El Salvador, Americas · Salvadoran Pupusas (Bean and Cheese)

Cheesy Pupusa Egg-in-a-Hole

Name: Cheesy Pupusa Egg-in-a-Hole
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: Serves 2
Cuisine: El Salvador
Ingredients: Masa harina (nixtamalised corn flour) 160 g; Warm water 210 ml; Salt ¼ tsp; Mozzarella, grated 80 g; Butter 20 g; Eggs 2; Black pepper to taste; Cabbage 80 g; Apple cider vinegar 20 ml; Dried oregano 1 pinch; Salt 1 pinch; Ripe avocado 1; Hot sauce 2 tsp; Fresh coriander (cilantro) to taste

A brunch spin on pupusas: crisp, cheese-studded masa rounds with a runny egg cooked in the middle, topped with quick curtido, avocado and hot sauce.

ServingsServes 2

Total cooking time30 min

DifficultyMedium

Method

Make a quick curtido: shred the cabbage as thinly as possible, toss it with the vinegar, crumbled oregano and salt, and squeeze it with your hands a few times. Leave it for while you make the rest.
Add in this stepCabbage 80 gApple cider vinegar 20 mlDried oregano 1 pinchSalt 1 pinch
Mix the masa harina and salt in a bowl, add the warm water little by little and knead for into a soft, smooth dough. Knead in the grated cheese until evenly spread; in the pan it melts into crisp, lacy spots. Divide into 2 equal balls.
Add in this stepMasa harina (nixtamalised corn flour) 160 gSalt ¼ tspWarm water 210 mlMozzarella, grated 80 g
Put a ball between two sheets of baking paper (or a cut-open freezer bag) and press it with a plate or a flat pan lid into a 13 cm round about 1 cm thick. Peel off the top sheet and cut a 5 cm hole in the centre with a small glass. Keep the cut-out mini rounds; they cook alongside and are perfect for dipping into the yolk. Smooth any cracked edges with a wet finger.
Melt half the butter in a 28 cm frying pan over medium heat. Lay in the rounds and mini rounds (cook in batches if they do not fit) and cook for without moving them, until the underside is golden with crisp cheese spots. Flip them over.
Add in this stepButter 10 g
medium heat
Drop the rest of the butter into the holes and let it melt. Crack each egg into a small cup and slide it into a hole; if the eggs are large, leave a little of the white behind in the cup so it does not overflow. Season with pepper, cover with a lid and cook over medium-low heat for , until the white is completely set and opaque but the yolk still wobbles. Cook a few minutes longer if you want a firm yolk.
Add in this stepButter 10 gEggs 2Black pepper to taste
medium-low heat
Slide onto plates. Drain the curtido and pile it to one side, fan the sliced avocado on top, dot with hot sauce and scatter with coriander leaves. Eat right away, while the edges are crisp.
Add in this stepRipe avocado 1Hot sauce 2 tspFresh coriander (cilantro) to taste

Cook's tip

Keep the heat moderate: too hot and the masa burns before the egg sets. For young children, pregnant women or anyone who needs it, cook the yolk until firm. Leftover dough can be shaped into small plain rounds and cooked alongside.

Cooking it at camp

Pack the masa harina and salt premixed in a bag, and the cheese, eggs and curtido in a cooler. On a camp stove, use a heavy skillet with a lid over medium-low heat; the lid is essential so the top of the egg sets.