Mexican Pozole Rojo

About This Recipe

Pozole (from the Nahuatl 'pozolli', meaning foamy or boiled) is one of Mexico's oldest and most ceremonially significant dishes. The Aztecs prepared it with corn (hominy) and sometimes human flesh for sacred rituals — a practice that ended with Spanish colonisation when pork replaced the forbidden ingredient. Today pozole is one of Mexico's great national dishes, a deeply satisfying stew of puffed hominy corn and pork or chicken in a rich dried-chilli broth, served with a full table of garnishes that each diner adds to their own taste. Pozole rojo (red) uses guajillo and ancho chillies; verde (green) uses tomatillos and green chillies; blanco (white) uses no chilli paste at all.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 1 kgpork shoulder(cut into large chunks)
• 2 × 400 gcanned hominy corn(drained and rinsed)
• 6dried guajillo chillies
• 3dried ancho chillies
• 1 largeonion(halved)
• 6 clovesgarlic
• 1.5 litreschicken or pork stock
• 2 tsporegano(Mexican if available)
• 1 tspcumin
• 1 to tastesalt
• ¼ headcabbage(shredded, to serve)
• 8radishes(thinly sliced, to serve)
• 1 to servedried oregano
• 1 to servelime wedges
• 1 to servetostadas

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the chilli sauce

   Toast and soak dried chillies. Blend with half the onion, garlic, oregano and cumin until smooth.

2. 2

   Cook the pork

   Simmer pork in stock with remaining onion for 1 hour until tender. Skim any foam.

3. 3

   Shred and add chilli sauce

   Remove pork, shred and return to pot. Strain chilli sauce directly into the broth.

4. 4

   Add hominy

   Add hominy. Simmer 20 minutes. Season with salt.

5. 5

   Serve with garnishes

   Ladle into deep bowls. Let diners add their own toppings: cabbage, radish, oregano and lime.

Variations

• •

  Pozole verde: blend tomatillos and green chillies instead of red.

• •

  Pozole blanco: omit the chilli sauce for a lighter, clear broth version.

• •

  Use chicken thighs instead of pork for a quicker version.

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

Storage

Keeps in the fridge for 5 days. The hominy soaks up broth as it sits — add stock when reheating.

Frequently Asked Questions