Mexican pork and white corn soup (pozole rojo)

Pozole is a pre-Hispanic soup traditionally made by simmering an entire pig’s head for half a day. This more achievable version is a nourishing broth brimming with flavour, studded with hominy and served with crisp vegetables. The result? A satisfying and incredibly textural soup that will sate even the largest appetite.

• serves

  4-6

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  2:30 hours

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 250 g pork shoulder
• 250 g pork ribs
• 2 heads garlic, halved
• 1 onion, halved
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tbsp dried Mexican oregano
• 1 tbsp salt
• 6 guajillo chillies (see Note), stem, seeds removed
• 800 g hominy (see Note), drained, rinsed
• salt and pepper

To serve

• sliced iceberg lettuce
• finely sliced radish
• finely chopped red onion
• lime halves
• pequin chilli powder
• tostadas (see note)

Instructions

Place the pork shoulder and ribs in a stockpot and cover with 3 litres cold water. Bring to a simmer and skim the surface of impurities for 5–10 minutes before adding the garlic, onion, bay leaf, oregano and salt. Simmer for 2–2 ½ hours or until the ribs are tender and can be easily pulled from the bone. Strain stock and reserve (discard solids). Roughly shred pork discarding the rib bones.

Meanwhile, cover the guajillo chillies with hot water and allow to soften for 20 minutes. Drain, then place the chillies in a blender with 2 cups of the reserved stock. Blend until very smooth. Strain the mixture into a large saucepan with the reserved stock and hominy. Return to a medium-low heat and simmer for 30 minutes until the hominy swells and softens. Season to taste.

Add the pork to warm through and ladle into deep bowls. Arrange accompaniments on a plate for diners to garnish their pozole as desired.

Note

• Guajillo chillies are mild dried chillies with a fruity flavour. Latin food stores, specialist spice merchants and online retailers sell Mexican chillies.

• Hominy is a type of corn (not sweetcorn) that has been dried and treated with an alkali solution to soften and break down the outer skin. Sold in tins from Latin grocers, hominy is already cooked but should be rinsed before use.

• Tostadas are deep-fried corn tortillas. If unavailable, substitute unflavoured corn chips.

Photography by Benito Martin. Styling by Kristine Duran-Thiessen. Coloured glassware from Market Import; tiles from Di Lorenzo.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.