Up until I met Ty I had no clue what hominy was. I’d never even heard of it. The day I had my first delicious bowl of New Mexican Pasole, I also realized I love the chewy texture of these little puffed up corn things, which was hominy.
I looked up hominy and found out I’d be eating it my whole life…what? I looked at the ingredients on the quick grits container in my pantry and there it was “white hominy grits.” Grits are one of my favorite southern sides for breakfast.
What is hominy?
Hominy is maize, or field corn, that has been soaked in a alkali solution (usually lime water) which loosens the hull & kills the germ, causing the corn to soften & swell to twice it’s size & keeps it from sprouting in storage. This process is called nixtamalization. This process actual frees the Niacin (Vitamin B3) in the corn so it can be absorbed in the digestive tract. Niacin is a B vitamin obtained in the diet and used by your body to turn food into energy. It helps keep your nervous system, digestive system and skin healthy.
Hominy is used to make corn tortillas and quick or instant grits. Stone ground grits are made with intact corn. Hominy comes in dried or canned/already cooked form. Dried hominy must be soaked and cooked for a longer amount of time. Canned hominy is quick & convenient and comes in a white or yellow form, the yellow being a bit sweeter.
1/2 cup of canned hominy (dependent on brand) is about 80 calories with 1 gram of fat, 17 g of carbs, 3 grams of fiber & 2 grams of protein.
This make a great side dish with any Mexican food you make! I also have a delicious Pasole recipe for another option of cooking with hominy.
Bacon & Green Chile Hominy
Course: SidesCuisine: New Mexican, MexicanDifficulty: Easy6
servings5
minutes20
minutes92
kcal4
9
4
Ingredients
1 30 oz can of Golden or White Hominy, drained
3 slices of bacon
2 roasted, peeled & chopped Hatch Green Chiles, or one 4.5 oz can of Chopped Green Chiles
Salt & Pepper
Directions
- Fry bacon in a skillet.
- When bacon is done, remove it from the skillet and set aside on paper towel lined plate. When cool enough, chop bacon into bite sized pieces.
- Reserve one tablespoon of bacon grease in the skillet and save or toss the remaining grease.
- Add hominy to the skillet over medium heat then stir in bacon and green chilies.
- Let hominy cook about 10 minutes, stirring often. Keep covered over low heat until ready to serve.
- Season with salt & pepper.
