Have you been passing the food shelf lately and wondered what a pupusa is? A pupusa is a corn tortilla filled with cheese or other delicious filling and cooked on a griddle. This national dish from El Salvador is best eaten warm, so learn how to prepare it yourself. Make a traditional pupusa, mix curtido, serve with lettuce, then try the variations.
Ingredients
For Pupusa
- 2 cups of masa harina
- a little salt
- 1 1/3 cups warm water
- 1 cup grated white cheese
- vegetable oil for frying
For Curtido
- 1/2 cabbage
- 1 large carrot, grated
- 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano (preferably Mexican)
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon red pepper powder
Step
Part 1 of 3: Making Pupusas
Step 1. Make the pupusa dough
Combine masa harina, salt and flour in a bowl. Mix together until the dough has a paste-like texture. The dough should be soft, not lumpy.
If it's still too lumpy after stirring, add a teaspoon of water at a time and stir the lumps until they're smooth. If it's too wet or sticky, add a teaspoon of masa harina at a time, stirring until thickened and creamy
Step 2. Let the dough rest
Let the dough rest in a bowl and cover it with a towel. Leave it for 10 minutes.
Step 3. Roll the dough into balls
Divide your dough into 8 balls, about 5 cm wide.
Grease your hands with oil before doing this. This will prevent the dough from sticking to your hands
Step 4. Fill in the pupusa
Take a ball of dough and press your thumb into the center. There should be a slight indentation. Place 1 tablespoon (14.8 ml) of white cheese into the grooves and cover with the dough. Do this with the rest of the ball-shaped dough.
The cheese should be completely covered in the pupus. Otherwise, the cheese may come out when you fry it
Step 5. Form the filled ball of dough into a floppy disk
The pupusa should be circular and flat, about 0.5 cm thick.
Do not squeeze or roll too much or the contents may come out
Step 6. Cook the pupusas
Heat a frying pan or cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add a few tablespoons of oil to lightly coat the pan. Add the pupusas and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Then, flip it over and cook another 2 to 3 minutes.
Pupusas should be golden when they are ripe
Step 7. Serve the pupusas
Serve the pupusas while they are still warm. Sprinkle with curtido and whatever sauce you like.
Part 2 of 3: Making Curtido
Step 1. Prepare your vegetables
Slice the cabbage, grate the carrots, and thinly slice the onions. Put everything in a large bowl and let it rest.
Step 2. Mix the remaining ingredients
In a small bowl, combine apple cider vinegar, water, salt, brown sugar, oregano, and red pepper powder. Make sure there are no lumps of spices or brown sugar.
Step 3. Mix the curtido
Pour the liquid seasoning mixture over the prepared vegetables and mix well. Make sure the vegetables are completely covered in the mixture.
Step 4. Cool
Cover the curtido and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. It would be better if you put it in the refrigerator overnight before serving. This will give it a slightly sour taste.
Part 3 of 3: Mixing
Step 1. Try different types of cheese
There are several types of cheese that make a delicious pupusa filling. Consider using: quesillo, queso fresco, Monterey Jack, or mozzarella.
Consider mixing a little cheese into the masa harina before you mix the dough. Try using dry cheeses, such as cotija
Step 2. Add another fill
You don't have to just fill the pupusas with cheese. If you want to add more filling, make sure you use only a little and not too much. Don't make trouble by rolling the filled pupusas. Try these fillings:
- slow cook pork
- fried peanut
- jalapeno
- Pepper slices
- ham
- mold
- coriander
Step 3. Serve the pupusas with red salsa or tomato sauce
Curtido is cabbage slaw served with pupusas. You can also serve pupusas with salsa. You can also use something like ketchup or enchiladas for the pupusa dip.
For better taste, warm up the salsa or tomato sauce before dipping the pupusas
Step 4. Decorate
Add a little extra flavor and color to the pupusas with garnish. Sprinkle with a bit of whatever cheese you like, or serve with a lemon wedge.
