Guatita is an Ecuadorian stew made with tripe cooked in a sauce of potatoes and peanuts. Guatita is one of those dishes that causes predictable reactions: 1) if you’ve had it before you will look at it and your mouth will water (assuming you liked it when you had it). 2) if you haven’t ever had it before and don’t like the idea of eating cow’s stomach or tripe or if you had tripe cook in a different way and didn’t like it, then you might say yuck. Finally 3) if you’ve had tripe before and liked it you might be tempted to try this dish.
I’ve had tripe in other dishes and I’ve liked it, but it’s one of those ingredients that I can only eat a small amount of because the flavor is very strong. However, tripe prepared this way in a potato peanut sauce and served with rice and pickled onions is just amazing and I can eat a lot of it. The tripe is cooked and then cut into very small pieces so you aren’t overpowered by the strong distinct taste it has, and the flavor blends in with the taste of the potato peanut sauce. Ecuadorian guatita tripe stew is served with white rice, curtido or a pickled onions, tomato slices, avocado slices and hot sauce.
Guatita: Ecuadorian tripe stew
Ingredients
To cook the tripe:
- 2 lbs beef tripe washed and cleaned
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 10 cups water
- 5 cilantro sprigs
- 4 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 tsp ground cumin
To prepare the tripe stew or guatita:
- ½ cup of peanut butter
- 2 cups milk
- 3 tbs butter
- 1 cup diced red onion about ½ red onion
- 2 cups diced white onion about 1 whole white onion
- ½ bell pepper diced
- 1 to mato peeled, seeded and diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tsp achiote or annatto powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp oregano
- 4 medium sized potatoes peeled and diced into small squares
- Salt/Pepper
Recommended side dishes:
- White rice
- Pickled red onions
- Tomato and avocado slices
- Aji hot sauce
- Fried ripe plantains
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Cover the tripe with juice from half of the lemon, water and salt, let rest for 10 minutes and repeat. Rinse well the last time.
- In a large stock pot, cover the tripe with 10 cups of water, cilantro sprigs, garlic, salt, and cumin, bring to a boil, reduce temperature and simmer until tender, about 2 hours, drain and save 2 cups of the broth.
- Mix the peanut butter with ½ cup of milk to soften it (so that it mixes in better later).
- Dice the tripe into small pieces.
- Prepare a refrito with the butter, achiote, cumin, salt, oregano, chopped onion, bell pepper, tomato and garlic, cook until the onions are translucent and soft, about 5 minutes.
- Blend the refrito, remaining milk and peanut butter sauce to obtain a smooth sauce.
- Place the blended sauce, the 2 cups of reserved tripe broth, the diced potatoes and diced tripe in a large stockpot.
- Bring to a boil, reduce temperature and simmer until the potatoes are tender and the sauce starts to thicken, about 25 minutes.
- Lightly mash some of the potatoes to help thicken the sauce.
- Taste and add salt/pepper if needed.
- Serve with white rice, onion curtido, tomato slices, avocado slices and a good hot sauce.
Notes
Guatita is a typical dish from Ecuador and yes, like most of our typical dishes, it is also known as a great hangover cure (I swear we are not a country of alcoholics, we just like swift recuperation for the occasional time we do drink). In each city, there are restaurants that are known for being the best places to eat guatita, and if you go by one of these restaurants on a Saturday or Sunday morning, you will find them completely packed.
My mom, during her vegetarian phase, used to make this dish with seitan or vegetarian wheat meat. It was one of the few ways she could get us to eat it and it was mainly because the potato and peanut sauce were so tasty. So if you’re looking for an alternative to tripe you can replace it with other ingredients, I’ve made it with tuna (one of those days that I was craving it and only had potatoes , peanut butter and a can of tuna fish available) and it was good; but even if you just want to try tripe once out of curiosity or are ready to give tripe a second chance I recommend that you try this dish, be adventurous as Nicolas (my husband) would say.
Step by step preparation photos for Ecuadorian guatita or tripe stew with potatoes and peanuts
Laylita,
I have been using your recipes for over a year now they are all terrific. My husband is from Pallatanga Ecuador and I am from the U.S so I never really knew how to prepare a authentic Ecuadorian dish until I found your website. And like the other’s we live in Ohio so no Ecuadorian restaurants around here only Mexican. I have made the guatita over two years ago but I pretty much guessed how to make it winged it and threw in my own ingredients (it turned out ok)but I am thrilled to finally have a recipe to use. It was hit. I agree with the other girls you should publish a cook book your stuff is great.
Gracias, Laylita! I grew up with this food, but no one ever wrote the recipe down and now I have a way to try and make it at home, too. I really believe you should publish a cook book, you are very talented!
Thank you so much!! Finally, I learned how to cook this dish. My hubby loved it!
After several years of living in Quito, it was a revelation one day when a friend’s mom told me she could prepare guatita “sin guata” so I could try it (I’m a vegetarian). I never realized that she only added the guata just before serving. Since then, I’ve been hooked. I’ve tried adding tofu to give this delicious dish some protein, but my favorite way to do it is to add chunks of hard-boiled egg just before serving. The egg tastes great with the creamy peanut and potato sauce. Not the most authentic version, but that’s MY “guatita sin guata.” Thanks for showing Ecuadorian cuisine in all it’s glory, Laylita!
Laylita gracias por la receta de mondongo es riquisima con la salsa de cebolla roja.
I haven’t made this dish in such a long time but since I am not able to find any Ecuadorian restuarants in DFW Texas i thought I would bring a little peice of Ecuador home for my hubby! He loves guatita and hasN’T been able to go to Ecuador to visit.
I browsed looking for a refresher recipe to assure I would make it correctly but you have add some ingridients that I have not used so I am super excited to try it your way! I looks YUMMY!
Love the site, it is very helpful!!!
Just made this for my germán husband. I lived in Ecuador for 7 years and Im really enjoying your recipes. Now i don’t Have to wait for my Tia’s to visit to enjoy all these traditional dishes. Thank you. :)
Your recipe was quite clear. My husband is ecuadorian and this is his favorite dish. We live in Kentucky and I haven’t found tripe. However (for any vegetarians out there….)my son is a vegetarian, so I’ve been experimenting with different ways to prepare tofu. I adapted the guatita recipe with tofu. I saute the refrito and potatoes together. Mix the peanut (natural peanut butter with no sugar) and milk, sprinkle in achiote (thank you Mexican stores), add salt and cumin to taste and waaa laaa. Oh, I marinade tofu in soy sauce, worcesthire sauce, salt and pepper previously, then cut into cubes, bread and saute, then toss into the pot. Nummy. If you are not too keen on tripe, you might try this nutritious dish!
My favorite dish has always been “Guatita” and it was amazing when my mom made it…. Never learned how to make it and I’m glad I tried your recipe, it came out great…. I will be making it more often… Thanks again!
It’s is so good!!!! My family love it.