Pupusas are a typical dish from El Salvador and it is very easy to find in the streets or restaurants throughout the country; traditional pupusas are made with corn or rice dough and are filled with beans and cheese, in some regions they have tried various fillings such as chicken, fish and shellfish.
If you want to learn how to make Salvadoran pupusas, read on and discover the peculiar flavor of the combination of refried beans with cheese and pork rinds. The latter, at least in my city, can be bought ready to eat, but if it is not easy to find it in your city, at the end of the recipe we will give you a practical recipe so that you can prepare it and add it to your Salvadoran pupusas recipe.
Ingredients to make Salvadoran Pupusas:
For the refried beans
• 250 grams of cooked beans
• 1 piece of onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 tablespoons of oil
• 200 grams of mozzarella cheese
For the pork rind
• 300 grams of pork crackling
• 2 pieces of tomatoes
• ½ unit of onion
• 1 green chili
• 2 tablespoons of oil
• Salt to taste
For the corn dough
• 500 grams of corn flour
• 1½ cups of water (360 milliliters)
For tanning
• 1 cup chopped white cabbage
• 2 pieces of grated carrot
• 1 purple onion julienned
• ½ cup white vinegar
• 1 pinch of dried oregano
How to make Salvadoran Pupusas:
Begin by preparing the refried beans. First, place a pan with a little oil and fry the onion and garlic clove until golden brown. Then, blend together with the cooked beans for a few minutes until you get a smooth paste.
In a pot or pan with the oil left over from frying the onion and garlic, empty the beans and stir constantly until reduced and a firmer paste remains. When they are ready, add the mozzarella cheese and reserve.
Tip: you cannot add the cheese in this step and add it when preparing the pupusas.
Now prepare the pork rind. First, blend the tomato, onion and green chili; booking. With your pork rind ready, proceed to grind it, use a food processor or a blender, grind until you get a paste. Then, add the sauce that you blended first and mix so that all the ingredients are integrated. Once everything is ground, transfer the pork rind paste to a pan with a little oil and cook for 10 minutes, then set aside.
For the corn dough, you can use precooked cornmeal or regular cornmeal. Mix with water and a pinch of salt until you get a soft and moist dough, cover your dough while you continue with the recipe.
Prepare the curtido: mix the finely chopped white cabbage, the grated carrot, the julienned red onion, a pinch of oregano, salt to taste and half a cup of white vinegar. Let stand for 20 minutes.
All that remains is to prepare the pupusa, take a portion of the dough and form a kind of casserole with your hands. Fill with the bean paste, cheese and pork rinds, and close and shape it by pressing with your hands. Then, on a hot griddle, cook the pupusas for a few minutes on each side until golden brown.
You can use a little oil on your hands to make it easier to shape the pupusa; you can also make them just with beans and cheese or just with pork rinds.
Once they are cooked, accompany them with a little of the cabbage tanning that you prepared and a little tomato sauce
Salvadoran pupusas – Suggestions and other recipes
Preparing Salvadoran pupusas could be complicated for some, but follow the recipe that we share with you and you will see that they will be delicious. As we mentioned at the beginning, pupusas are also prepared with pork rinds, but if you can’t get it, here’s a quick recipe for you to prepare at home.
• 1 kilo pork leg
• 5 peeled garlic
• 2 cups of water
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• Salt to taste
• 3 tbsp. oil
To prepare it follow these quick steps:
1. Wash the pork very well and cut it into small pieces
2. Fry the garlic cloves in the oil, when they begin to brown add the meat in pieces.
3. Let cook until the meat turns golden brown, then add the two cups of water and cook for 40 minutes until the water evaporates and only the butter from the meat remains.
4. Continue frying until the pork rind is golden.
5. Once you have the chicharrón ready, you can follow the steps of the pupusas recipe.
Pupusas are the ideal dish for dinner or to accompany a main course, go ahead and prepare the recipe, we assure you will love it.
