Pozole Blanco is a traditional Mexican pork and hominy stew that is bursting with flavor. This shortcut version transforms leftovers into a hearty meal.
Pozole is a traditional Mexican soup (or stew) made of hominy and pork that is simple to make and features a spread of toppings that lets each person customize their dinner.
What Is Hominy?
We had the same question.
Hominy is corn that has been treated to give it a chewy texture, puffy shape, and flavor vaguely reminiscent of a corn tortilla.
Dried corn kernels are soaked in a lime or lye solution to soften the tough outer hulls, in a process that has been done since around 1500 BC.
Once soaked, the kernels are washed to remove the solution and the hulls. The calcium in the solution initiates a chemical change which makes is possible to make massa, the corn flour used in tamales and corn tortillas.
If you’ve ever made your own corn tortillas with massa harina (a special kind of corn flour), you may have wondered about the difference between massa and plain old corn meal. (I know we have!) The difference is in this process. The chemical change that takes place during soaking in the lime or lye solution makes it possible for massa to form a dough by just adding water. If you tried adding water to corn meal, you’d end up with something quite a bit messier than massa dough.
Aside from making the corn perfect for tortilla-making, the soaking adds additional calcium to the corn and makes some of its nutrients easier to digest.
Where To Find Hominy
Hominy is most commonly found canned in your grocery store’s canned vegetable section, but stores with a large Mexican section will most likely also carry it dried.
To cook it up from dried you simply boil it, like you would a pot of beans.
(See all those white and yellow things in the stew? That’s hominy! We decided to try yellow and white for ours, just to see the difference. They were pretty similar in flavor and texture.)
Our Pozole Blanco Recipe
Pozole (pronounced po-so-le) is a traditional Mexican stew.
Like many dished with a deep-rooted cultural significance, pozole changes quite a bit depending on which region it comes from. But, hominy always remains one of the main ingredients.
This blanco (white) version is cooked in a clear broth, and it seems to be the base for the other variations.
You can also find a red version that uses red chilies and a green version, using green chilies, tomatillos, and other green add-ins.
How To Serve Pozole
Pozole is typically served with a number of toppings. Sliced radishes, shredded cabbage or lettuce, lime wedges, salsa, diced onion, avocado, and tortilla chips are all common additions.
Each person can mix up their own bowl to their tastes, adding whatever toppings they like best!
I loved mine topped with radishes and cabbage.
Tim went for the salsa and lime.
No matter how you dress it up, pozole is a hearty comfort food that warms you right up.
Quick Pozole Blanco
Ingredients
- ½ tsp salted butter
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 ½ c chicken stock (we prefer low sodium)
- 1 ½ c cooked pork roast or shoulder, shredded
- 2 (15 oz) cans hominy
- 1 tsp oregano
- Salt (to taste)
Optional Toppings
- Sliced radishes
- Shredded cabbage or lettuce
- Lime wedges
- Tortilla chips
- Salsa
Instructions
- Heat butter in a medium soup pot. Add onion and garlic. Saute over medium heat 3-5 minutes, until golden.
- Add chicken stock, pork, drained hominy, and oregano. Bring the mixture to a simmer and simmer, covered over medium-low heat for 20 minutes.
- Prepare your toppings while the soup is simmering.
- Taste the soup and add salt, if needed, before serving with toppings as desired.
Nutrition
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Sarah is one of Curious Cuisiniere’s founding duo. Her love for cultural cuisines was instilled early by her French Canadian Grandmother. Her experience in the kitchen and in recipe development comes from years working in professional kitchens. She has traveled extensively and enjoys bringing the flavors of her travels back to create easy-to-make recipes.
lk529
Saturday 31st of January 2015
And all along I thought hominy was a completely separate plant in the corn family!
Sarah
Sunday 1st of February 2015
I had no idea what hominy was before this dish!
Couscous & Consciousness
Thursday 29th of January 2015
This looks like a deliciously comforting bowl of soupy stew :-) We certainly can't get hominy in my part of the world, but I'm guessing you could use some corn kernels at a pinch.
Sarah
Friday 30th of January 2015
You could use corn for a tasty stew. It would have a bit of a different flavor, but if you served it with corn tortilla strips, you'd get pretty close! Otherwise, we did find this post on making your own hominy from dried corn kernels. We haven't tried it, so if you do, let us know how it turns out. http://www.veggieobsession.com/2011/01/nixtamalization-making-posolehominy.html
Jess @ Flying on Jess Fuel
Wednesday 28th of January 2015
I love hominy but I always forget about it!!! This soup looks so yummy, great pick!!
Melissa
Tuesday 27th of January 2015
I have never had hominy before, but this stew looks so good that I think I might have to give it a try soon! Excellent choice this month :)
Erin @ The Spiffy Cookie
Tuesday 27th of January 2015
I so rarely use hominy, but I love the look of this soup1 Very well garnished.
Sarah
Tuesday 27th of January 2015
We had never used it before. But, it has such a fun flavor and texture, I'm glad we discovered it!