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4.91 from 90 votes

Pupusa Recipe

This is a step-by-step on how to make pupusas! This recipe hails from El Salvador and is made by mixing corn flour with water and salt. It's topped with a quick pickled cabbage slaw called curtido.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Assembly30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 15 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Dinner, Side Dish
Cuisine: El Salvadorian
Diet: Gluten Free
Servings: 14
Cost: $5

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet or griddle
  • 1 spatula
  • 2 medium bowl

Ingredients

Curtido:

  • 1/2 head of cabbage (2 cups of shredded cabbage)
  • 1 medium carrot grated
  • 1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano (if you can't find Mexican oregano, use Italian!)
  • 1 cup hot water
  • 1 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar

Pupusa Dough:

  • 3 cups (11.8 ounces/334g) masa harina (such as maseca)
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 2 3/4 cup cold water (from the faucet is fine)

Filling:

  • 2 cups (7.5 ounces) shredded mozzarella (or Oaxacan cheese or any other melty cheese)
  • 1/2 cup pickled jalapeño peppers diced
  • 1/2 cup diced roasted butternut squash

For Hands:

  • 1 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil or neutral oil

Instructions

To Make the Curtido:

  • To a medium bowl, toss together the cabbage, carrots and Mexican oregano. In a measuring cup, stir together the hot water, vinegar, salt and sugar; pour it over the cabbage/carrot mixture. Allow it to come to room temperature and then cover it with plastic wrap and transfer it to the fridge for at least 4 hours and preferably a day before serving.
  • To Make the Pupusa Dough:
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the masa harina and salt. Pour in the cold water and using a spatula, stir the masa until mostly combined. Then, using your hands, mix the dough until a very soft dough forms. The dough will be very soft. This is totally okay; this means a delicious pupusa is on the way!
  • I found it easiest to use a 2 ounce ice cream scoop and scoop out the masa into balls onto a piece of parchment. You could also do this with your hands but be sure to make the water/oil mixture above and coat your hands with it first.

To Assembe the Pupusas:

  • Add the water to a measuring cup and pour in the oil (you can eyeball this). Lightly dip your hands in the water/oil mixture, making sure your palm are evenly coated. This will make it so the masa doesn’t stick to your hands.
  • Preheat your oven to 200 degrees F. I like to place the pupusas in the oven while I make the rest of the pupusas so they can stay warm and melty. I placed a cooling rack atop a baking sheet and placed it in the oven.
  • Working one at a time, flatten the balls gently until they're about 1/2-inch thick discs. Place a tablespoon or two of mozzarella cheese, a small bit of diced jalapeño and squash into the center and wrap the dough around the filling creating a half moon shape. Pinch the edges to seal it completely. And then pat the dough gently, flattening it and alternating hands until it reaches about 1/4-inch thick and about 4-inches in diameter. Feel free to re-grease your hands as needed. Repeat with the remaining balls of dough.
  • Meanwhile, preheat a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add a teaspoon of neutral oil and brush the surface with a silicon brush. Add the pupusas to the pan, fitting two to three at time. Don’t be shy to break out another cast iron skillet (if you own it). Cook each pupusa for 4 to 6 minutes per side and then transfer to the baking sheet in the oven. Repeat this process until you’ve worked your way through all of the pupusas.

To Serve the Pupusas:

  • Serve the pupusas with the curtido, wedges of lime and salsa.

Notes

Tips and Tricks for Making Pupusas:
  1. Cookie scoops are your friend! I used a 2 ounce cookie scoop to divide the dough balls. It made it super quick and easy and made it so they were mostly the exact size.
  2. Make sure your hands are always oiled. This dough is super sticky and the oil helps so much!
  3. While forming the pupusas, if a tear appears, simply pinch the masa shut. Also if a bit of cheese leaks out of the pupusa while cooking it, that’ll be delicious and make a bit of a cheese chip.
  4. Let gravity be your friend. When you move the ball of masa from palm to palm, gravity will help make it get a bit flatter. Each time you move it from palm to palm, you should be gently flattening it.
  5. When I was done forming each pupusa, I placed them on a piece of parchment. You can use a plate or cutting board, just be sure to grease it with a bit of oil so the formed pupusas don’t stick.
  6. If you don’t own a large griddle (I don’t own one) and want to keep the pupusas warm while you work your way through cooking them, use your oven. I like to place a cooling rack on top of a baking sheet and stick it in a 200 degree F oven. When I’m done making each pupusa, I just transfer it to the rack in the oven.
Equipment: 
Cast Iron Skillet | Fish Spatula | Baking Sheet | Cooling Rack | Stainless Steel Bowls | Silicon Spatula | Mixing Bowls with Lids

Nutrition

Serving: 14g | Calories: 125kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 500mg | Potassium: 12mg | Sugar: 1g | Calcium: 1mg | Iron: 1mg