Pozole Verde Recipe

Poach pork

Place pork shoulder cubes in a large heavy pot. Add water, halved onion, smashed garlic, bay leaves and 2 tbs salt. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, skimming any foam. Reduce heat to low, partially cover and simmer gently until pork is very tender, about 1.5–2 hours. (Alternatively, cook in a 160°C / 325°F oven covered for 2 hours.) Reserve 1 liter of cooking liquid, strain and set aside. Remove pork and let cool slightly.

Shred and brown

Shred the cooled pork into bite-size pieces. Heat 2 tbs vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown shredded pork in batches until edges are caramelized, about 4–6 minutes per batch. Return all pork to the pan, adjust seasoning with a pinch of salt, and set aside. Reserve any extra pan juices to add to the soup later.

Prepare tomatillos and chiles: Preheat broiler (or use a hot skillet). Toss tomatillos, jalapeños, quartered onion and 4 garlic cloves with 1 tsp oil. Broil or sear on a hot cast-iron skillet until charred/blistered and softened, turning so all sides have blackened spots, about 8–12 minutes total.

Blend sauce: Transfer blistered vegetables to a blender along with cilantro stems, ground cumin and 500 ml chicken stock (or reserved pork liquid). Blend until very smooth. Taste and season with 1 tsp salt (add more if needed). Strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Set sauce aside.

Heat broth and combine: In the pot used to cook the pork (cleaned), add the reserved 1 L pork cooking liquid (or 1 L stock) and bring to a simmer. Stir in the strained tomatillo-chile sauce and the drained hominy. Simmer gently for 20–30 minutes so hominy absorbs flavors and sauce mellows. If the soup is too thick, add extra stock to reach desired consistency.

Finish with pork and lime: Add the shredded, browned pork to the pot and simmer another 5–10 minutes to warm through and meld flavors. Stir in 2 tbs fresh lime juice and adjust salt to taste.

Make tortilla strips: Heat 250 ml vegetable oil in a medium saucepan to 180°C (350°F). Fry tortilla strips in batches until crisp and golden, 1–2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to paper towels, season with 1 tsp salt and set aside.

Prep fresh garnishes: While soup simmers, finely dice 1/2 white onion, thinly slice watermelon radish, dice/slice avocado and pick cilantro leaves. Warm tortillas (optional) for service.

Serve: Ladle pozole into bowls. Top each bowl with a spoonful of crema, avocado slices, diced onion, watermelon radish slices and cilantro leaves. Sprinkle a handful of tortilla strips on top for crunch. Offer lime wedges at the table.