Pupusas with curtido

Name: Pupusas with curtido
Prep time: 50 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 70 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Latin American
Ingredients: 4 cups green cabbage, finely shredded; 1 carrot, peeled and grated; ½ white onion, thinly sliced; 1 jalapeño, thinly sliced (optional); ½ cup white vinegar; 2 cups water, divided, 1½ cups of it warm; 1 tsp dried oregano, divided; 1½ tsp salt, divided; 1 tsp sugar; 1 can tomato sauce, 8 oz; ¼ tsp garlic powder; 2 cups masa harina; ¾ cup vegetarian refried beans; 1¼ cups shredded mozzarella; 2 tbsp vegetable oil

Warm Salvadoran corn cakes stuffed with melty cheese and beans, served with a tangy cabbage slaw that cuts right through the richness.

70 min total
50 min hands-on
A little more hands-on
Serves 4
About $1.23 a serving
470 calories
Good the next day
Vegetarian
Gluten-free

Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.

Ingredients

For 4 servings.

4 cups green cabbage, finely shredded
1 carrot, peeled and grated
½ white onion, thinly sliced
1 jalapeño, thinly sliced (optional)
1 can tomato sauce, 8 oz
2 cups masa harina
¾ cup vegetarian refried beans
1¼ cups shredded mozzarella

From your pantry

½ cup white vinegar
2 cups water, divided, 1½ cups of it warm
1 tsp dried oregano, divided
1½ tsp salt, divided
1 tsp sugar
¼ tsp garlic powder
2 tbsp vegetable oil

Each serving has about 470 calories, 18 g protein, 64 g carbs and 17 g fat, and costs about $1.23 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.

Missing something?

No green cabbage? Red cabbage or coleslaw mix works.
No tomato sauce? Crushed tomatoes work.
No shredded mozzarella? Provolone slices work.

Steps

Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.

the cabbage, carrot, onion and the jalapeño, if you like, in a big bowl with the vinegar, ¼ cup of the water, half the oregano, 1 teaspoon of the salt and the sugar. Let it sit at least 30 minutes.
Timer: 30 min
Dolly’s tip: Curtido only gets better. Make it the night before if you can; it keeps a week in a jar in the fridge.
Stir the tomato sauce, ¼ cup of the water, the garlic powder, the rest of the oregano and a pinch of salt in a small and on low 5 minutes. Set it aside.
Low heatTimer: 5 min
Stir the masa harina with ¼ teaspoon salt, pour in 1½ cups warm water, and knead in the bowl about 1 minute, until it feels like soft play dough.
Dolly’s tip: Press a piece flat between your fingers. If the edges crack, knead in more warm water a tablespoon at a time. Cracked dough leaks cheese.
In another bowl, mash the beans and cheese together into a thick, sticky paste.
Heat a large over medium with no oil. Pour the oil into a small bowl of water for dipping your hands.
Medium heat
Dolly’s tip: Oily water keeps the dough from sticking to your hands, which is most of the battle.
With damp, oily hands, roll a piece of dough the size of a small lemon, press it into a cup in your palm, and fill it with about ¼ cup of the bean and cheese.
Dolly’s tip: Keep the walls even, about as thick as a pencil. Thin spots are the ones that tear when you flatten it.
Pinch the dough closed over the filling, then pat it gently between your palms into a 4-inch round about ¼ inch thick. Repeat to make 8.
Dolly’s tip: A little cheese peeking out is fine. Patch a big hole with a pinch of dough and keep going.
Cook 3 or 4 at a time, 3 to 4 minutes a side, until in spots and the cheese bubbles at the edges.
Medium heatTimer: 3 min 30 sec
Dolly’s tip: Don’t press them down. If one sticks, give it another minute; it lets go once the crust forms.
Serve hot with a big forkful of curtido and a spoonful of the tomato salsa on each.
Dolly’s tip: Cooked pupusas freeze well. Reheat them from frozen in a covered dry skillet over medium-low, about 5 minutes a side.