Pupusas

The browned crust paired with the melted, creamy cheese was beautifully salty — with the citrus in the cabbage cutting through. Hands down one of my favorite meals.

Top tips from me:
1) You are warned: these measurements are guessed based on our cooking session and Maria’s suggestions, but she does not measure when cooking, especially since she knows the recipe so well, so just be weary of consistencies and the photos of what certain steps should look like.
2) The most important thing, according to Maria, is the consistency of the dough. You need to add 1:1 of the flour and water at first, then gradually add either more flour or more water to achieve a consistency similar to Play-Doh. Don’t let it be too runny or you won’t be able to work with it to form your disks or add the filling in properly.
3) One 2 lb. bag of mozzarella cheese + one packet of the crema achieves the perfect texture for your filling. Feel free to add more crema if needed for consistency. You can probably find the cream at your local Latin market.
4) You may need to rinse your hands off after making each pupusa to avoid getting cheese mixture on the dough. 
5) Use a griddle pan or cast iron skillet to cook the pupusas. Heat the pan for a few minutes before putting your raw dough on there, then make sure they brown just enough to be a little crusty. 

Time:
It will likely take only about 40 minutes to make the pupusas with prep time. These rough estimates make about 15 pupusas.

Ingredients:
3 cups of Maseca instant corn masa flour — 3 cups of water — 2 lb. bag of mozzarella — 1 16 oz. package Rio Grande crema la bendicion — 1/2 green cabbage, shredded — 1 Roma tomato — 1 bunch of cilantro — 2 limes, juiced — salt to taste

Instructions:
– Place your pan on the stove and warm it on medium heat.
– Combine the corn flour and water in a large-sized bowl and mix with hands. Add water or flour if needed until consistency is correct.
– Combine cheese and crema in separate medium-sized bowl.
– Grab a handful of dough that is about the size of your palm, and roll it into a ball. Press your fingers into the middle of the ball and scoop out to the edge. Continue to do so around the ball until it resembles a small disk with enough space to place filling.
– Place about a tablespoon of the cheese mixture in the center of the dough. Fold up the sides to create a dumpling, then roll it into a ball.
– Flatten the ball with your palms until it is about 1/4 inch thick. Make sure to smooth over any cracks, ensuring the pupusa is a circle.
– Cook the pupusas on the pan in batches. Brown each side, creating a bit of a crust.
– While some pupusas are cooking, shred a half head of cabbage with a knife or whatever method preferred. Cut, chop or dice tomatoes to liking, then add both to a medium-sized bowl.
– Chop cilantro and add to bowl.
– Squeeze juice of 2 limes over salad and mix.
– Serve pupusas with salad and enjoy!

Did you make this recipe and have any suggestions? Make sure to leave a comment!