Pupusas Recipe
Pupusas are a Salvadoran dish made from crispy masa dough stuffed with refried beans, pickled jalapeños, and melted cheese. Serve them with a zesty cabbage slaw called curtido!
Servings: 8 pupusas
Equipment
Ingredients
For the curtido:
- 1 cup shredded cabbage
- 1 small carrot thinly sliced or grated
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup hot water
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cane sugar
For the pupusas:
- 1½ cups + 2 tablespoons masa harina
- 1⅓ cup water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup refried beans
- ¼ cup pickled jalapenos finely chopped
Instructions
Make the curtido:
- Combine the ingredients. Add cabbage, carrots, and oregano in a bowl. Combine vinegar, hot water, salt, and sugar in a separate bowl and stir until sugar dissolves. Pour the mixture over the cabbage and stir to combine.
- Chill. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours.
Make the pupusas:
- Make the dough. Combine masa harina, water, and salt in a bowl. Stir with a spatula, then knead until you have a very soft dough. Divide the dough into 8 equal parts and shape into balls.
- Fill the dough. Add some water to a bowl – you will use this to wet your hands so the dough does not stick. Flatten the balls between the palms so they are ¼-inch thick. Place some refried beans onto the dough (around ½ tablespoon), mozzarella cheese, and pickled jalapenos.
- Fold. Lift and pinch the edges and roll the dough again into a ball. Flatten it gently to 1/2-inch thick. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
- Fry the pupusas. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a skillet. Add the pupusas and cook them for 4-5 minutes per side.
- Serve. Serve the pupusas while still warm with curtido on the side.
Notes
- Filling options. For the filling, you can go with other options or just use refried beans. Baked squash instead of beans is a good choice.
- Sticky dough. If you feel the water is not enough to keep your dough from sticking, then add some oil to the water or just use oil.
- Use a cookie scoop. If you do not want to divide the dough, you can use a 2-oz. cookie scoop to portion out the dough.
- Use parchment paper. When you are done shaping the pupusas, place them on a piece of baking paper to prevent sticking to kitchen surfaces.
Nutrition
Calories: 116kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 606mg | Potassium: 126mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1462IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 85mg | Iron: 2mg
