These bad boys have been in my cooking queue for over TWO YEARS. And they finally happened. One of my favorite ways to cook is hypothetically (or literally) spinning a globe and seeing where it lands. And thats how I ended up on these. By spinning a country generator wheel online and cooking a dish from the first country it landed on- EL SALVADOR.
Luckily for me, when I landed on El Salvador, I already had a rough draft written up in my notes app for this dish. Yes, truly… this is all I do. My 1,325 notes in my phone is completely littered with recipe ideas from around the world and how to veganize them. My favorite part about food is that it can take you anywhere, even from the comfort of your own kitchen.
What is a Pupusa?
Pupusa is the national dish of the Central American country of El Salvador. These handheld latin breads are made with a bready corn flour outside and stuffed with a savory inside- and typically an epic cheese pull. They are traditionally stuffed with anything from refried beans to cheese to meat. Fry them up so you get a golden brown outside. Serve them with a traditional curtido (aka cabbage slaw) and salsa roja (aka mild tomato salsa).
Tips for the Perfect Pupusa
- The dough should NOT crack while forming your pupusas, if it does then theres not enough water. I add a bit of my hands, because you don’t need much.
- Don’t skip on the salt.
- You don’t need a lot of oil to fry these. 1-2 tbsp at the most.
- Dough should feel like a play dough consistency. It does not bounce back when you press it.
- Double check your flour! You do not want corn meal.
