It is the month end and it is time for the Shh Cooking Secretly Challenge, that is hosted by Mayuriji – did you have the chance to check out her latest guest post yet? If not, then please do. 🙂 We have been doing some pretty interesting themes of late in this challenge, and I have been looking forward to participating in them, provided they were what I could cook for the family than myself. Hehe…
This month, the theme is “Mexican cuisine” and it was suggested by Narmadha, who blogs at Nams Corner. She has been doing some amazing thalis this month and this special non-veg thali made me feel like I could get married again and be invited to her home. *No offense, HD* 😀 Coincidentally, she ended up being my partner for this month too. Double whammy! Hehe… We have been chatted over messenger a few times and also keep in touch through the BM posts. I must say I had such a generous partner who was keeping it nice and simple for me, so I decided to be nice and simple to her too.
Now if we talk about Mexican cuisine, what comes to our mind are the salsas, the guacs, the tortillas, the tacos and what not! This cuisine is meant to be one of the oldest cuisines in the world, with some really complex flavors. Wikepedia tells me that my favorite ingredient, chocolate originated in Mexico. Oh wow! Due to historical invasions, there are some Spanish influences on this cuisine. Corn, chillies, tomatoes and meat form a very important part of their eating habits. I have tried very few recipes from this cuisine and this challenge has actually made me bookmark a few more to try in due course. Sharing some of the recipes below:
Mexican Flan – needs an update for sure!
Tres Leches – how can we forget this amazing contribution!
Narmadha gave me the ingredients of corn and garlic. Now corn is something that gets used a lot in quesadillas and salsas. I was struggling a bit to find an interesting recipe with corn and I was almost going to give up, when magically Google ended up throwing a dish called Pozole. Read as “poh-so-lay”, this is a filling broth usually made with pork and dehydrated corn called as “hominy”. The meat is easy to replace, but I was really worried about where I will find hominy. I searched across the aisles in a few supermarkets and mostly Mexican food here is about salsa, guacamole and loads of tortillas. There was no sight of hominy and when I searched online, the options were so expensive that I wasn’t ready to burn my pocket, especially during this time!
Then I read this link that ended up being a Eureka moment for me. It said that I could use chickpeas and corn as a substitute and garlic was anyway a part of the ingredients to make a Pozole. I was really excited about making this, knowing how much the men really enjoy it. The same can’t be said about the girls, but sometimes you just drag them into it. 😉 My search on Google gave me a lot of different variations, so I went with what worked best with me. Most of the recipes used shredded meat, but I took the easy way and used mince, so that I could avoid the shredding. Hehe… I love that it is an easy, soul comforting soup that is so filling that you don’t need anything to go with it.
The specialty of this soup is that it is served with toppings that are sprinkled in as per your requirement. It adds a lot of character to the already delicious soup. I used radishes, Parmesan and coriander as our toppings, but as you may see in other recipes, they use thinly sliced cabbage, onions, Mexican style cheese, parsley, lime and even Nachos. Hehe… Vegetarians could replace the meat with soya kheema, I feel, but even without the meat element, this soup is totally a must make. Just apt for the cozy nights… Meanwhile, do check out what Narmadha cooked with the secret ingredients I gave her…
Mexican Pozole
Ingredients
- 500 gm lamb mince thawed
- 2-3 tbsp olive oil
- 4-6 cloves of garlic
- 1 onion minced
- 1 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- 2-4 stock cubes
- 400 gm tin chopped tomatoes
- 400 gm tin chickpeas drained
- 400 gm tin sweet corn drained
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- Salt and pepper to taste
- FOR TOPPING: refer notes for more options
- Grated parmesan cheese
- Radishes sliced
- Coriander leaves minced
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a pan. Fry the garlic slightly. Add the onion, cumin and red chili powder and cook for a couple of minutes.
- Add the mince meat, break it as you saute. Let it fry on low flame till almost done. Keep breaking in between to avoid lumps.
- Add the canned tomato in, and top with two can of water. Add the stock cubes. Allow the soup to simmer till slightly thickened.
- Add the drained chickpeas and corn and cook for further five minutes. Add the oregano and adjust seasonsings.
- Switch off and serve hot with the toppings sprinkled as per liking.
Notes
Add more water depending on how much liquid you would need.
You can replace the meat mince with meat pieces or chicken pieces. Just make sure to cook them properly and shred them before adding into soup.
Love lamb! But I have never tried it Mexican style…looks seriously comforting and tasty.
Looks so amazing..love everything Mexican 😋
It was so nice to have you as my partner for this month Rafee. No need to marry again(ha ha ha) Come over anytime to Chennai and I will treat you with grand non veg thali.
Mexican Pozole looks so delicious and flavorful. With all those toppings It is delectable treat for everyone.
I was about to make a veggie version of pozole but last minute changed my mind as the bread pull was stronger. However, your recipe is encouraging me to give this delicious, healthy and filling dish a try without the meat. Luckily, I’m in a place where dehydrated corn or hominy is very much a part of the diet so widely available. Knowing there is quite a large East African population in Dubai, you can find out in the supermarket if canned githeri is available. That is made from dehydrated corn and beans.
This pozole I am sure will be a great hit with all meat lovers. I need to look for a vegetarian substitute formeat to try this soon .
I totally love the sound of this soup – it sounds so wholesome and full of flavour! I’ll definitely be trying out a vegetarian version of Pozole. 🙂
Wow this is a completely new recipe and new find for me. I love your blog for the unique recipes you share at times. Love the soup , it is filling and comforting at the same time.
The lamb soup sounds falvorful and wholesome ! Would definitely love to try out the vegeterain version of Pozole.
This is the first time I come across a Mexican dish with lamb. This looks wholesome and so comforting for cold winters. Great recipe.
Pozole is a new dish to me, and thanks for sharing it here, Rafee .. I might make a vegan / veg version as it looks like a complete one pot meal..
and about getting married again, soch le… 🙂 it aint that easy for us, right lol !!
Mexican pozole looks a great Mexican recipe for non veg lovers, parmesan cheese and grated radish on topping surely added extra taste to this. Surely love to try vegetarian version of this Mexican pozole.
I will to try the veggie version with chickpeas and corn.. loved it comforting and inviting soup. Kids too can’t say no it when served with grated Parmesan. Thanks for introducing this new soup to us with adaptable versions
This is an exciting new recipe. The ingredient list looks long but the bowl so comforting. So teh bowl wins. What is your best suggesion for vegetarian version.
I do feel soya chunks would work, since it can be minced and would feel similar to meat… 🙂
This soup sounds so nutritious and wholesome. Would love to try the vegetarian version .I am sure I can find all the ingredients here.
This looks so delicious. I love using corn and would like to try the vegetarian version.
Rafeeda love the soup sounds delicious and filling and healthy. All the 3 things checked on my list hoping it stops being so hot so I can try it out.