Pupusas: The Original Recipe Of The Traditional Dish From El Salvador
Make easy and delicious homemade pupusas stuffed with jalapeno peppers and mozzarella cheese, served with El Salvadorian curtido for a complete meal.
This recipe for a soft cornmeal dough stuffed with your favorite fillings is fun to make, easy to freeze and tasty. It’s a celebration of a traditional South American dish that’s sure to bring a festive note to your home kitchen.
What Are Pupusas?
Pupusas are delicious doughy packets stuffed with your favorite fillings. They’re quickly pan-fried and often served with refreshing curtido slaw on the side. Pupusas are a beloved El Salvadorian dish made with a soft masa harina dough. The dough itself is a simple combination of masa and water, while the fillings options are endless.
How to make Pupusas
Start by gathering the ingredients for the dough and the curtido.
Start by whisking together masa harina and salt. Using a spatula, stir the dough as you our in cold water until combined. Use your hands to knead the mixture until it’s a soft dough.
Scoop the dough into 2-ounce balls with a scoop of your hands and lay them on a piece of parchment paper. Heat an oven to 200°F to warm the finished pupusas while you shape the dough.
Flatten the dough into ½-inch thick rounds. Top each round of dough with shredded mozzarella cheese and a sprinkled of diced jalapeño pepper.
Press the fillings into the center of the pupusa dough and wrap the dough to form a halfmoon around the filling.
Pinch to seal the filling inside and flatten the dough slightly. The finished product should be about 4 inches in diameter and a quarter inch thick.
Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat with a slash of oil. When the oil is hot, place the pupusas into the pan, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. Cook for 4 to 6 minutes per side, until browned, then transfer to a baking sheet in the oven to keep warm while you continue cooking the remaining pupusas.
Serve with curtido and enjoy!
What is Curtido and Why is it Important?
Curtido is a quick-pickled condiment made with cabbage and other shredded crunchy vegetables. This recipe includes carrots and is flavored with Mexican oregano. The vegetables are covered in a vinegar-sugar brine and left to marinate for at least 4 hours. You can let the curtido chill up to overnight, which makes this a great make-ahead recipe. While the slaw sits in the marinade, the cabbage softens into a tangy, crisp and flavorful vegetarian condiment.
Curtido is important for this recipe because it’s the traditional, refreshing and crunchy side dish that completes a meal of pupusas. You can enjoy curtido on many more dishes more than pupusas, however! Top burgers, hot dogs, and other entrées with crunchy cabbage curtido.
Pupusa Filling Ideas
These vegetarian pupusas are filled with melty mozzarella cheese and a sprinkle of diced jalapeño for a kick of spice. However, there are dozens of traditional and creative ways to fill your masa harina dough.
- Here are some popular filling ideas for pupusas:
- Shredded or pulled meat like chicken, pork and beef
- Refried or baked beans
- Stir-fried vegetables spiced with your favorite seasonings
- Mixed cheeses
Can I Freeze Them?
While the curtido will not freeze well, you can easily freeze pupusas before cooking them, after assembly. To do so, arrange the shaped and filled pupusas on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place in the freezer until they’re hardened, about 30 minutes. They don’t have to be completely frozen solid, this is just to ensure that the treats don’t stick together in the freezer.
Then transfer the frozen pupusas to a zip-top bag or airtight container and freeze for up to four months. You can then cook the pupusas from frozen. Simply follow the recipe as written, adding 1-2 minutes of cooking per side.
Instructions
- To make pupusas, start by gathering the ingredients for the dough and the curtido.
- Start by making the curtido. In a large bowl, combine the cabbage, carrots and Mexican oregano.
- In a large glass measuring cup, combine hot water, apple cider vinegar, salt and sugar.
- Pour the liquid ingredients over the cabbage and carrots and toss to coat the vegetables thoroughly. Let the mixture cool to room temperature before covering it securely and chilling in the fridge for 4 hours or up to overnight.
- Next, make the dough. Start by whisking together masa harina and salt.
- Using a spatula, stir the dough as you our in cold water until combined.
- Use your hands to knead the mixture until it’s a soft dough.
- Scoop the dough into 2-ounce balls with a scoop of your hands and lay them on a piece of parchment paper.
- Fill a glass measuring cup about halfway with water and oil. This keeps your hands clean while you work.
- Heat an oven to 200°F to warm the finished pupusas while you shape the dough.
- Flatten the dough into ½-inch thick rounds. Top each round of dough with shredded mozzarella cheese and a sprinkled of diced jalapeño pepper. Press the fillings into the center of the pupusa dough and wrap the dough to form a halfmoon around the filling. Pinch to seal the filling inside and flatten the dough slightly. The finished product should be about 4 inches in diameter and a quarter inch thick.
- Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat with a slash of oil. When the oil is hot, place the pupusas into the pan, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. You will probably need to work in batches. Cook for 4 to 6 minutes per side, until browned, then transfer to a baking sheet in the oven to keep warm while you continue cooking the remaining pupusas.
- Serve with curtido and enjoy!
