Pupusas

By Ham El-Waylly

Pupusas
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
55 minutes
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
45 minutes
Rating
4(182)
Notes
Read community notes

While masa, a dough made from nixtamalized corn, is mostly associated with Mexican cooking, there are other countries in Central America that utilize it for regional specialties. Pupusas, a stuffed and griddled corn cake hailing from El Salvador and Honduras, is one of these dishes. This version is stuffed with a quick bean and cheese mixture, but pupusas are a great home for leftovers; winter squash, braised meat and pressed, wilted greens all make exceptional fillings. As long as it’s fully cooked, not too wet and small enough to be flattened into the cake, anything can go inside. To dial up the authenticity and add some brightness, serve the pupusas with curtido, a pickled cabbage slaw traditionally served alongside.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 pupusas

    For the Filling

    • 2tablespoons neutral oil
    • 1jalapeño, seeded and diced
    • Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
    • 2garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
    • ½teaspoon ground cumin
    • 1(15-ounce) can black beans, drained
    • 2ounces low-moisture mozzarella or Oaxaca cheese, shredded (½ cup)
    • Curtido or salsa, for serving (optional)

    For the Dough

    • 1cup masa harina
    • 1teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
    • Neutral oil, for frying
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

577 calories; 40 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 24 grams monounsaturated fat; 11 grams polyunsaturated fat; 43 grams carbohydrates; 10 grams dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 13 grams protein; 516 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Make the filling: In a medium skillet over medium heat, add the oil, jalapeño and a pinch of salt. Cook until jalapeño has slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cumin and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

  2. Step 2

    Stir in the beans and a pinch of salt. Mash with a fork or potato masher until most of the beans are mashed but mixture is still chunky. Taste and season with salt, if necessary. Transfer mixture to a bowl and refrigerate until cool, 10 to 15 minutes. Once cool, remove from the fridge and stir in mozzarella until combined. Divide the mixture into 4 portions.

  3. Step 3

    Make the dough: In a medium bowl, combine the masa harina, salt and ¾ cup warm water. Mix with straight, stiff fingers to form a dough. Using both hands, roll into a ball and return to the bowl. The dough should not be overly sticky, but also shouldn’t be so dry it crumbles. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes at room temperature.

  4. Step 4

    Divide the masa into 4 portions and roll into balls. While working with one ball, keep the others covered so they don’t dry out. Using your thumb, create a divot in the middle of the ball. Continue pressing all around the divot to create a bowl shape large enough to hold 1 portion of the bean filling.

  5. Step 5

    Add the bean filling to the masa and pinch around the edges until it’s closed. Roll again to make a uniform ball and place it on a piece of parchment paper. Using the palm and fingers of one hand, press the ball into a ½-inch-thick cake that is about 4½ inches in diameter. (Masa is very malleable, so pinch to close any cracks. It’s OK if some filling pokes through the surface of the corn cake.) Repeat with remaining portions of dough. If at any point the masa is cracking too much, moisten your hands with warm water and knead masa to reintroduce some moisture into the dough.

  6. Step 6

    In a large (12-inch) skillet over medium heat, add enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Once the oil is hot, gently add the pupusa by putting it on your fingertips and placing it in the pan away from you like you are waving away a fly. Add a second pupusa to the pan and fry both until the sides touching the pan are crispy with splotches of darker spots, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip the pupusas and cook until the second sides are also crispy, 3 to 4 minutes more. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels and season with salt. If there is any residue in the pan, wipe it out with a paper towel and start with fresh oil to cook the remaining pupusas. Serve warm with curtido or salsa alongside, if desired.

Ratings

4 out of 5
182 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

J H

I was taught not to use oil, just a very hot comal (skillet), to cook a pupusa. No spices in the beans, though **red bean refried beans** are a must. No black bean and no pinto bean. My pupusas were judged on how well I got the filling into every bite. Pupusas with crispy cheese bites are the faves here. Catch a video to see the technique of making a bowl in your palm, adding the filling, then patting it back-and-forth to flatten it.

Dianaap

Based off previous times I’ve made pupusas, the jalapeno and seasonings aren’t really needed for it to be good. To save the trouble of mashing the beans its very convenient to buy red refried beans.

shawnm

My first attempt at this was a messy disaster. I had way too much filling for the dough, but everything tasted great. I’m just curious if the ratios of dough to filling are working for others or if Im just a disaster at the filling process.

tenso

Few things. Frijoles rojos de seda are the proper beans to use. I'm glad pinto is not suggested here, though. Not available everywhere, so look for red beans instead, particularly in the international sections of stores, or a hispanic grocery store. Might be easier to just buy them already refried if you plan to make them the day of. Also cumin? Not needed. Pupusas are difficult! And messy. Takes lots of practice to get desired masa to filling ratio.

Jennifer P.

Great with leftover taco seasoned hamburger and cheese. Could use all kinds of fillings, yum!

Mike

I recognize that this recipe was developed by a professional and tested in a test kitchen, therefore I believe that all the blame for last night's meal was me. Maybe I used the wrong masa harina. Maybe I did not get the masa to the right consistency. Maybe I did something else wrong. Whatever I did wrong, this recipe had no forgiveness for my mistake and the result was a sub-par dinner. It was a lumpy mess of masa and beans. Try this a few times before making for a crowd.

amy

I used a can of Amy's Organic refried beans. Mine were a mess of lots of cracks but they still cooked fine and were delicious. I had way too much filling but we ate it up on the side. This was enough for 3 people's dinner but barely.

Jessica

Parents: These are great if you have little kids. My littles really enjoy making the papusas (and eating them). We’ve even let the kids have a papusa-making party with friends. Big hit.

SB

My filling to masa ratio made for a huge mess. After scaling back the filling it was much easier. I also watched videos on YouTube by Bryan Ford and Rick Martinez. Between the three recipes, I think I got the hang of it. These are so tasty but take practice to figure out how to properly hydrate the dough, fill, and flatten into cakes.

lulu in oz

OMG, these are magic! Whatever dreary stir fry thing you made that's dry and a bit boring...just wrap it all up in the magic masa, fry well, and everything will taste 100% better!

jess

Made this recipe twice— once with masa harina, and once with some bob’s red mill corn flour I had in the pantry. Obviously the masa harina is the way to go for traditional papusas, but this recipe also worked just fine with the corn flour— a little grittier and more “buttery”, as yellow corn tends to be, but still delicious. Made the curtido a couple days before to let it pickle in the fridge, and topped the whole thing with some pickled jalapeños. Delish!

tenso

Few things. Frijoles rojos de seda are the proper beans to use. I'm glad pinto is not suggested here, though. Not available everywhere, so look for red beans instead, particularly in the international sections of stores, or a hispanic grocery store. Might be easier to just buy them already refried if you plan to make them the day of. Also cumin? Not needed. Pupusas are difficult! And messy. Takes lots of practice to get desired masa to filling ratio.

Nemo

Cumin, says it all.

Lisal

I love ordering pupusas from any number of pupuserias along Bergenline Avenue in Hudson County, NJ. My own attempts to make have been hilarious, messy disasters.

J H

I was taught not to use oil, just a very hot comal (skillet), to cook a pupusa. No spices in the beans, though **red bean refried beans** are a must. No black bean and no pinto bean. My pupusas were judged on how well I got the filling into every bite. Pupusas with crispy cheese bites are the faves here. Catch a video to see the technique of making a bowl in your palm, adding the filling, then patting it back-and-forth to flatten it.

Dianaap

Based off previous times I’ve made pupusas, the jalapeno and seasonings aren’t really needed for it to be good. To save the trouble of mashing the beans its very convenient to buy red refried beans.

shawnm

My first attempt at this was a messy disaster. I had way too much filling for the dough, but everything tasted great. I’m just curious if the ratios of dough to filling are working for others or if Im just a disaster at the filling process.

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