Pozole, a beloved and comforting stew with roots in Mesoamerica, is a staple in Mexican and Central American cuisine. Traditionally enjoyed during celebrations like Christmas, New Year's, and Mexican Independence Day, or even as a weekly treat, this flavorful dish boasts a rich history and diverse regional variations. The word pozole derives from pozolli, the Nahuan word for hominy. Whether spelled with an 's' or a 'z', this dish is a well-loved comfort food across Mexico and Central America. But can this classic dish be adapted to fit a ketogenic lifestyle? This article explores the traditional ingredients of pozole and examines how modifications can make it keto-friendly.
Understanding Traditional Pozole
The classic Mexican pozole is a rich stew made with hominy, pork butt, a chile sauce made with dried chiles and flavored broths. A simple dish, preparing the dried chile rojo sauce can sometimes deter people from making it. The dish features hominy as one of its major components. Just like your family has a classic recipe for their favorite stew, every Mexican household has their family’s prized version of pozole. While popular in home kitchens, you can also find pozole on the menu of most Mexican restaurants throughout Latin America. Some elevate it with their own little twist and others serve it as a straightforward home-cooked meal. In some regions of Mexico it is traditional to serve this ultimate comfort food every Thursday or Saturday. One of the best parts of this dish for many is the variety of side garnishes that are laid out on the table for people to customize their preferred flavor enhancements. Depending on the occasion where you are serving posole, you can make the layout of the garnishes as fancy or simple as you choose. Chips are usually included on the table, but of course these are not low carb, slow carb or keto.
The Keto Diet: A Quick Overview
The ketogenic diet is a high-fat, very low-carbohydrate diet that forces the body to enter a metabolic state called ketosis. In ketosis, the body burns fat for fuel instead of carbohydrates. This is achieved by drastically reducing carbohydrate intake and replacing it with fat. The reduction in carbs puts your body into a metabolic state called ketosis, where it starts burning fat for energy.
The Challenges: High-Carb Ingredients in Traditional Pozole
The main obstacle to making pozole keto-friendly lies in its traditional ingredients, particularly hominy. Hominy is made from corn, which is high in carbohydrates. Slow carb diets allow beans as a protein source that won’t derail weight loss. Legumes and beans have a lot of fiber and protein and because of this they are considered a “slow carb” that can offer a form of energy that will not spike your insulin levels like a refined carb. You don’t need beans with every meal however, in fact too many beans can stall your diet, as they are fairy dense in calories. If you want to make pozole and stay keto compliant, you could make pozole without hominy or beans (a pork and chile stew essentially) and garnish with a lot of cabbage and radish.
Keto-Friendly Adaptations: Reimagining Pozole
To make pozole compatible with a keto diet, the high-carb ingredients need to be replaced with low-carb alternatives. Here's how:
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- Hominy Substitute: The most common substitution for hominy is cauliflower. Cauliflower basically substitutes for any higher carb item in so many recipes these days. It's so easy to make into rice it at home too, even if you don't have a food processor. The very easiest way is to buy it frozen and it's great to have in the freezer so you have a keto-friendly substitute any time you need it. To make the texture of this keto pozole more like the real thing, you could cut your cauliflower into larger pieces. The green leaves should be removed from the cauliflower, and the cauliflower head should be cut into "steaks". Chop the steaks into bite-sized pieces. About the size of a large bean, or the size that hominy would be in traditional pozole.
- Beans Omission: Traditional pozole recipes sometimes include beans. These should be omitted from a keto version.
- Increase Healthy Fats: Incorporate more healthy fats, such as avocado, to align with the keto diet's macronutrient ratios.
Keto Pozole Recipes: Two Approaches
Here are two versions of keto pozole recipes:
Keto Pork Pozole Verde (Instant Pot or Slow Cooker)
This recipe uses cauliflower as a substitute for hominy and offers both Instant Pot and Slow Cooker instructions.
Ingredients (with potential adjustments):
- Pork shoulder roast
- Cauliflower
- Green salsa (check label for sugar content)
- Bone broth
- Cumin, oregano, onion powder, sea salt, pepper, garlic
- Optional: Other low-carb vegetables
Instructions (General):
- Cut pork shoulder roast into 1-inch steaks, then cut the steaks into 1-inch cubes. Salt and pepper the cubes. When cubing the meat you want to include the marbled meat for tenderness and flavor but make sure to discard any large chunks of fat. Can I make this with chicken?Yes, I mentioned it briefly above but you could definitely make this with chicken or beef. If you sub chicken I would use chicken thighs, for beef use chuck roast.
- Remove the green leaves from the cauliflower. Cut the cauliflower head into "steaks". Chop the steaks into bite-sized pieces. About the size of a large bean, or the size that hominy would be in traditional pozole.
- Instant Pot: Place the pork cubes into the Instant Pot. Add the cumin, oregano, onion powder, sea salt, pepper, garlic, bone broth, salsa, and the chopped cauliflower. Place the lid on the Instant Pot, making sure the vent is set to seal, and set it to 35 minutes. When the time is up allow it to naturally release pressure for 10 minutes, then do a quick release of the remaining pressure.
- Slow Cooker: Place the pork cubes into the slow cooker. Add the cumin, oregano, onion powder, sea salt, pepper, garlic, bone broth, salsa, and the chopped cauliflower. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or until pork is tender.
- When serving squeeze a lime wedge over a bowlful of the pozole, then garnish with sliced cabbage, radish, and chopped cilantro.
Keto Chicken Pozole
This recipe uses chicken thighs for a lighter flavor and Kevin's Classic Taco sauce (or your favorite salsa).
Ingredients (with potential adjustments):
- Chicken thighs
- Cauliflower
- Chicken broth
- Kevin's Classic Taco sauce or salsa (check label for sugar content)
- Onions, garlic
- Cumin, cloves, bay leaf, chiles, chipotle (optional, for spice)
- Olive oil
- Cilantro
Instructions:
- Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a soup pan. Add onions and garlic, stir to combine.
- Add chicken thighs and cook until starting to brown on both sides. Remove the chicken and chop into large, bite sized pieces and return to pan.
- Add chicken broth, Kevin's sauce, cloves, cumin, bay leaf, chiles and chipotle to pan and stir.
- Cook over medium heat for 30 minutes for flavors to combine. Add cauliflower and three tablespoons of cilantro and cook for 10 more minutes.
- Taste the soup and add salt and pepper if needed.
Garnishing Your Keto Pozole
One of the best parts of eating pozole is the variety of garnishes that allow everyone to customize their bowl. Stick to low-carb options like:
- Sliced cabbage
- Sliced radishes
- Chopped cilantro
- Diced avocado
- Lime wedges
- Chopped red onions
Additional Tips for Keto Pozole
- Spice Freshness: All your dishes will taste best if your spices are fresh. All spices should be stored in a cool, dry, dark environment. But did you know that for maximum freshness red spices, such as chile powders, should be stored in the refrigerator?
- Spice Level: It's also fairly traditional for pozole to be spicy. I love hot foods, so this was a no brainer for me. If you prefer to walk on the mild side, leave out the chipotle in adobo and make sure you taste the sauce first.
- Ancho Chile Powder: Dried ancho peppers are frequently used by Mexican cooks in making posole. Since they can’t be used straight from the package however, you must first reconstitute them by soaking them. Once they have become pliant, you need to carefully clean and seed them. Both of these steps can be time consuming and are a bit of a pain when you want to get straight to cooking. If you want to save time and still keep the wonderful flavor profile of the ancho peppers, ground ancho chile is the key. Just be sure to get “fresh” ancho powder from a reputable spice vendor. You can usually find ground ancho chile at Mexican or Latin grocery stores. If you like your pozole with more heat, try substituting powdered chipotle for the ancho spice powder.
Storage
This recipe for slow carb pork pozole makes a large batch. It’s great for sharing with family or friends, but it is also perfect for the type of batch cooking that gets you several meals over the course of a week. Store the leftover Keto Pork Pozole Verde in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Refrigerated, the leftovers will keep for approximately one week. Or better yet, freeze the leftovers so you have a delicious meal ready for an evening when you don’t feel like cooking. Place the prepared pozole in freezer bags, remove as much air as possible to prevent freezer burn and seal. Mark your container with the date you put the leftovers in the freezer and they will keep fresh for up to three months. To serve, thaw overnight in the fridge, and warm over low heat on the stovetop. This is even better the next day. Just turn the slow cooker back on low for a couple more hours.
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