Vegan Menudo With Mushrooms

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-low. Add chiles and cook, turning constantly with tongs, until slightly darkened in color and fragrant, about 3 minutes. (Be careful not to burn chiles or they’ll become bitter.) Transfer chiles to a medium bowl, leaving oil behind in skillet; reserve skillet. Pour 3 cups hot water (6 cups if doubling base recipe) over chiles and weigh down chiles with a smaller bowl to keep submerged. Let soak until softened, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook onion, garlic, and salt in reserved skillet, stirring occasionally, until browned and slightly softened, 12–15 minutes. Add oregano and cumin and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer onion mixture to a blender.

Add chiles and 1 cup chile soaking liquid to blender and purée, adding more soaking liquid if needed, until smooth. (If you don’t have a high-powered blender, you may want to pass purée through a fine-mesh sieve.) You should have 2½ cups chile base. If you have less, add more chile soaking liquid and blend again to combine. Do ahead: Chile base can be made 5 days ahead. Let cool; transfer to an airtight container and chill, or freeze up to 3 months.

Drain hominy and place in a large pot; pour in fresh water to cover by 2". Season generously with salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and partially cover. Simmer, adding more water as needed to keep hominy covered by 2", until hominy is tender and blooming (maize has burst), 1½–2 hours.

Bring broth to a boil in a medium pot over medium-low heat; season with salt. Add mushrooms, remove from heat, and let sit until mushrooms are softened, 10–20 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer, mushrooms to a cutting board. Cut mushrooms into bite-size pieces with a chef’s knife or kitchen shears and add to hominy along with broth, chile base, and 2 Tbsp. dried oregano. If the soup is very thick, add water to loosen. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until flavors meld, 20–30 minutes. Taste menudo and season with more salt if needed.

Divide menudo among bowls. Top with onion, cilantro, red pepper flakes, and more oregano. Serve with tortillas and lime wedges for squeezing over. Do ahead: Menudo can be made 3 days ahead. Let cool; transfer to an airtight container and chill. Hominy will continue to soak up liquid as it rests, so you may need to add more water or broth when reheating.