Ecuadorian Peanut Tripe Stew (Guatita) — Creamy Potato and Peanut Stew

• 900 gcleaned honeycomb beef tripe
• 3 lcold water
• 2lemon (halved, for rinsing and simmering)
• 1 tbspfine sea salt
• 3 clovegarlic (crushed)
• 2 leafbay leaves
• 2scallions (trimmed)
• 2 tbspachiote oil
• 1large yellow onion (finely diced)
• 2 tspground cumin
• 1 tspdried oregano
• 0.5 tspground achiote
• 160 gsmooth natural peanut butter (unsweetened, made from roasted peanuts)
• 360 mlwhole milk
• 500 mlreserved tripe cooking liquid
• 600 gwaxy potatoes (peeled and cut into 2 cm cubes)
• 0.5 tspground black pepper
• 0.5 bunchcilantro (leaves and tender stems chopped)
• 6 cupcooked long-grain white rice
• 2ripe avocado (sliced)
• 0.75 cupají criollo (Ecuadorian fresh hot sauce)
• 120 gchifles (optional plantain chips for the table)

Instructions

1. 1

   Rub the cleaned tripe all over with the cut sides of 1 lemon, then rinse it under cold running water for 2 minutes. Place it in a large pot with 3 l cold water, the remaining lemon halves, 1 tbsp salt, 3 crushed garlic cloves, bay leaves, and scallions.

2. 2

   Bring the pot to a boil over medium-high heat, skimming any foam that rises during the first 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, cover the pot partly, and cook for 90 to 120 minutes, until the tripe is tender enough to pierce easily with a knife.

3. 3

   Lift the tripe onto a cutting board and strain the cooking liquid through a fine sieve. Reserve exactly 500 ml of the cooking liquid for the sauce, then cut the tripe into bite-size strips about 1 cm wide.

4. 4

   Heat the achiote oil in a heavy pot over medium heat and add the diced onion. Cook for 8 minutes, stirring often, until the onion is soft and translucent but not browned, which creates the Ecuadorian refrito base.

5. 5

   Stir in the minced garlic, cumin, oregano, and ground achiote, and cook for 60 seconds until fragrant. Keep the heat moderate so the spices bloom in the oil without scorching or turning bitter.

6. 6

   Whisk the peanut butter with the whole milk in a bowl until smooth, then pour it into the refrito. Add the reserved tripe cooking liquid gradually while stirring, so the maní sauce becomes creamy and evenly blended.

7. 7

   Add the sliced tripe, cubed potatoes, 1.5 tsp salt, and 0.5 tsp black pepper to the pot. Simmer uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and the sauce has thickened to a spoon-coating consistency.

8. 8

   Fold in the chopped cilantro and simmer for 2 minutes to brighten the stew. Let the guatita rest off the heat for 10 minutes before serving, because the peanut sauce thickens and the tripe absorbs more flavor as it stands.

9. 9

   Serve the guatita hot with cooked white rice, avocado slices, ají criollo, and chifles on the side. For a larger Ecuadorian family meal, offer it with llapingachos as an additional potato accompaniment.