Pozole Rojo — mexikanische Maissuppe mit Schwein
Mexico's great celebration soup: a deep red, chile-rich pork broth swimming with nubbly hominy corn, simmered for hours and brought to life at the table with a riot of crunchy garnishes — shredded cabbage, radish, onion, lime, oregano and crisp tostadas. Pozole rojo is fiesta food, served at birthdays, holidays and Mexican Independence Day, where the build-your-own bowl is half the joy.
Simmer pork (shoulder and a little on the bone) with onion, garlic and bay until tender, making a rich broth. Meanwhile, toast dried guajillo and ancho chiles, soak them soft, and blend with garlic and a little broth into a smooth red chile sauce; strain it into the pot. Add cooked or canned hominy and the shredded pork, and simmer so the flavours marry. Serve in bowls with a big spread of garnishes — shredded cabbage or lettuce, radish, onion, oregano, lime and tostadas — for everyone to add.
- The red comes from dried chiles (guajillo + ancho) toasted, soaked and blended into a strained sauce — not chilli powder.
- Hominy (nixtamalized corn) is essential for the chewy, distinctive texture — canned is a fine shortcut.
- The garnishes aren't optional — cabbage, radish, onion, oregano, lime and tostadas make the bowl.
Equipment
- Large pot
- Blender
- Sieve
Zutaten
Broth & pork
- 1 kg pork shoulder (plus some on the bone)
- ½ onion, 1 head garlic, bay leaves, salt
- 2 cans white hominy, drained (or dried, cooked)
Red chile sauce
- 4 guajillo chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 2 ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
- 2 garlic cloves; pinch cumin and oregano
Garnishes
- Shredded cabbage or lettuce; sliced radish
- Diced onion; dried oregano; lime wedges
- Tostadas; sliced chile; (optional) avocado
Zubereitung
- SCHRITT01
Simmer the pork with the onion, garlic, bay and salt in plenty of water until very tender, 1.5–2 hours, skimming. Lift out the pork, shred it, and keep the broth.
- SCHRITT02
Toast the dried chiles in a dry pan until fragrant (don't burn), then soak in hot water until soft. Blend with the garlic, cumin, oregano and a little broth until very smooth.
- SCHRITT03
Strain the blended chile sauce through a sieve into the pork broth, pressing to extract all the smooth sauce and leaving the skins behind. This gives a silky red broth.
- SCHRITT04
Add the hominy and shredded pork to the red broth. Simmer 20–30 minutes so the flavours marry and the hominy soaks up the broth. Season well.
- SCHRITT05
Ladle into bowls and bring the garnishes to the table — shredded cabbage, radish, onion, oregano, lime and tostadas — for everyone to load up their own bowl.
Make ahead
Ideal to make ahead — the broth and chile flavours deepen overnight. Make the pozole base a day or two before and reheat to serve, preparing the fresh garnishes just before eating. It's a natural for feeding a crowd at a party.
Storage
Keeps 3–4 days refrigerated and, like most chile-rich stews, tastes even better the next day. Reheat gently. It freezes well (store the broth-and-hominy separately from garnishes, which are always fresh). Keep garnishes separate and add only when serving.
Variations
Pozole verde
A green version built on tomatillos, green chiles and herbs instead of red chiles, often with chicken.
Pozole blanco
The plain white version with no chile sauce in the broth — heat comes entirely from the garnishes.
Chicken pozole
Use chicken instead of pork for a lighter (and quicker) bowl.
Serve with
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition values are estimates based on the metric measurements. Adjust as needed.
Häufige Fragen
What is hominy?
Hominy is dried corn kernels that have been nixtamalized — treated with an alkaline solution (slaked lime) that puffs them up, loosens the hulls and gives a distinctive chewy texture and aroma. It's the defining ingredient of pozole. You can cook dried hominy (a long soak and simmer) or use canned hominy, which is a great, convenient shortcut.
What chiles make pozole rojo red?
Dried red chiles — most commonly guajillo (bright, mild) and ancho (dark, fruity), sometimes with a hotter chile like árbol. They're toasted, soaked, blended with garlic and spices, and strained into the broth. This gives the deep red colour and complex flavour; chilli powder is not a substitute for whole dried chiles here.
What's the difference between pozole rojo, verde and blanco?
They share the same pork-and-hominy base but differ in the sauce: rojo (red) uses dried red chiles; verde (green) uses tomatillos, green chiles and herbs (often with chicken); and blanco (white) has no chile sauce in the broth at all, with heat coming only from the garnishes. All three are regional favourites.
Why are the garnishes so important?
Pozole is served as a build-your-own bowl, and the garnishes provide the contrast that makes it sing: crunchy shredded cabbage or lettuce and radish, sharp raw onion, a sprinkle of oregano, a big squeeze of lime, sliced chile for heat, and crisp tostadas on the side. They add freshness, crunch and brightness to the rich broth.
Can I make pozole ahead for a party?
Absolutely — it's classic fiesta food made for crowds, and the broth deepens in flavour overnight, so making it a day or two ahead is ideal. Reheat the pozole gently and set out all the fresh garnishes in bowls for guests to customise their own. It's hearty, festive and feeds a lot of people.
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