Pupusas

Seeing a towering stack of these cheese oozing discs, you might think they were difficult to make at home. Not so! With this simple recipe for pupusas (and step by step how-to video), you’ll be serving them in minutes!

What is a Pupusa?

Pupusas are the national dish of El Salvador, where they were created centuries ago, for good reason – they are delicious, cheese filled masa cakes (also stuffed with meat and/or beans) that are grilled and typically served with a vinegary, spicy slaw called Curtido.

Ingredients You Need to Make Pupusas

Olive Oil: for pan frying
Masa Harina: Note that this is not the same as cornmeal. (Further explanation of this ingredient below.) 
Mozzarella Cheese: ideally whole milk mozzarella
Warm Water: ideally filtered
Kosher Salt

What is Masa Harina?

Masa Harina (meaning “dough flour” in Spanish) is made from corn that is treated in an alkaline solution (soaked and cooked), then washed and hulled, then dried and ground. This process called Nixtamalization, a process that reduces toxins produced by common molds in corn and makes the naturally occurring niacin more easily absorbed by the body.

I clipped a recipe for Pupusas from Saveur magazine years ago, intrigued by the idea of cheese stuffed corn-masa cakes. They reminded me of these vegetarian tamales, one of my favorite foods, but looked easier to make. And this recipe from The New York Times looked interesting too. The problem was that I’d never actually eaten a pupusa, so if I made them at home, how could I know that my pupusas tasted how pupusas should taste?

Fortunately, we had a couple of good resources for authentic pupusas in our little town of Bend, Oregon: here and here. So we set out to eat pupusas, in the name of research you understand. The delicate crunch of the grilled masa cake, the molten cheese spilling out – I was smitten from my first bite!

How to Make Pupusas

Make pupusa dough with a simple mixture of masa harina (corn flour), kosher salt and warm water. Dip your hands in a mixture of warm water and a little oil then scoop out a portion of dough a little larger than a golf ball.

Shape the masa dough into a ball, then into a disc that is 3 to 4-inches wide.

Add a generous pinch of cheese to the center of the masa disc and gently fold the edges up all the way around until the cheese is sealed inside. (Note that you can also stuff them with beans, meat, vegetables or a combination of ingredients.)

Gently pat the cheese filled masa dough ball back into a disc. Repeat with remaining dough.

Cook pupusas on a hot non-stick skillet or griddle until masa cakes are cooked through and lightly brown on both sides. You can do this in a dry pan or with a little oil (my preference).

Serve with Curtido – optional but recommended! I also like them with extra hot sauce and sour cream or crema.