Pozole Rojo

Before You Start

Sieving the chilli purée is essential; unsieved skins give the broth a gritty texture.

Dried hominy, soaked overnight and simmered for 2 hours, is superior to tinned if you can find it.

Pozole tastes under-seasoned until the lime and oregano go on. Season the broth, then trust the garnishes.

How to Make Pozole Rojo

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1. Put the pork shoulder and ribs in a large pot with the onion, garlic, bay and salt. Cover with 3 litres of cold water and bring slowly to a simmer, skimming the scum carefully for the first 15 minutes.

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2. Simmer gently, partly covered, for 1.5 hours until the pork is tender.

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3. Meanwhile toast the dried chillies in a dry pan for 30 seconds a side, then soak in hot water for 20 minutes.

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4. Blend the drained chillies with 300 ml of the pork broth, the oregano and cumin until completely smooth, then pass through a fine sieve.

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5. Lift the meat out, discard the aromatics and strain the broth. Shred the shoulder coarsely and pick the rib meat off the bones.

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6. Return the broth to the pot, stir in the chilli purée and simmer for 20 minutes to marry.

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7. Add the hominy and the shredded meat and simmer 20 minutes more. Taste and adjust the salt — pozole needs more than you expect.

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8. Serve in deep bowls with every garnish in its own dish, so each person builds their own.

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Why the Method Works

Hominy is maize treated with an alkali, a process called nixtamalisation that releases niacin and gives the kernels their distinctive puffy chew and aroma. The broth is built in two stages — pork simmered first, chilli purée added later — so the chillies never boil long enough to turn bitter.

Storage and Reheating

Refrigerate 4 days, freeze 3 months. The broth deepens overnight. Reheat gently and refresh the garnishes.

Changing the Recipe

• Dried chilli flakes can stand in for the chillies. Heat varies a great deal between chillies and between jars, so start with a small pinch and add more to taste.
• Lemon is the everyday swap for limes in this kind of dish — the acidity plays the same role even though the flavour is not identical.
• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.

What to Serve Alongside

• Mexican lager or a hibiscus agua fresca
• The garnish plate is the side dish
• Finish with cinnamon-dusted churros

Sides from the same cuisine on this site: Instant Pot Black Beans, One Pan Mexican Rice, Pan de Muerto.

Pozole Rojo Nutrition

No nutrition figures are given for this recipe: they cannot be worked out reliably from its ingredient list (some ingredient lines cannot be read). Why some recipes have none.

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