Pozole Rojo
3
- Prep Time30 min
- Total Time3 h 30 min
- MakesServes 8 to 10
Produced by Sun Ngo; photography by Christie Vuong ; food styling by Eshun Mott; prop styling by Rayna Marlee Schwartz. Pink and red striped textile by kateaustindesigns.com.
You will have a hard time finding two Mexican households that agree on how to make this beloved pork and chili soup. Cumin? No cumin? Whole onion or chopped? Two things everyone knows, though, is that it’s always worth the effort, and it always tastes better the next day.
Broth
1 large onion, peeled
1 whole clove
1.36 kg pork shoulder, cut into 2 to 3 large pieces and trimmed of fat
1 pig’s foot, cleaned and trimmed
8 to 10 black peppercorns
8 garlic cloves
2 fresh bay leaves
1 tbsp kosher salt
Chili Paste
4 guajillo chilies, stems and seeds removed
3 pasilla chilies, stems and seeds removed
2 ancho chilies, stems and seeds removed
1/2 cup chopped white onion
4 garlic cloves
1/2 tbsp kosher salt
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
4 439-g cans white hominy, drained and thoroughly rinsed (see tip)
For serving
Thinly sliced radishes
Thinly shredded iceberg lettuce or cabbage
Sliced avocado
Diced white onion
Crumbled cotija cheese
Corn chips
1/2 bunch chopped fresh cilantro
Dried oregano
Lime wedges
Instructions
Broth: Cut onion in half, then stick whole clove into one of the halves. Combine pork shoulder, pig’s foot, onion halves, peppercorns, 8 garlic cloves, bay leaves and 1 tbsp salt in a large pot. Cover with fresh cold water by 1 to 2 in. and set over high. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-high. Simmer for 10 to 12 min, skimming off any foam that floats to the surface. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and continue gently simmering until meat is tender and broth is fragrant and thick with collagen from the pork, about 1 hr 30 min.
Chili Paste: Meanwhile, boil a kettle of water. Using kitchen scissors, cut through each dried chili to lay them flat in a large bowl. Cover with 1½ cups boiling water and let soak until chilies are very soft and water is darkly coloured, about 30 min. Pour chilies and soaking liquid into a blender, along with chopped onion, 4 garlic cloves, ½ tbsp salt, cumin and oregano. Blend until smooth. Set aside.
Remove and discard onion, pig’s foot, pepper- corns, garlic and bay leaves from broth. Transfer pork pieces from broth to cutting board. Set aside.
Strain chili paste though a fine-mesh strainer into broth. Stir to combine, then add hominy. Shred the still-warm pork pieces and add to broth. Reduce heat to low. Continue gently simmering until flavours have harmonized and meat and hominy are fully cooked through, up to 1 hr.
Ladle into bowls and serve alongside garnishes.
Kitchen Tips
- For another layer of flavour, sear the pork and pig’s foot on each side for about 1 to 2 min until they form a bit of crust before making the broth. Toast the dried chilies on a hot, dry pan for 1 to 2 min before soaking, but be careful not to burn them.
- Pork broth can be made one day before making pozole, and is in fact preferable: after cooking, remove and discard the pig’s foot and refrigerate broth until ready to continue the recipe. Before reheating, you may wish to remove the solidified fat overtop for a clearer broth.
- In Canada, hominy—also called pozole or mote in Latin American countries—is mostly sold canned. If you’re lucky enough to find it dried, use it! Cook according to package instructions before using in pozole.
Chantal Braganza is a writer and editor living in Toronto. She is deputy editor, food at Chatelaine, a cookbook nerd, lover of vintage dish ware, and currently training for yoga teacher certification. Her first book, Story of Your Mother, is out with Strange Light Press.
