Pupusa Recipe from El Salvador
Pupusas, the national dish of El Salvador, are a simple and affordable recipe to make. Stuff them with cheese, beans, or meat, and fry them up for a filling snack or lunch!
Servings 12
Calories 146kcal
Ingredients
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 3 cups masa harina
- 2 ¾ cup water
- 1 ½ cups Quesillo Cheese can sub shredded mozzarella
- Vegetable oil for cooking
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together 2 tsp salt and 3 cups masa harina. Then add the 2 ¾ cup water. Knead the dough with your hands until it forms a playdoh-like consistency.
- Form the dough into balls in 12 equal balls about 2 inches in diameter. Use your fingers to form a pocket in the middle of the dough ball, leaving the edges thick.
- Add about 2 tbsp of shredded cheese in the middle of the pupusa dough. Then use the edges of the dough to cover the cheese pocket, sealing off the pupusa.
- Wet your hands lightly in water or oil, and use your hands to gently flatten the pupusa into a disk.
- Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat, and brush lightly with vegetable oil.
- Add the pupusa into the pan, and cook for about 3-5 minutes on one side, until the outside is crispy and begins to turn brown. Flip the pupusa and grill again on the other side.
- Repeat this process, re-oiling the skillet between each batch.
- Serve with salsa and curtido and enjoy!
Notes
Copyright The Foreign Fork. Recipe edited and approved by Kayla Garcia from El Salvador. For educational or personal use only.
- Masa Harina: Masa harina comes from grinding corn up. I used white masa harina for this recipe, though it also comes in yellow. White masa harina is a bit sweeter than yellow masa harina. Salt: I use Kosher salt, but you can use table salt
- Cheese: Use quesillo cheese if you can find it! I was able to find some at Compare Foods, but it should be available at any local Mexican grocery store. If you cannot find quesillo cheese, you can substitute mozzarella.
- Oil: The oil is meant to cook the pupusas. I used vegetable oil, but you can use any oil with a low smoking point. Another good option is sunflower oil!
- Use a large ice cream scoop to scoop your dough for equal-sized balls. This makes your cook time more consistent when the corn tortillas are the same size.
- Your dough should be the consistency of soft play-doh. If you find that your dough is too sticky to work with, you can mix a little bit of oil and water onto your hands. Having moist fingers makes it easier to form the balls without the dough sticking.
- Once your pupusas are formed it is helpful to lay them on parchment paper, plastic wrap, or foil until they are ready to be cooked. This makes it easier to pick them up without them sticking and falling apart.
- If your pupusa cracks, just pinch the dough back together before cooking to keep your filling inside. You could also add a piece of dough over the crack to help fill it in.
- If you are making a big batch of pupusas, keep them warm on a tray in the oven until ready to serve.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 146kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 479mg | Potassium: 86mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 0.1g | Vitamin A: 156IU | Calcium: 111mg | Iron: 2mg