In México, we celebrate our independence from Spain during the month of September. The actual public holiday falls on the 16th of September, but Mexicans we celebrate all month long.

The Mexican flags make it out and every house, car, and businesses proudly display their flag. But it doesn’t stop there, the flag can be seen painted on faces and also imprinted on food.

It is a time of celebration! From a food point of view, my fondest memory of this time of the year whilst in Mexico has to be pozole. My mum used to cook it for the family and our friends to kickstart the Independence celebrations. It is a celebratory dish! 🥳🥳

So, here is my family’s recipe. Hope you enjoy it!

Red Pozole

Name: Red Pozole
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 75 min
Ingredients: 3 tins hominy precooked (drained and rinsed - each tin approximately 800 grams); 1.5 l veggie stock; 5 dry ancho chillies; 3 dry guajillo chillies; 5 dry arbol chillies (reduce or increase depending on heat level desired ); 1 medium white or yellow onion; 3 garlic cloves; 1 tbsp Mexican oregano; 3 bay leaves; 1 tsp black pepper; 1 tbsp sea salt (extra to taste); 8 corn tostadas; 1 medium red onion (finely diced); 6-8 radishes (sliced ); 4 limes (cut in 6 slices each); 2 tbsp Mexican oregano; 50 g piquin chilli powder (substitute with any red chilli powder); table salt; 1/2 iceberg lettuce (finely chopped ); vegetable oil

Pozole Rojo

This is a recipe that I usually prepare during México's Independence Day and I wanted to share it with everyone. The red of the pozole comes from the dry chillies used and may seem very spicy, but it is actually not too bad.

I purposely made this an eight people server because it is a celebratory dish! I also wanted to make this a vegetarian as the base is the same. Check the notes below for non-vegetarian options.

Print Recipe

Prep Time15 minutes

Cook Time1 hour

Total Time1 hour 15 minutes

Servings people

Equipment

Large sauce pan or cooking pot
Frying pan
Blender

Ingredients

3 tins hominy precooked drained and rinsed - each tin approximately 800 grams
1.5 l veggie stock
5 dry ancho chillies
3 dry guajillo chillies
5 dry arbol chillies reduce or increase depending on heat level desired
1 medium white or yellow onion
3 garlic cloves
1 tbsp Mexican oregano
3 bay leaves
1 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp sea salt extra to taste

Garnishes

8 corn tostadas
1 medium red onion finely diced
6-8 radishes sliced
4 limes cut in 6 slices each
2 tbsp Mexican oregano
50 g piquin chilli powder substitute with any red chilli powder
table salt
1/2 iceberg lettuce finely chopped
vegetable oil

Instructions

Place the dry chillies in a bowl and cover with boiling water and rest for 10 minutes.
In a frying pan, lightly pan fry the onion, garlic and oregano.
In a blender, add the chillies with the soaking water (remove the stems of the chillies) and the content from the frying pan. Blend until smooth for about 1 minute
In a large cooking pot, heat 3 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat and pour in the chillie base. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes.
Add the hominy, veggie stock and bay leaves to the cooking pot. Cook for another 30 minutes.
Put the garnishes on individual bowls or serving plates and arrange around the table for each person to choose from.
Ladle the pozole into individual bowls to serve
Buen Provecho!

Notes

Some additional garnishes are:

Refried beans for the tostadas
Mexican crema for the tostadas
Cabbage instead or in addition to lettuce

For non-vegetarian option:

Use pork and chicken, cook with the hominy for 1 hour with pork or chicken, and then add the dry chillie mix at the end for another 30 minutes. You can also use beef, but this is not common.
Some people like adding pork crackling, eggs and/or sardines as a garnish.