Pozole Rojo
Pozole takes its name from the Nahuatl word pozolli, referring to the hominy at its center, corn kernels soaked in an alkaline bath until they puff and split. Pozole rojo gets its color from dried red chiles blended into the broth: ancho for sweetness, guajillo for tang, pasilla for a dark, almost raisiny depth, a trio that shows up across Mexican cooking wherever a red sauce needs real complexity. Most versions fry that sauce in lard before it goes into the pot. Here it simmers directly instead, the same slow-cooked trick pozole verde uses to round out the sauce's raw edge without any fat. Torn cremini mushrooms take over the shredded, chewy texture pork usually gives the dish. Serve it the way pozole is always served, with bowls of cabbage, radish, and lime passed at the table so everyone finishes their own.
Ingredients
- 2 Anchos, stemmed and seeded
- 3 Guajillos, stemmed and seeded
- 1 Pasilla, stemmed and seeded
- 1 Yellow onion, quartered
- 4 cloves Garlic
- 1/4 tsp cassia cinnamon, ground
- 2 Cloves
- 1 tsp Dried oregano
- 2 Bay leaves
- 8 oz Cremini mushrooms, torn into rough shreds
- 4 cups Hominy, cooked, or two 25 oz cans, drained and rinsed
- 1 tbsp no-salt vegetable bouillon
- 2 Limes
- 2 cups green cabbage, shredded, for serving
- 4 Radishes, thinly sliced, for serving
Method
- Set a dry skillet over medium heat. Toast the ancho, guajillo, and pasilla a few seconds a side, pressing them flat with a spatula, until they smell toasty and turn pliable and fragrant. A few seconds past this point and they turn bitter, so watch them closely. Tear the chiles into pieces and cover with 2 cups (480 ml) just-boiled water. Let soak 15 minutes, until soft.
- While the chiles soak, toast the cinnamon and cloves in the same dry skillet for 30 seconds, just until fragrant.
- Drain the softened chiles, keeping the soaking liquid. Blend the chiles with the quartered onion, garlic, toasted cinnamon and cloves, and 1 cup of the reserved soaking liquid until completely smooth. This red sauce does the job lard usually does in pozole rojo, and it needs no oil to carry its flavor once it has simmered.
- Pour the sauce into a pot and bring to a simmer, stirring often, for 10 minutes. The color deepens from bright red to a darker brick as the raw onion and garlic cook out.
- Add the hominy, mushrooms, oregano, bay leaves, and the bouillon dissolved in 4 cups (960 ml) water. Simmer uncovered for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have softened into shreds and the broth has thickened slightly from the hominy's starch.
- Discard the bay leaves. Squeeze in the juice of 1 lime and taste. The toasted chiles and warm spices carry enough depth that no salt is needed.
- Ladle into bowls and top with shredded cabbage, sliced radish, and wedges cut from the second lime, letting everyone finish their own bowl at the table the way pozole is always served.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 150 calories, 5 g protein, 7 g fiber, 140 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
