Pupusas are a typical Salvadorian dish: cornmeal cakes typically filled with meat, beans and/or cheese. They are generally served with curtido – a pickled coleslaw – and red salsa. 

Last winter, I was often going out to get raviolis – my go-tos were the ones filled with squash and onion… so delicious! They are the inspiration behind this recipe. Although these are non-traditional fillings, the possibilities are endless when it comes to pupusas. With the heartiness of the cornmeal (I use Maseca) and the tangy curtido, you can’t really go wrong. However, if you want to keep things traditional, you can find a delicious bean & cheese recipe on my blog.

Making pupusas may seem like a lot of work, but it’s actually not so much. You can prepare the curtido in advance to save you some time – and it will also taste better the longer it pickles. The assembly is perhaps the trickiest part, but it’s also very fun. Just make sure to listen to this song while you make them – it’s a hymn to pupusas, and if you put it on, you’ll see it’s truly impossible not to be in a good mood while you’re making them.

So make the curtido ahead of time, and definitely don’t skip it or the salsa. Pairing pupusas with curtido and salsa is quite crucial as they bring the whole meal together. I’ve had pupusas without them and they’re still good, of course, but you don’t want to miss out on some of those essential flavors!

So let’s get cooking! Put some music on, dance it out and enjoy this damn good meal ?

A little prep tip: if you make a big batch of pupusas, have your oven on at 100°C and keep cooked pupusas in there to keep them warm while you make the rest of them 😉

Melissa Martorell-Luque

Pupusas with Curtido & Salsa (Salvadorian Recipe)

Pupusas are a typical Salvadorian dish: cornmeal cakes typically filled with meat, beans and/or cheese. They are generally served with curtido – a pickled coleslaw – and red salsa.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Pickling Time 6 hours hrs

Total Time 7 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Servings: 4

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Salvadorian

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

Curtido (to be made beforehand):

• ½ head white cabbage shredded
• 1 carrot shredded
• 1 small white onion chopped
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 ½ cups water
• 1 tsp epazote (Mexican oregano)

Masa Cakes:

• 2 cups instant corn masa flour
• 2 cups water
• salt

Filling:

• 1 small butternut squash roasted & mashed
• 1 white onion sliced
• 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese

To serve:

• salsa
• hot sauce

Method

 

Curtido:

1. Combine the cabbage, carrot, & onion in a large bowl.
2. Add water, vinegar & epazote. Mix to combine.
3. Transfer to a few big jars and seal well. Let ferment for at least a couple of hours (or overnight, if possible) in the fridge.

Masa Cakes:

1. Add the water to the masa and add a pinch of salt.
2. Knead to form a smooth, moist dough.
3. Form the dough into ten balls and let rest while you prepare the other ingredients.

Pupusas:

Squash –

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Using a large knife, cut your butternut squash in half lengthwise.
3. Scoop out the seeds and stringy bits from each half and discard.
4. Transfer the butternut squash (cut-side up) into a baking dish and brush with olive oil, coating the entire surface of the squash. Season with salt & pepper.
5. Roast in the oven for approximately 45 minutes, or until soft and fork-tender.
6. Remove from oven and allow to cool. Scoop out flesh from the skin, add to a bowl and roughly mash.

Caramelized Onion –

1. While the squash is roasting, coat the bottom of a pan with olive oil. Heat the pan on medium-high heat.
2. When the oil starts to simmer, add slices of onion and stir to coat them thoroughly with the oil.
3. Spread the onions out evenly over the pan and let cook, stirring occasionally. (Depending on how strong your stove-top burner is, you may need to reduce the heat to medium or medium-low to prevent the onions from burning or drying out.)
4. After 10 minutes, sprinkle some salt over the onions, and if you want, you can add some sugar to help with the caramelization process. (If the onions start to dry out, add a little water to help.)
5. Cook for at least 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once cooked, set aside.

Assembly –

1. First check out this video, as it really helps to break down the technique.
2. Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat.
3. Wet your hands with some oil, as this will prevent the dough from breaking.
4. Flatten each ball of dough into a shallow cup.
5. Add a spoonful of roasted squash, then some onions and cheese. Don’t overfill the pupusas, because you’ll need room to be able to seal them properly.
6. Wrap the dough around the filling and pinch off the top to seal.
7. Pat the dough back and forth in your hands to flatten.
8. Cook 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown.
9. Serve warm with your curtido and salsa.

ENJOY!

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