Callos con Garbanzos Santandereanos: Colombian Tripe & Chickpea Stew
Callos con Garbanzos is a highly traditional, incredibly savory dish from the Santander region of Colombia. It masterfully combines the soft, unique texture of beef or veal tripe (callos or menudo) with the rich creaminess of perfectly cooked chickpeas. It is the ultimate comfort food and a phenomenal option for a heavy, satisfying weekend lunch.
The secret to this 1-hour and 25-minute recipe is utilizing the pressure cooker to break down the tough tripe until it is melt-in-your-mouth tender, and utilizing a pinch of baking soda during the boil. Frying the chopped tripe in a rich pork-lard sofrito and finishing the stew with a generous pour of beer creates an unforgettable depth of flavor!
Callos con Garbanzos Santandereanos (Tripe & Chickpea Stew)
A legendary, hearty stew from Santander! Tender tripe and creamy chickpeas slow-cooked in a rich beer and achiote sofrito.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs Beef or Veal tripe Callos, menudo, o toalla
- 1 lb Chickpeas Garbanzos, soaked overnight
- 3 cups Beer Roughly 2 standard bottles
- 2 tablespoons Pork lard or cooking oil Manteca de cerdo o aceite
- 3 Ripe tomatoes Finely chopped
- 2 Bulb onions Finely chopped
- 2 Garlic cloves Minced
- 1 Red bell pepper Finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon Achiote or color
- 1 pinch Baking soda Bicarbonato de sodio
- Salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
- Cumin to taste
Instructions
- Soak the chickpeas: The very first step, which must be done the day before, is to place your chickpeas in a large bowl of water and leave them soaking overnight to soften.
- Pressure cook the tripe: Place the thoroughly washed tripe into a pressure cooker with enough water to completely cover it. Add salt and a pinch of baking soda. Seal and cook under pressure for 45 minutes until very tender. (Chef's Hack: If using a standard pot, you must boil the tripe for roughly 2 hours!)
- Pressure cook the chickpeas: In a separate pressure cooker (or in batches), cook the soaked chickpeas with a pinch of salt for about 30 minutes until creamy but not falling apart. (If using a standard pot, boil for 1 hour or more).
- Build the Sofrito: Once the tripe is ready, remove it from the water, drain it well, and cut it into small, bite-sized pieces. In a large, heavy pot, heat the pork lard and lightly fry the chopped tripe along with the finely chopped tomatoes, onions, garlic, and red bell pepper. Season generously with salt, cumin, achiote, and black pepper.
- Combine and simmer: Once the sofrito is fragrant and the vegetables have broken down, add the cooked chickpeas into the pot. Pour in the 3 cups of beer, mix everything thoroughly, and let the stew simmer uncovered over low heat for another 20 minutes so the liquid reduces and the flavors marry perfectly. Serve hot!
Video
Notes
- Level Up the Flavor: If you want to give the sofrito an even more intense, smoky flavor, it is incredibly popular to add chopped Spanish chorizo directly into the pan while frying the vegetables!
- Time-Saving Hack: To make the day-of preparation faster, you can absolutely pressure-cook the chickpeas the day before and simply store them in the refrigerator until you are ready to assemble the stew.
- Nutritional Powerhouse: Veal tripe is a massive source of essential minerals like iron, magnesium, zinc, phosphorus, and potassium. It is especially rich in selenium; a single 150-gram serving completely covers the recommended daily intake of this mineral! It also provides a significant boost of B-complex vitamins, particularly B2 and niacin.
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