El Salvador - Pupusas
Next up on our trip around the culinary world in an indeterminate number of days, we’re headed to El Salvador. This tiny Central American nation is mostly known for coffee exports and for it’s name, which translates to “The Salvador”, and other facts which I have absolutely made up.
The dish we’re going with here is endemic to Central America, and could have been chosen for several different countries, but we’re going with El Salvador because it is said to have originated with the indigenous Pibil people who called this place home. The Pupusa is a thick patty of corn masa dough stuffed with a variety of fillings including beans, meat, cheese, and various stews. Its a savory, crispy pocket that makes for a perfect street food…think of a Central American Hot Pocket filled with actual food and not what I’m pretty sure is low-grade weasel meat.
For this recipe, I decided to stick to a traditional filling of refried black beans and cheese. This keeps things simple, and allows for a relatively dry filling that doesn’t have a tendency to leach out of the pupusa during cooking. The beans are cooked, mashed, and fried in fat (I used bacon fat that I had reserved) with additional flavoring from onion, garlic, and an herb common in Central American cooking called Epazote. Once finished, the pupusas can be topped with a shredded cabbage slaw with carrots and vinegar called “Curtido” which while not strictly necessary adds a fresh tangy crunch that shouldn’t be skipped.
This dish is actually composed of 3 separate recipes from the brilliant culinary minds over at Serious Eats. We’ll start with the refried black beans that make up the filling of the pupusas -
Refried Black Beans - Ingredients
1/2 pound dried black beans
Water
2 sprigs fresh epazote (or oregano if epazote is unavailable)
1 medium white onion, 1/2 minced (about 1/2 cup), 1/2 left whole
2 medium cloves garlic
Kosher salt
6 tablespoons lard, bacon drippings, or vegetable oil
Refried Black Beans - Directions
In a large pot, cover the beans with cold water by at least 2 inches. Add herb sprigs, the whole onion half, and garlic cloves and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to simmer and cook until beans are very tender, about 1 to 2 hours. Season with salt. Drain beans, reserving bean-cooking liquid. You should have about 3 cups of cooked beans; if you have more, measure out 3 cups of beans and reserve the rest for another use. Discard herb sprigs, onion, and garlic
In a large skillet, heat fat until shimmering over medium-high heat. Add minced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent and lightly golden, about 7 minutes. Stir in beans and cook for 2 minutes. Add 1/4 cup of reserved bean-cooking liquid. Using bean masher, potato masher, or back of a wooden spoon, smash the beans to form a chunky purée; alternatively, use a stick blender to make a smoother purée. Thin with more bean cooking water until desired consistency is reached. If refried beans become too wet, simmer, stirring, until thickened; if they become too dry, add more bean-cooking liquid, 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed. Season with salt and serve.
Once you’ve got the beans, time to move on to the masa dough that will form the shell of the pupusas. This basic dough will also serve you in making a multitude of other Central American recipes, including tortillas, sopes, and huaraches.
Masa Dough - Ingredients
3 1/2 cups masa harina
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup lard, melted vegetable shortening, or vegetable oil
2 1/4 cups warm water
Masa Dough - Directions
In a mixing bowl, combine masa harina, flour, baking powder, and salt and whisk to incorporate. Drizzle fat evenly over dry ingredients and whisk again until mixture forms pea-sized balls. Scrape dough from whisk. Add water and, using a wooden spoon, mix to thoroughly combine. Scrape dough from spoon and, using your hands, knead dough briefly, just until it comes together in a smooth ball, about 2 minutes. Cover bowl with a towel and let rest for 15 minutes before proceeding.
The last step before final assembly of the pupusas is our curtido. This adds crunch, a vinegary bite, and freshness to the dish and shouldn’t be skipped if you have the time
Curtido - Ingredients
1/2 small (2-pound) green cabbage, cored and very thinly sliced (about 4 cups)
1/2 medium white onion, peeled and very thinly sliced (about 1/2 cup)
2 carrots, peeled and shredded (about 1/2 cup)
1 small jalapeño, ribs and seeds removed, minced (optional)
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Curtido - Directions
In a large bowl, toss together cabbage, onion, carrot, and jalapeño, if using. In a small saucepan, combine vinegar, salt, and sugar a cook over medium heat, stirring, until salt and sugar are just dissolved. Pour brine over vegetables and toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate for one hour before serving.
Once all the component parts are done, its time to do the damn thing and make some pupusas. I mean, you’ve read this far, you deserve a reward.
Pupusas - Ingredients
1 batch masa dough (see above)
1 batch refried black beans (see above) cooled
2 cups shredded Queso Oaxaca or mozzarella
Vegetable oil, for frying
1 batch Curtido (see above)
Hot sauce and lime wedges, for serving (optional)
Pupusas - Directions
Using wet hands, roll masa dough into 15 golf-ball-sized balls. Place balls on a baking sheet and cover with a moist towel. Working with one ball at a time, use your thumb to press a deep indent into the ball, then use your hands to work it into a small "bowl" with a 1/4-inch-thick edge
Place about 1 heaping tablespoon refried beans into the bottom of the "bowl," then top with about 1 heaping tablespoon shredded cheese. Using moist fingers, carefully bring dough edge together, enclosing the filling within, and press to seal. Roll the ball in your hands to return it to a uniform ball shape. Carefully pat pupusa down into a flat round about 4 inches wide and about 3/4 inch thick; if edges crack, run a wet finger around them to smooth them. Place pupusas on a baking sheet and keep covered with a towel as you work. Repeat with remaining masa balls and fillings.
Lightly coat a large cast iron skillet with oil and heat over medium heat until shimmering. Working in batches, add pupusas and fry, turning once, until well-browned and crisp, about 4 minutes per side. Drain pupusas on a paper towel-lined plate, than transfer them to plates and top with curtido. Serve with hot sauce and lime wedges, if desired.
These are absolutely delicious, as much as you’d expect fried corn pockets full of beans and cheese to be. The curtido adds a lot of balance in the form of fresh crunch and acid, and the the hot sauce of choice (Pickapeppa) lends a lot of tangy funk to the flavor.