Mexican Pozole Soup
Come December, I am like a kid at Christmas since I can hardly wait for this heartwarming soup, a staple of Mexican cuisine, which is typically served around Christmas time. Although this is a tradition for the holidays, I tend to serve this hearty stew year-round, especially when it is cold outside. My host mother in Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula first introduced me to this soup twenty-six years ago. Over the decades, I’ve amended her recipe, modifying the proportions and omitting the meat since I don’t like how it tastes sitting in the soup and being reheated. This adaptation can be made vegetarian or vegan by substituting vegetable broth for chicken broth. I hope this soup becomes a tradition in your family as well!
Ingredients
- 5-6 large chili anchos, the dried version of Anaheim peppers
- 1 ½ cup cooking liquid from boiling chiles, reserved
- 1 large yellow onion
- 2 ½ cups or more romaine lettuce
- 2 bunches radishes, 12 or so per bunch
- 4 extra-large lemons
- 6 cups white hominy, try a 108 oz. can
- 2 ½ cups chicken broth
- ¾ t. or more sea salt
Directions
- Step 1 Boil the chilies. Fill a medium saucepan with hot water and turn up to high heat. Submerge the ancho chilies in the water, which should be high enough to cover the chilies. After bringing the water to a boil, turn down to a simmer and stir occasionally, so all the chilies cook evenly. Boil for around 15 minutes or until the skin of the chilies is soft and pliable.
- Step 2 Prepare the garniture as the chilies are boiling. Wash the radishes and cut off their tips (their tops and bottoms). Add to a food processor and pulse until diced, tossing into a large serving bowl, which can withstand acidic lemon juice. Then, remove the outer skin of the onion and quarter, pulsing in a food processor until diced. Combine the onion with the radishes in the large mixing bowl and squeeze the juice of 4 lemons into the onion/radish mixture. Mix the ingredients, but don’t worry if the lemon juice turns pink from the skin of the radishes. That is to be expected. Note: see the photo above for an example of this garniture.
- Step 3 Purée the chiles. After the chilies are softened, remove the pan from the heat and extract the chilies with tongs, reserving the cooking liquid. Let the chilies cool for 15 minutes or until you can handle them comfortably. Then, cut off the tops of the chilies and use your knife to scrape off their seeds. Purée in a blender with 1½ cups of the chilies’ cooking liquid. Note: the chilies may leave a red stain on your pans and blender, so use old cooking equipment if you have it.
- Step 4 Heat the soup. Lastly, pour 1½ cups of the chili purée in a 6-7 quart stockpot with 2½ cups of broth and 6 cups of hominy. Bring to a boil and season with salt. Serve with a heaping spoonful of the garniture (step 2) and a handful of lettuce that you should freshly shred. Buen provecho!
- Step 5 Note: feel free to add more or less of the chilies to match your palate. In general, ancho chilies aren’t high on the heat scale. Also, feel free to add pork or chicken to this soup if you would prefer a meat version of this vegetarian soup.
This sensational soup fills the home with the flavorful aroma of earthy hominy and smoky chili anchos. The garnish of lemons and radishes lends a textural crunch and tangy note to this unique soup. Note: this soup is mild in heat although using chilies. It is also low in fat and calories.
Nutritional Information: serving size: 1.8 cups, servings per recipe: 6, calories: 202, total fat: 3.38g., saturated fat: 0.54 g., cholesterol: 0 g., sodium: 911 mg., total carbohydrate: 38.82 g., dietary fiber: 9.4 g., total sugars: 6.46 g., protein: 7.46 g., calcium: 71 mg., iron: 3.53 mg., potassium: 719 mg., magnesium: 60 mg., vitamin D: 0 IU, vitamin C: 20.9 mg., vitamin B-1: 0.1 mg., folate: 154 µg.