simmer about 15 minutes. Keep the ají intact apart from its small slit; this seasons the soup gently and makes it easy to remove.
Add the yuca and plantain Add the yuca and green plantain. Simmer about 15 minutes, keeping the pot at a steady, gentle bubble. Add boiling water if needed so the ingredients remain mostly covered.
Finish with the potatoes and cilantro Add the potato and cook about 20 minutes, until the potato, yuca, ñame and plantain are tender but not falling apart. Stir in the cilantro and salt. Taste the broth; if it is too concentrated, add a little boiling water and adjust the salt. Check the centre of the tripe again with a thermometer; it must be at least 74°C.
Rest briefly and serve Turn off the heat and let the soup stand for 5 minutes. Remove the green ají if you prefer a mild broth. Ladle tripe, tubers and broth into warm bowls, making sure each serving gets a little of everything. Serve hot, with oil rice and agua de panela on the side if desired.

Practical guidance

Practical

Practical guidance

If the tripe is still firm after the stated simmer, keep cooking it before adding the vegetables. The roots cook much faster, so starting them too early can leave them broken down while the tripe is still chewy. Cut the tubers into similarly sized pieces and add the potato later than the ñame and yuca so it keeps its shape. Ñame varieties differ in starchiness and cooking time. If your ñame is especially firm, give it another few minutes before adding the potato. Yuca should be tender all the way through; discard any remaining woody core. Green plantain adds body and a mild savoury sweetness. For less heat, remove the green ají before serving; for more, cut it open in the bowl. The original local record suggests oil rice and agua de panela as accompaniments. They are optional and not included in this soup’s nutrition estimate. A squeeze of lime at the table is also a household choice rather than a required element of the recorded recipe. Keep raw tripe and its juices separate from herbs and other ready-to-eat foods. Wash hands and utensils after handling it, and sanitize the board and work area. Refrigerate fresh tripe at 4°C or below and cook it within 1–2 days. Cool leftover soup promptly in shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours; use within 4 days and reheat to 74°C throughout.

Allergens and food safety

The listed soup ingredients contain no major declared allergen. Check packaged seasonings and serve accompaniments separately. Buy fresh, cleaned tripe, keep it refrigerated and prevent cross-contamination. Simmer until fork-tender and at least 74°C throughout. Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours, use within 4 days and reheat to 74°C.

Final notes

Serving: Bring the pot to the table and ladle generous portions with tripe, roots and broth in every bowl. Make-ahead: The tripe can be simmered a day ahead; cool it promptly in its broth, refrigerate, then bring the soup back to a boil before adding the vegetables.

Nutrition per serving

Serving size: 1 of 8 generous bowls, approximately 550 g
Calories: 360 kcal
Carbohydrates: 46 g
Protein: 27 g
Fat: 9 g
Fibre: 6 g
Sodium: 780 mg

Sancocho de Mondongo from San Estanislao: Colombian Tripe Soup

Ingredients

Tripe and broth

Aromatics

Bastimento (roots and plantain)

Seasoning

Method

Practical

Practical guidance

Allergens and food safety

Final notes

Nutrition per serving

Colombian National Dishes

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