Vegan Pozole verde with young jackfruit

This vegan pozole verde is my take on the popular Mexican soup. My recipe happens to be oil-free too!

Vegan pozole verde is one of my favourite Mexican soups. If you love Salsa verde, then am positive you will love this soup! ‘Verde‘ in Spanish means green and the soup is green from the homemade salsa verde(green sauce) that goes into the soup. Pozole verde is prepared in different ways across Mexico. I am not claiming this to be an authentic recipe, nevertheless, it is easy to make and delicious!

Pozole is traditionally prepared with meat. To make vegan pozole, I use young jackfruit as the meat replacement.

Ingredients needed for Vegan Pozole Verde

Hominy

Hominy is one of THE most important ingredients in pozole. It adds a ton of flavour to the soup! I used canned white Hominy in this recipe. It is available in Mexican/Latin American aisles of supermarkets.

Young Jackfruit

Young jackfruit means unripe jackfruit. Unlike ripe jackfruit, young jackfruit is not sweet and works well in savory recipes. It has also gained popularity as a meat replacement due to it’s texture.

Fresh young jackfruit is hard to find in non-tropical climates. However, it is available canned or frozen, both of which can be used in vegan pozole recipe.

Green Chiles/Chillies

I use a mix of Poblano, Anaheim and Jalapeno peppers to flavour the verde sauce. Every chilli has a unique flavour. During Hatch chile season, I like to add some chopped roasted Hatch chilles into the soup too. If the above mentioned varieties are unavailable, use any variety from your region that is flavourful and is not too spicy.

In India, pakoda chillies can be used in this recipe.

Tomatillos

Tomatillos contribute to both acidity and flavour in pozole. Tomatillos and green tomatoes are not the same. Tomatillos are slightly more acidic than green tomatoes. That being said, if tomatillos are hard to find, use green tomatoes instead.

Other everyday ingredients

• Garlic
• White onion
• Cilantro/Coriander leaves
• Cumin powder, oregano – traditional ingredients but optional

For the garnish

Garnishes are an important part of pozole adding lots of freshness along with texture and flavour. Here are some popular garnishes to choose from.

• Red radish slices
• Chopped white onions
• Shredded cabbage
• Fresh chopped cilantro/coriander leaves
• Sliced avocados
• Lime
• Tortilla chips

My favourite toppings are white onions and avocados and of course, a squeeze of lime!

Serving suggestions

Serve vegan pozole verde hot along with your favourite toppings mentioned above. At our house, we enjoy pozole for lunch as our main dish. Can be served with corn tortillas on the side.

This recipe makes 4 big servings. If preparing as a side of soup along with other main dishes, this recipe could easily serve 6-7 people.

Store leftovers in the refrigerator. Reheats well and tastes better the next day!

Also check out this super easy young jackfruit coconut curry recipe, a traditional recipe from my hometown!

Vegan Pozole verde with young jackfruit

Shwetha

Vegan twist on a hearty Mexican soup flavoured with green chillies. This recipe is also oil-free!

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Course Main Course, Soup

Cuisine Mexican

Servings 4 servings

Equipment

• Blender

Ingredients

  

• 1 can young jackfruit 14 oz can, or use about 250g of fresh/frozen young jackfruit.
• 1 can hominy 15.5 oz can
• 2 cloves garlic
• ¼ white onion
• 3 cups water used divided
• 1 tsp vegetable stock concentrate Optional ingredient, I used better than boullion
• ½ tsp cumin powder optional
• ½ tsp dry oregano optional
• 1 bay leaf optional
• salt to taste

For verde sauce

• 2 poblano peppers
• 1-2 anaheim peppers optional
• 2 tomatillo
• ½ jalapeno adjust to suit taste
• ½ cup cilantro/coriander leaves
• ¼ white onion
• 5 cloves garlic

For garnish

• ½ white onion
• 4 stalks cilantro/coriander leaves
• 1 lime
• 1 avocado
• 4 small red radish optional
• ½ cup shredded cabbage or as needed

Instructions

 

Roasting chillies, tomatillos and garlic.

• Heat a cast iron pan or griddle on medium-high heat.
• Place the poblano and Anaheim peppers , 5 cloves of garlic and tomatillos on it.
• Roast by turning them around when one side is charred.
• Garlic will get roasted before the chilies, remove them when they look roasted.
• Once the chilies are charred, place them covered in a bowl.
• Once the chiles are cool enough to handle, peel the skin and remove the seeds.

Cook young jackfruit

• Rinse canned young jackfruit and add it to a pot. Into it, add ¼ of an onion, 2 garlic cloves cut in half and the bay leaf. Add a cup of water.
• Cook jackfruit until fork tender.

While jackfruit cooks, make the verde sauce.

• Taste test the roasted chillies for spiciness. Continue with the next step based on personal spice level.
• Add peeled, de-seeded chiles, garlic, tomatillo, jalapeno, ¼ of onion, cilantro/coriander leaves, 1 cup of water into a blender jar and blend smooth.

Making the soup

• Shred the cooked jackfruit using a fork.
• Add in the rinsed and drained hominy.
• Add the blended green sauce and remaining 2 cups of water. Adjust water as needed.
• Add cumin and oregano, if using.
• Taste the broth and add salt as needed.
• Bring to a boil on medium heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Assembling pozole

• Chop the white onion, cilantro/coriander leaves, shred cabbage, slice red radish and avocado.
• Ladle out the soup and garnish it with chopped white onions, cilantro, sliced radishes, shredded cabbage, avocado and a wedge of lime.
• Squeeze some lime over the soup and enjoy hot. Can be served with tortillas and tortilla chips.

Video

Notes

• If poblano peppers are not available, use any flavourful mild green chilli local to your region. In India, the less spicy pakoda chillies can be used.
• Roasting chillies directly over a gas burner or on a coal grill gives the best smoky results. The chillies can also be broiled in an oven.
• Poblanos and anaheim peppers are generally mild but they can be spicy too! After roasting the peppers, taste test before deciding how many need to go into the verde sauce. 
• If tomatillos aren’t available, use green tomatoes instead. 
• Tomatillos can be added into the blender raw too. Alternatively, tomatillos can also be boiled in water. I however like to get them roasted along with the chilies.
• I have made pozole without cumin and oregano many times. As the chillies bring in a lot of flavour, I do not miss the taste of the herbs.

 

Keyword vegan pozole, vegan pozole verde