This vegan menudo rojo is the perfect winter soup! The broth is slow cooked from an infusion of blended chiles, roasted onions, and garlic - and the dried snow fungus mushrooms make the perfect substitution for tripe! Make a big batch to last the entire week!
Cover dried mushrooms with enough warm water so that they are fully submerged. Set aside for 30 minutes to rehydrate.
Turn oven broiler on high.
Menudo Base
Remove stems and as many seeds as you can from the dried chiles.
Broil chiles for 1-2 minutes on the middle rack of the oven. Make sure not to broil the chiles too long, or they will burn and ruin the base of your menudo. Remove from oven and set aside.
In a pot on high heat, add oil and pan fry onions until they become crispy on the edges, about 2-3 minutes.
Add garlic and toss until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
Add broth, dehydrated chiles, and seasonings.
Bring to a boil for about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool, about 15-20 minutes.
Once cooled, add all ingredients to a blender (including broth). Save the pot aside for menudo.
Blend on high until you reach the smoothest consistency. For us, it took about 2 minutes.
In a fine mesh strainer, strain chile liquid into a bowl of any extra seeds, skin, ect.
Menudo
Once your dried snow mushrooms are rehydrated, chop roughly and set aside.
In the same pot you used to rehydrate your chiles, add oil on medium high heat.
Once oil is hot, saute onions, jalapeno and garlic for about 5-7 minutes.
Add broth, menudo base or chile paste, rehydrated snow mushrooms, oregano, and cumin.
Stirring constantly, bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to low, add hominy and simmer for 10 minutes. Add carrots and simmer another 10 minutes or until carrots are cooked through.