How to Make Pupusas with Curtido, With Love from El Salvador #recipes

cheese

🥗Healthier: low-fat cheese

💰Cheaper: queso blanco

Low-fat cheese reduces calories while maintaining flavor.

masa harina

🥗Healthier: whole wheat flour

💰Cheaper: corn flour

Whole wheat flour adds fiber and nutrients.

sour cream

🥗Healthier: Greek yogurt

💰Cheaper: plain yogurt

Greek yogurt offers similar creaminess with fewer calories.

jalapeños

🥗Healthier: bell peppers

💰Cheaper: banana peppers

Bell peppers provide crunch without heat.

Make the Curtido: Mix the cabbage, carrot and red onion in a bowl. Add the vinegar and salt. Toss and set aside to let the vegetables soak in the vinegar and start to slightly ferment.

Prep the Pupusa Masa: In a bowl mix the masa harina and the slightly warm water. When the masa and water are well blended and moist to the touch, set aside to let it sit for a few minutes.

Make the Tomato Salsa: Chop the tomatoes. Add the tomatoes, garlic, salt, cumin and chile powder in a blender. Pulse until well blended and the mixture turns a dusty pink color. In a saucepan, warm the olive oil over low heat. Pour the tomato sauce mixture into your saucepan and simmer 10 minutes, until the ingredients blend together, the sauce turns an orangy-red color, and a savory aroma fills your kitchen.

Prep the Cheese Filling: Place the mozzarella cheese into a bowl. Warm the cheese in the microwave for 1 minute. Add the olive oil and work it with the cheese with your fingers or a spoon to soften it. Set aside.

Shape and Fill the Pupusas: Preheat a griddle or a cast-iron pan to medium hot. Add a little oil to create a slick surface that won’t stick when you start cooking the pupusas: about 1 Tbsp. With your hands, scoop up about 3 Tbsp of the masa harina from the bowl and form it into a ball about 2 inches wide. Using your palms, gently press the ball of masa back and forth between your two hands until it is flattened into a disc about 1/4 inch thick and 4 inches long. Use your fist to make a small indentation in the middle of the disc. Fill the indentation with about 2 Tbsp of the softened cheese. With your fingers, pull the masa edges over the stuffing so that the cheese is completely sealed within a small ball of the masa mixture. Press the ball of masa between your two palms, gently tossing it back and forth, to flatten the masa into the same thin disc as before: about 1/4 inch thick and 4 inches long.

Cook the Pupusas on a Griddle, Pan or Comal: Place each pupusa on the preheated griddle or pan. Sprinkle a few drops of olive oil on the top of each one. When the first side turns pale golden brown, in about 2 minutes, flip and cook the second side. Serve each person 2 golden-brown pupusas, with a side of the curtido fermented slaw, topped with 1 to 2 Tbsp of the tomato sauce, and (optional) 1 to 2 thin slices of jalapeño.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Dietary

Allergens