While many of us associate a Mexican dinner with tacos, burritos, enchiladas and tostadas, many other genuine, traditional Mexican meals are worth trying as well. One of them is Pozole. Mexican Pozole is a sweet, hearty and tasty dish that has been loved for over a millennia.
What is Pozole?
Pozole (po-so-le) carries the meaning of ‘hominy,’ and the dish is a cross between a soup and a stew. It is a typical and loved meal throughout Mexico and is frequently used for special occasions such as marriages, Independence Day and Christmas.
Restaurants that specialise in serving this dish are called pozolerías. The main ingredient in a pozole is hominy, which is basically dried corn kernels that have been soaked in mineral lime, lye or wood ash. The processing causes the corn kernel to double in size and the result is puffy, chewy and flavourful hominy. This hominy stew is well recognised as a remedy for hangovers and is often consumed to prevent it during the early hours of the morning.
Pozole is also common in New Mexico, where posole is customarily written. It is defined as comfort food from Mexico because it warms you from inside. The pozole is traditionally made with hominy, garlic and pork. It is offered with a range of garnishes, including chillies, salsas, onions, avocados, radishes, lettuce and cabbage. Indeed, everywhere you have it, it tastes distinct because there are so many versions.
History of Pozole
The word Pozole comes from Nahuatl and has a substantial background, similar to many Mexican dishes. Hominy, which is produced from corn, is the primary ingredient in Pozole. Due to the conviction that the deities of maize created people, maize was regarded as a sacred crop in Mexican Aztec culture.
The Aztecs and other Mesoamerican tribes, therefore, baked Pozole only on several occasions. Pozole was initially produced from inmates ‘ animal flesh whose souls were torn out in ritual sacrifice. Fortunately, cannibalism was prohibited after the Spanish conquest in the 1500s, and the meat in this meal was substituted with pork. While shocking may be this little piece of dark history, don’t let it knock you off!
How to make Pozole
There are three main kinds of Pozole: red, white and green. Each of these variants includes distinct components and therefore has a moderately different flavours. Here’s an easy recipe for Pozole that you can attempt at home.
Firstly, heat the water. Add pork meat, spare ribs, onion, and garlic. Next, season with salt when meat is almost cooked. During the cooking process, skim the top coating of foam and fat with a ladle. Remove the pork from the stock. Remove surplus fat and extract the meat from the bones. Soak the ancho and guajillo peppers in water for the sauce.
Blend the peppers, garlic cloves, onion and oregano with a blender. Heat oil in a big skillet over medium-high heat and add the purée of dry peppers and salt to it. Simmer the sauce for about 25 minutes. Add the sauce to the broth using a strainer. Once the broth starts to boil, add meat. Stir in white hominy, then season with salt and pepper.
Where to find Pozole in Malaysia
It is hard to find pozole at European restaurants in Malaysia. However, Casa Latina & Cacao Lab (Kuala Lumpur) is an authentic Latino restaurant where you can enjoy delicious pozole. The difference is that the establishment serves chicken pozole instead of pork pozole.
As we know that the staple ingredient for the dish is pork, but they, however, use chicken instead. Their version of pozole is a comforting Mexican stew filled with shredded chicken and hominy in a warm green chile broth that you can get at the reasonable price of RM18.
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