If you recently went to an international cuisine fair and couldn't taste pupusas between one culinary experience and the next, this article will make up for it! Pupusas are corn tortillas filled with cheese or other delicious fillings, cooked on the grill. This El Salvadoran dish is best eaten hot, so learn how to make it at home. Make traditional pupusas and curtido, the coleslaw they are served with. Then, try a variation.
Ingrediants
For the Pupusas
- 2 cups of cornmeal for tortillas
- 1 pinch of salt
- 315 ml of warm water
- 1 cup of grated soft cheese
- Vegetable oil for frying
For the Curtido
- ½ cabbage
- 1 large carrot, grated
- ½ onion finely sliced
- 120 ml of apple cider vinegar
- 60 ml of water
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- ½ teaspoon of muscovado sugar
- 1 tsp dried oregano (preferably Mexican)
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Prepare the Pupusas
Step 1. Prepare the dough for the pupusas
Combine tortilla cornmeal, salt, and water in a bowl, and mix everything together until you get a thick paste. It should be smooth, free of lumps.
If after turning it is still too lumpy, add a teaspoon of water at a time and mix well until smooth. If it's too moist or sticky, add a teaspoon of flour at a time, stirring until it thickens and becomes uniform
Step 2. Let the dough rest
Cover the bowl with a tea towel. Wait 10 minutes.
Step 3. Remove pieces of dough and roll them to form balls
Divide the dough into 8 balls, with a diameter of 5 cm.
Before doing this, it will be helpful to lightly lubricate your hands with oil. This way, the dough won't stick to your skin
Step 4. Stuff the pupusas
Take a ball of dough and press your thumb in the center; you should make a small indentation. Place a spoonful of soft cheese in the recess and cover it with the dough. Repeat the same procedure with all the balls.
The cheese should be completely sealed in the pupusa - otherwise it will pop out when you fry it
Step 5. Flatten the balls of dough to make discs
Do this using your palms. The pupusas should become circular and flat, approximately 6mm thick.
Do not squeeze or roll them too much, otherwise the filling may come out
Step 6. Cook the pupusas
Heat a traditional or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add a few tablespoons of oil to lightly coat it. Add the pupusas and let them cook for 2-3 minutes. Then, flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
The pupusas should be golden brown when cooked
Step 7. Serve the pupusas while still hot with curtido and any sauce you like
Part 2 of 3: Prepare the Curtido
Step 1. Prepare the vegetables
Grate the cabbage and carrots. Finely slice the onion. Arrange all the ingredients in a large bowl and set aside.
Step 2. Add the other ingredients
In a small bowl, mix the apple cider vinegar, water, salt, muscovado sugar, oregano, and chilli flakes. Make sure there are no lumps of spices or muscovado sugar.
Step 3. Finish preparing the curtido
Pour the liquid spiced mixture over the vegetables you have prepared and stir thoroughly. Make sure the vegetables are completely covered in the mixture.
Step 4. Store it in the fridge
Cover the curtido and leave it in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving. Storing it in the fridge overnight is even better: it gives it a flavor that is slightly reminiscent of pickles.
Part 3 of 3: Variants
Step 1. Try a different type of cheese
There are various types of cheeses ideal for filling pupusas. You could use quesillo, queso fresco, asiago or mozzarella.
Before kneading, you may want to add a small amount of cheese to the cornmeal. Try using a dry cheese, such as cotija
Step 2. Make another filling
You don't have to stuff the pupusas with cheese. If you want to use another filling, just make sure you use a small amount, or don't combine too many different ingredients. If not, you risk having stuffing problems as you flatten the pupusas. Try the following fillings:
- Porchetta cooked.
- Refried beans.
- Jalapeños.
- Diced peppers.
- Dried ham.
- Mushrooms.
- Coriander.
Step 3. Serve the pupusas with roja asada or tomato sauce
While traditionally pupusas are served with curtido, which is a cabbage salad, you can also accompany them with a sauce. You could also use an enchiladas sauce to dip the pupusas into.
To enrich the flavor, heat the sauce before dipping the pupusas in it
Step 4. Add a gasket
To further flavor and color the pupusas, make a garnish. Serve them with any cheese you like or lime wedges.
