Vegan Menudo, Second Batch

After making a few batches, I finally made one I really enjoyed and decided to write the "recipe" down so I'd remember what the hell I put in it. Menudo has long been one of my favorite dishes since I was a child, even though I always picked out all the meat and just ate the hominy if they'd let me. Technically, menudo is the type of meat that's used in the dish, so the naming of this dish as menudo is "wrong" but oh well, it's still as delicious. This is one of my go to comfort foods, and holds such a cultural significance as well as strong memories for me. The toppings I included in this recipe are the toppings my family uses when eating this, but feel free to eat it with whatever you damn well please. Also, not all canned hominy is the same, so try a few different brands to get your own likes and flavors a chance to shine. All veggie bouillon cubes are not the same either fyi, so same thing applies. Did I mention that this menudo is vegan? It'd fool my family for sure, and I'm sure they'd eat this stuff up just as easy. Feel free to change the ratios to make smaller batches, as I recommend you refrigerate the entire batch for at least a day before serving so the flavors can soak into the hominy better. It'll make a huge difference in flavor I promise. This batch had a spicy level that my family would enjoy, i.e. for most other people who aren't as used to spicy food, it might have a good kick. You can play around with the amounts of dried chiles used if you think it might be too spicy for you. Specifically, the chile de arbol and guajillo are the kickers. I don't recommend changing the amount of chile rojo though, as this might make the soup really watery. If you don't have ancho chile, you can add about 3 more rajas of chile rojo. Happy cooking!



Makes 15 servings

1/2 onion, chopped into chunks
6 cloves garlic, chopped into chunks
Coriander seed, 1/2 tablespoon
Olive oil, 5 to 7 tablespoons
Dried Chile Rojo, 7 to 10 rajas (i.e. pieces)
Chile ancho, 1
Chile de arbol, 7 to 10 rajas
Chile guajillo (or similar), 4 small rajas
Vegan no salt added bouillon cubes, 4 pieces, I like using Rapunzel brand
Rock salt, 2 to 3 tablespoons
Hominy, 1 big ass can (a bit more than 100 ounces worth), I prefer Juanita's brand

For topping:

Finely chopped onion
Finely chopped cilantro or parsley
Red chile pepper powder
Squeeze of lime or lemon juice
Dried oregano

In a large large pot, put the onion, garlic, coriander seed, and olive oil. Turn the heat to medium and cook, mixing constantly, until onions are a bit soft. Turn off heat.

Rinse off all the dried chiles and add them to the pot. Add enough water to slightly cover everything, and bring to a boil. Turn off heat, and let everything sit still for about 10 to 20 minutes while it cools off a bit.

Put all the contents of the pot into a blender. Allow the mixture to blend for a good while, about 2 to 3 minutes. Meanwhile, break up the bouillon cubes into the big pot. Open the hominy can and place the hominy in the pot. Pour the blender contents over this and mix well. Add enough water to cover everything well, but don't make it too watery. Add the rock salt, mix well. Turn up the heat to medium.

Once the mixture has come to a good rolling boil, boil for another 10 minutes on medium, then lower heat to low. Boil on low for 1 and a half hours or until the hominy is a bit softer. Then turn off the heat and let everything cool off. Although, you should serve yourself a fresh bowl of course before it gets cold, you know, to taste your creation.

If your kitchen is not ice cold in the winter like mine is, you'll have to pour the contents of the pot into a large ass glass jar. Put in the refrigerator and let the flavors soak into and soften the hominy for a day. Then when ready to serve the next day, heat up the batch and get to eating. This is a soup that tastes way better when it's had time to soak. Serve with toasted buttered french bread. This shit is SO good!