Pupusas
We used to have a little Salvadorian restaurant in our neighborhood, Isobel’s, that served the best pupusas. Sadly, they closed and left us with no more pupusas. Since Isobel’s closed, we’ve done a lot of research and used a little elbow grease to figure out how to make them on our own.
Have you ever had a pupusa? They are little stuffed masa cakes that are griddled on the stove. They are surprisingly simple to make and lend themselves to a wide variety of fillings. We like to use cheese in ours (alone and in combination with other things) because the gooey, meltiness is so delicious. Our go-to fillings are finely shredded Monterey Jack and Chipotle Cheddar cheeses. We also like to finely chop carnitas and pollo asada and use those along with the cheeses. You can buy pre-cooked carnitas and pollo asada at some deli counters and most mercados.
Pupusas make a lovely dinner served along with rice and beans. They also make a great snack – you can rewarm them in a frying pan or pop them in the microwave to reheat them. They also freeze very well. You can make a big batch and put them in an airtight container so you can have them on hand. Just let them thaw for a couple of hours at room temperature and reheat them in a frying pan, oven or microwave.
We hope you enjoy these as much as we do!
Jump to Recipe
Prepare your fillings. We like a combination of cheese and meats.
We love this Chipotle Cheddar in the filling!
Mix the masa harina and water until it holds together well.
Form dough balls into a disk, place filling on top, wrap dough around filling and flatten into a disk.
If you are using several different fillings, it’s helpful to label them and keep them straight.
Cover with a damp towel until ready to cook.
Fry papusas in batches until golden brown.
Remove from frying pan to a rack set over a baking sheet.
Keep warm in a 200 degree oven until ready to eat.
Pupusas
Ingredients
- 4 cups masa harina
- 2 cups warm water
- 1 cup prepared meat filling such as carnitas or pollo asada
- 8 ounces finely shredded cheese such as Monterey Jack
- 5 TBSP canola oil plus more as needed
Instructions
- In a large bowl, stir together the masa harina and the water. Knead the dough until it holds together and doesn’t crack. If the dough is too dry and isn’t holding together, add water 1 tablespoon at a time and continue to knead. You want it to hold together but not be too soggy.
- Cover the bowl with a wet towel and let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
- Break off a piece of dough a little larger than a golf ball. Using one hand, flatten the dough into a disk in the other hand. Place about 1 tablespoon of filling(s) on top of the disk and bring the edges of the dough together on top to form a ball. If the dough cracks at this point, dip your finger into some water and smooth it over the crack. Roll into a ball and make sure the filling is completely encased in the dough. Gently flatten the ball into a disk keeping the filling inside the dough. We like to use our hands for to form the pupusas but you can also use a tortilla press, if you have one. Place the prepared pupusas on a parchment lined baking sheet and cover with a damp towel while you make the rest.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering, add as many pupusas as will fit. We can usually fit three. Cook 3-4 minutes then flip, cooking another 3-4 minutes on the other side. They should be golden brown and a little blistered. Place cooked pupusas on a rack set in a rimmed baking sheet in the oven at 200° F to keep warm while making the remaining ones.
- Serve warm.
Notes