Vegan Pozole

Pozole is a heartwarming Mexican soup, traditionally prepared with pork, hominy and Mexican dried chillies, commonly garnished with diced onion, shredded lettuce, Mexican oregano and lime. Pozole is considered a special occasion dish often prepared during special festivities such as Day of the Dead and Mexican Independence Day, or simply to celebrate special birthday milestones.

There are different kinds of pozole, pozole “Rojo” or red, is the most well-known one and is made with a chilli paste made with Mexican dried chillies. You can also find pozole “blanco”, white, and “Verde” or green prepared with tomatillos, jalapeno, onion, garlic and coriander, which give a greenish hue to this dish, hence the name.

This is a vegan version of pozole, where we bring together a combination of rich flavours while replacing the customary meat with mushrooms, a good protein source in plant-based diets. The key to making this pozole as flavoursome as its meat counterpart is to use a luscious flavour base. For this we use a mixture of tomatillos, onion, garlic, coriander and jalapeno, these ingredients are key when making a green-style pozole or pozole “Verde”.

Gran Luchito Tomatillo Enchilada Sauce is the perfect sauce to make this vegan pozole “Verde” much more convenient and easier to prepare at home.

When making pozole the garnishes are just as important as the dish, from shredded lettuce, diced onion, Mexican oregano, finely diced chilli, coriander and limes, they all contribute to creating extra layers of flavour that will make your pozole taste even more delicious.

• Main ingredients to make vegan pozole:
• Hominy: Hominy is the main ingredient to make pozole and is a maize kernel that has been treated with an alkaline solution, such as limewater, this helps to remove the outer layer and make it easier to digest.
• Vegetable stock: Flavoursome vegetable stock is key to making your pozole taste even better, homemade or store-bought, both work.
• Plant-based protein: Substitute pork with a plant-based protein, mushrooms are a good source of protein and a delicious ingredient to add instead of meat.

Top Tips when making vegan pozole:

• Use pre-cooked canned hominy. This comes precooked and makes it much easier to prepare as it reduces the cooking time.
• Simmer the soup for a long period. Is no secret that simmering soups for a long time helps to deepen and concentrate flavours even more.
• Experiment with different types of mushrooms. Chestnut, oyster, enoki, king oyster or regular white mushrooms are all good options and will add something new to your pozole.
• Make a vegan version of our recipe for pozole soup “rojo”, red. Try making a vegan pozole rojo as well. You can use Gran Luchito Chipotle Paste as the base for your soup.

Serve this vegan pozole as a main or a starter followed by vegan pulled pork and or rice and beans on the side.