Hominy has been feeding people on this continent for centuries. Made from dried corn kernels treated and puffed up until they turn soft and slightly chewy, it is one of the oldest preserved foods in North American cooking, and it shows up again and again in Native American cuisine, including in the cooking traditions of the Navajo Nation. A soup built around hominy or corn is, at its heart, a way of turning a handful of pantry staples into something that can feed a whole family, or a whole gathering, without much fuss.
That’s the spirit we’ve tried to bring into our own version of Navajo Soup: simple, warming, built for a crowd, and layered with spice rather than fire. We finish ours with a drizzle of Wilson’s Peri-Peri Flavoured Oil, which brings a slow, rounded heat that plays beautifully against the sweetness of the corn.
It’s a proper one-pot meal, the kind you can get on the table on a weeknight and still have enough left for tomorrow’s lunch. Here’s how we make it.
Navajo Soup
Ingredients
Method
- Warm the Wilson's Peri-Peri Flavoured Oil in a large, heavy-based pot over medium heat.
- Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent.
- Add the garlic and cook for a further minute, until fragrant.
- Turn the heat up to medium-high, add the beef mince, and brown well, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks, about 6-8 minutes.
- Stir in the cumin, smoked paprika and oregano, and cook for 1 minute to toast the spices.
- Add the diced red pepper, hominy, chopped tomatoes and stock. Stir to combine.
- Bring to a gentle simmer, then reduce the heat, cover partially, and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Ladle into bowls and finish with a little extra peri-peri oil, fresh coriander, spring onion and a wedge of lime.
Notes
We Use Peri-Peri Flavoured Oil
A pot of corn and hominy soup can lean sweet if you let it. That’s where Wilson’s Peri-Peri Flavoured Oil comes in. Stirred through at the start, it releases its heat slowly as the soup simmers, so the chilli builds in the background instead of hitting you all at once.
Because it’s oil-based rather than a dry spice, it also coats the beef and vegetables as they cook, carrying flavour right through the dish rather than just sitting on top. The result is a soup with real depth: warm, a little smoky, and balanced against the natural sweetness of the corn.
A second splash stirred in just before serving wakes the whole bowl back up.
Our Tips
Brown the beef properly – give it a few extra minutes in the pot so it takes on colour before you add the liquid. That browning is where a lot of the flavour comes from.
Rinse the hominy well – a quick rinse under the tap takes off the canning liquid and keeps the soup from turning cloudy.
Let it simmer low and slow – a gentle simmer for the full cooking time gives the spices time to settle into the broth properly.
Taste before you season – stock varies a lot in saltiness, so hold back on salt until the end.
Make it thicker if you like – mash a cup of the hominy against the side of the pot before serving to thicken the broth naturally.
Finish with something fresh – a squeeze of lime or a scattering of coriander at the end lifts the whole pot.
How We Serve It
We ladle this straight from the pot into deep bowls, with warm flatbread or cornbread alongside for mopping up the broth. A bowl of toppings on the table, coriander, sliced spring onion, lime wedges, extra chilli, lets everyone finish their own portion the way they like it.
It works just as well as a starter in smaller cups before a bigger meal, or as the main event on a cold evening with nothing else needed but bread and butter.
Leftovers taste even better the next day, once the spices have had more time to settle in.
More Ways to Use Peri-Peri Flavoured Oil
This bottle earns its place well beyond soup. Once you’ve got Wilson’s Peri-Peri Flavoured Oil on the shelf, here’s where else it goes:
Tacos — a drizzle over the filling before folding gives every bite a little extra kick.
Nachos — warmed through and poured over the chips before the cheese goes on melts the heat right in.
Cheese boards — a small dish alongside crackers and cheddar gives guests something to dip into.
Marinades — whisked with lime and garlic, it makes a quick base for chicken or beef before the braai.
Other soups — it does the same gentle work in our Spiced Parsnip Soup and our Costa Rican Black Bean Soup.
Roast chicken — brushed on before roasting, it crisps the skin and adds colour as it cooks, much like it does in our One-Pot Crispy Chicken Leg with Sweet Tomatoes & Basil.
The Good Stuff About This Navajo Soup
Chilli-infused oils work differently to dry chilli or fresh chilli. Because the heat compounds have already been drawn out into the oil, they spread evenly through whatever you’re cooking rather than sitting in hot pockets. That’s why a spoonful stirred into a pot early on builds a background warmth through the whole dish, instead of one sharp burst of heat in a single bite.
Wilson’s Peri-Peri Flavoured Oil is built for exactly that kind of everyday use. It’s suited to tacos, nachos, cheese boards and marinades, and it comes in 250ml and 1L bottles for the kitchen, with 6x250ml and 12x1L options if you’re stocking up or buying for a shop.
Keep it in a cool, dark place, or pop it in the fridge, and it’s ready whenever the next pot needs a little heat.
Ways to Change It Up
Swap the beef for chicken – shredded chicken thighs work just as well and cook a little faster.
Make it meat-free – leave the beef out and add a tin of black beans for protein and body.
Use sweetcorn instead of hominy – if hominy isn’t easy to find, tinned whole kernel corn or frozen sweetcorn kernels make a good substitute.
Add sweet potato – diced and added with the stock, it adds another layer of natural sweetness and bulks the soup out further.
Turn up the heat – an extra drizzle of peri-peri oil at the table lets everyone adjust their own bowl.
Top it differently – crushed tortilla chips or a dollop of sour cream on top add crunch and richness.
Questions You Might Have
What is hominy, and where do I find it?
Hominy is dried corn that’s been treated so the kernels swell and soften. Look for tinned hominy in the international or Mexican foods aisle of larger supermarkets, or substitute sweetcorn if you can’t find it.
Can I make Navajo Soup ahead of time?
Yes. It keeps well in the fridge for up to three days, and the flavour actually improves overnight as the spices settle in.
Can I freeze this soup?
It freezes well for up to three months. Cool it completely before transferring to a freezer-safe container, and thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Where can I buy Wilson’s Peri-Peri Flavoured Oil?
It’s available to order directly from oliveoil.co.za and at leading retailers across South Africa.
Is this soup very spicy?
Not sharply spicy. The peri-peri oil builds a gentle, warming heat rather than a fiery one, so it’s suited to most palates. Add extra oil at the table if you’d like more kick.
What can I serve alongside it?
Warm cornbread, flatbread or a simple green salad all work well. It’s a filling soup, so you don’t need much else.
Can I make this in a slow cooker?
Yes. Brown the beef and onion first, then transfer everything to the slow cooker and cook on low for six to seven hours.
Ready to Make This?
Grab a bottle of peri-peri oil and get that pot of Navajo Soup on the stove tonight.
More From Our Kitchen
Spiced Parsnip Soup — Costa Rican Black Bean Soup — One-Pot Crispy Chicken Leg with Sweet Tomatoes & Basil — All Recipes
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