Pozole
(Mexican pork and hominy stew)
Pozole is a special occasion dish in Mexico, especially in Guerrero State. Restaurants called pozolerías specialize in it. This dish is a well known cure for hangovers and is often eaten in the wee hours of the morning as a preventive. Pozole is also popular in New Mexico, where it is usually spelled posole.
4 to 6 servings
- Pork shoulder or roast -- 1 1/2 to 2 pounds
- Canned or fresh hominy, rinsed -- 2 to 3 cups
- Garlic -- 3 to 5 cloves
- Salt -- 2 teaspoons
- Water or stock -- 6 cups
Garnishes
- Cabbage or iceberg lettuce, shredded
- Onion, finely diced
- Radishes, thinly sliced
- Limes, cut into wedges
- Avocado, diced
- Oregano, dried
- Chile piquín, ground
Method
- Add the pork, hominy, garlic, salt and stock or water to a large pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and then reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the meat is very tender.
- Remove the pot from heat. Take the pork from pot and set aside to cool. When cool enough to handle, remove the meat from its bones and shred it with your hands.
- Add the meat back to the pot and simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes. Adjust seasoning and serve with little bowls of your choice of garnishes so each dinner can garnish his or her own serving.
Variations
- Pozole varies according to region, but the above recipe is the most basic and is known as pozole blanco, or white pozole. It is popular in Guadalajara.
- Pozole Rojo (Red pozole): This variation is popular in Michoacán and Jalisco States. It is the same as the above recipe, but dried chiles are added. Remove the stems and seeds from 3 to 5 ancho or guajillo chiles. Mix them with a little of the hot liquid from the stewpot and soak for 20 to 30 minutes until soft. Puree in a blender and strain through a sieve into the stew for the last 30 to 45 minutes of cooking.
- Pozole Verde (Green pozole): Popular in Guerrero State. Follow the above recipe. Toast 1 cup of shelled pumpkin seeds (pepitas), and then puree the seeds in a blender with 1 to 2 cups of canned or fresh cooked tomatillos, a chopped jalapeño, a couple of leaves of lettuce, a few sprigs of chopped cilantro and a little liquid from the stewpot. Strain through a sieve into a hot skillet and boil rapidly for about 5 minutes to cook down a little. Stir into the stew for the last 20 to 30 minutes of simmering.
- Many recipes call for a mixture of chicken and pork. First simmer a whole chicken until the meat is tender. Remove the chicken, cool, remove the meat from its bones and shred. Set the chicken meat aside and continue with the above recipe, adding the pork to the chicken broth you just made. Add the shredded chicken back in to the pozole along with the shredded pork.
- Large batches of pozole are often made for special occasions, and the addition of a pig's head and pig's feet add immeasurably to both the flavor and texture of the final dish.
- Sometimes a raw egg is stirred into the stew just before serving.
Notes
- The word pozole is Nahuatl in origin and means "foam," as the Aztecs believed hominy resembled a foamy froth.
This recipe lacks one ingredient.
The recipe is missing comino spice (cumin). Half a teaspoon will do for the recipe. It will give it a smoky flavor. You might wan't to add some cilantro leaves (coriander leaves) after it is cooked. You will enjoy it I will bet you.
Smokey?
You cracker....Pozole isn't supposed to have a "smokey" flavor. It's PORK SOUP!
SMOKEY
Rodrigo is right, im from comachuen nd posole is a great dish, you should try it.
Cilantro??? Cumin??? Where
Cilantro??? Cumin???
Where in the world do they eat the Pozole like that????
Posole with cumin and cilantro!!
EVERYWHERE........I have lived in Chicago, Seattle, L A, Phoenix, and all over New Mexico. Adding cumin and cilantro is a must!!!
The Pozole I used to get in
The Pozole I used to get in Guadalajara was made with pork and chicken, otherwise your recipe is the same.
extra spice
When I make pozole, I add oregano to it. It gives it a little extra flavor.
Why put someone down because
Why put someone down because of thier taste ?
I have tried both cilantro and/or cumin,,and they really flavor up my pazole.
Enjoy..
Yum, def add Cumin and Cilantro (and sour cream!)
I live in So Cal where I am a minority to the Mexicans and they make the BEST Rojo Pozole here and they DO include the ingredients cumin to the pozole and cilantro and sour cream as condiments and this recipe is awesome, thank you!!!
To Cumin or not to Cumin?
I always add cumin to my pozole, amongst other ingredients. I have been told endless times again and again from all my Chicano family members, all my Mexican family memebers and all friends of different ethnic backgrounds that they have never tasted pozole as good as mine. To cumin or not to cumin?...it's all an individual taste. As with tamales, pozoles differ in different areas.
To Cumin or not to Cumin?
I always add cumin to my pozole, amongst other ingredients. I have been told endless times again and again from all my Chicano family members, all my Mexican family memebers and all friends of different ethnic backgrounds that they have never tasted pozole as good as mine. To cumin or not to cumin?...it's all an individual taste. As with tamales, pozoles differ in different areas.
To Cumin or not to Cumin?
I always add cumin to my pozole, amongst other ingredients. I have been told endless times again and again from all my Chicano family members, all my Mexican family memebers and all friends of different ethnic backgrounds that they have never tasted pozole as good as mine. To cumin or not to cumin?...it's all an individual taste. As with tamales, pozoles differ in different areas.
Acuracy of pozole recipe
Right on with the RUIZ and DEVAL sections of my family....one exception, they both grind the dried oregano (3 TSP) with a little salt.....not as a garnish outlined above. We only use jullienned radishes, fine shredded cabbage and lime wedges as garnish. Plus the DEVAL family cooks the onion and the oregano with the pork.
Variations on a Great Theme
I've eaten pozole here, I've eaten pozole there, I've eaten pozole everywhere, and like a lot of great dishes, it's flexible and can be customized to your own tastes.
Some tips:
(1) The broth can be underflavored. Toss in some chicken bullion powder to punch it up.
(2) Try adding a couple TBS of paprika to get a red, more full-bodied broth.
(3) Instead of messing with individual cloves of garlic, throw in a whole unpeeled head with the pork at the start and fish it out at the end.
(4) Cumin, oregano, white pepper, can all be used. Cilantro is a must, but since the flavor of cilantro cooks out, we add fresh chopped as a condiment for the most intense flavor.
(5) Drain the canned hominy and wash it off, then add just long enough to heat through. Otherwise it'll get mushy.
(6) Standard condiments are chopped jalapenos, cilantro,lettuce,lime juice; chopped white onion; sliced radish. The green, white, and red are the colors of the Mexican flag.
(7) Like most stews and soups, pozole's even better the next day.