Pozole rojo
The name is usually traced to the Nahuatl pozolli — "foamy", because the corn kernels burst and open out like flowers as they cook. This is not ordinary corn: hominy is nixtamalised, cooked in lime water, which dissolves the hull and releases its niacin. That same treatment gives the kernels their characteristic flavour, familiar from corn tortillas.
Your own work in that: 0 min.
- Simmering the pork 120 min
- Chilli paste 30 min
- Simmering together 45 min
- Garnishes 15 min
Step by step
0 / 7 doneSimmer the pork gently for two hours
Cover the shoulder with cold water, bring to a boil, skim and simmer for 2 hours with the onion, garlic and bay, until the meat falls apart under a fork. Lift out the meat and shred it with two forks, then strain the broth. Keep all the broth — it becomes the base of the soup.
Ingredients: 900 g pork shoulder · 1 pcs onion · 6 cloves garlic · 2 pcs bay leaves · 2500 ml water · 2 tsp salt
Toast the chillies in a dry pan
Seed the dried chillies and toast them in a dry pan for 30 seconds a side, until fragrant and slightly changed in colour. No longer — a scorched chilli is bitter, and that bitterness cannot be removed from the soup afterwards.
Ingredients: 60 g dried chillies · 3 cloves garlic · ½ pcs onion · 1 tsp ground cumin · 1 tbsp oregano
Soak the chillies in boiling water
Cover the toasted chillies with boiling water and weight them down with a saucer so they stay submerged. Leave for 25 minutes, until completely soft and as pliable as leather.
Ingredients: 60 g dried chillies · 3 cloves garlic · ½ pcs onion · 1 tsp ground cumin · 1 tbsp oregano
Weighted with a saucer, fully submerged.Blend, then sieve without fail
Blitz the chillies with the garlic, onion, cumin, oregano and a cup of broth until smooth, then push it through a sieve, pressing. The skins stay behind, and no blender breaks them down — skip this and the soup is gritty and scratches the throat.
Ingredients: 60 g dried chillies · 3 cloves garlic · ½ pcs onion · 1 tsp ground cumin · 1 tbsp oregano
Skins in the sieve — the soup should be smooth.Fry the paste before adding broth
Skim 2 tablespoons of fat from the surface of the broth and heat it in a large pot. Pour in the paste (careful, it spits) and fry for 5 minutes, stirring, until it darkens and thickens. The same mechanism as in any curry: spices in fat give up aroma they never release in water.
Ingredients: 60 g dried chillies · 3 cloves garlic · ½ pcs onion · 1 tsp ground cumin · 1 tbsp oregano
Combine and simmer 40 minutes
Add the broth, the shredded meat and the drained hominy and simmer for 40 minutes. The kernels take up the chilli flavour and burst open like flowers — which is thought to be where the name comes from. Season with salt at the end.
Ingredients: 800 g hominy · 300 g white cabbage · 10 pcs radishes · 3 pcs limes · 1 pcs onion · 1 tbsp oregano · 6 pcs corn tortillas
Burst kernels opened out like flowers.Serve with plates of garnishes
Put separate plates of shredded cabbage, sliced radish, chopped onion, oregano and lime wedges on the table, with warm tortillas alongside. Everyone adds their own — the raw, crisp and sour garnishes are the counterweight to a heavy, rich soup, and they are not optional.
Ingredients: 800 g hominy · 300 g white cabbage · 10 pcs radishes · 3 pcs limes · 1 pcs onion · 1 tbsp oregano · 6 pcs corn tortillas
Before you start
Ancho and guajillo
Ancho brings sweetness and depth, guajillo colour and a light acidity. Together they give a fuller flavour than either alone — half and half is a good starting point. A little chipotle adds smoke, but it is easy to let it take over.
Better the next day
Pozole is often cooked for feast days in a big pot and eaten over the following days; it keeps up to 3 days in the fridge. Overnight the chilli flavour moves into the corn and meat, and the fat sets on the surface where it is easy to lift off before reheating.
The verde and blanco versions
Pozole verde uses tomatillos and fresh green chillies instead of dried red ones, while blanco is the broth alone with no chilli at all. All three share the same base: hominy and long-simmered pork.
