Poc chuc, Mexican recipe step by step

Poc chuc is one of the emblematic dishes of the cuisine of Yucatan, a province in southern Mexico.

In this region, the basic ingredients of the kitchen vary a little compared to the classic Mexican gastronomy. The protagonists are the citrus fruits - especially the lime and the bitter orange -, the local condiments -like the achiote-, the purple onion and the habanero pepper.

In this region, the inheritance of the Mayan culture It is very strong We see it even in the name of this dish, "poc chuc", which means something like "toasted coal".

The recipe for poc chuc

The base of poc chuc is a roasted pork, which has been marinated with water and salt, or better yet, in sour orange juice.

Traditionally, the ideal is to use charcoal for cooking this dish. This gives the poc chuc great pleasure. However, for those who do not have this possibility, we will explain the recipe according to the most modern standards.

0 of 0 votes

Print

Poc chuc, recipe step by step

Cooking recipe to prepare poc chuc, a traditional dish of Mexican cuisine in the province of Yucatan.With the juice, prepare a marinade, adding a little oregano.

Then, let's marinate the pork fillets in this juice. The idea is to leave them marinating at least 30 or 45 minutes. If we can prepare them in advance so that they marinate for a longer time (a few hours), so much the better;).

Peel and cut the onion into large pieces or ribbons, to cook them later with the pork. We will also take advantage to wash the cilantro and chop it finely.

Then, we will remove the fillets from the marinade and salt them lightly. Then, we will cook them in a pre-heated pan with a little oil, or better yet, on a spit. If we have left the marinade juice, we will use it to bathe the steaks.

We will cook also the onion in the pan or spit, just like the tomatoes chopped into large pieces. If we decide to use habanero pepper, we will wash it, we will remove the seeds and the white parts inside, and we will also roast it (they can leave the seeds if they like very strong spicy).

While steaks and vegetables are cooking, we will take advantage to wash the cilantro. Supervise the cooking of the pork, so that once the pieces are browned on one side, turn them over so that they cook on the other side.

With the roasted vegetables, prepare a sauce in a food processor, or if you prefer, crushed in the traditional way. Salpimenta the sauce, try and if necessary, correct the seasoning.

Once Cooked fillets or pieces of pork, decorate with chopped coriander and serve immediately. A poo chuc reheated will never be the same as a poc chuc fresco.

Notes:

• Some people prefer to cut the pork into long strips. This decision is to the liking of each cook.
• The preparation of the sauce, or chiltomate, is optional. If you prefer, you can serve the pork with the roasted vegetables. If you do this last, it is better to cut the onion into ribbons and not into pieces 😉

Decoration and accompaniments of poc chuc

• You can use a radish to slice it and serve it with poc chuc, as decoration. Simply, arrange the radish slices here and there, over the pork.
• You can also chop some lettuce leaves in julienne, to accompany or decorate the poc chuc. With three leaves it will be enough.
• The almost obligatory accompaniment of this dish is the avocado. You can cut an avocado into slices and use it as a garnish. Choose an avocado that is ripe, but still to the point of maintaining the consistency of the slices when you cut it. Also, do not choose an avocado that almost becomes cream when you cut it. If you only get this last type, better prepare a guacamole, which will also be perfect with this dish.
• Two other required accompaniments of poc chuc are some good tortillas and some frijolitos.