Salvadoran Pupusas (Bean and Cheese)

Method

1. Make the curtido first so it has time to pickle. Slice the cabbage as thinly as you can (about 3 mm), grate the carrot and slice the onion into thin half-moons. Put them in a heatproof bowl, pour over boiling water just to cover, wait 1 minute, then drain in a sieve and press out the water; this softens the cabbage and takes away its raw bite. Return to the bowl, add the vinegar, water, oregano (crumbled between your fingers), salt and chilli flakes, toss well and refrigerate for at least 30 min.

   Add in this stepCabbage 150 gCarrot 30 gOnion 25 gDried oregano ½ tspWhite vinegar 60 mlWater 30 mlSalt ½ tspChilli flakes 1 pinch

2. For the salsa roja, quarter the tomatoes and put them in a 16 cm pot with the onion, peeled garlic and water. Cover and simmer over medium heat for 10 min, until the tomato skins split and everything is soft. Let it cool a little, then blend until smooth with the salt (hold the blender lid down with a towel). Heat the oil in the same pot, pour the sauce back in carefully, as it will spit, and cook over medium-low heat for 3 min, stirring, until slightly thicker and deeper in colour. It should stay thin and pourable, not thick like ketchup.

   Add in this stepMedium tomatoes 2Onion 25 gGarlic clove 1Water 50 mlSalt ¼ tspVegetable oil ¼ tbsp

   medium heat→medium-low heat

3. For the dough, mix the masa harina and salt in a large bowl. Pour in the warm water little by little, mixing with your hand, then knead for 2 min until it feels like soft play-dough: smooth, moist and not sticky. Test it: flatten a small ball; if the edges crack, add 1 tablespoon of water and knead again. Cover with a damp cloth so it does not dry out.

   Add in this stepMasa harina (nixtamalised corn flour) 200 gSalt ¼ tspWarm water 260 ml

4. Mash the refried beans with a fork until smooth, grate the cheese, and mix them together into a thick paste. Divide the dough into 4 equal balls (about 110 g each, a little bigger than a golf ball) and divide the filling into the same number of portions.

   Add in this stepRefried red beans 120 gMozzarella (or quesillo) 120 g

5. Set out a small bowl of water and rub a little of the oil on your palms. Take a ball, flatten it into a 10 cm cup in your palm, press a portion of filling into the centre and pull the edges up over it to seal like a little pouch. Gently pat it between your palms, turning as you go, into a disc 12 to 13 cm wide and about 1 cm thick. If filling peeks through a crack, patch it with a little dough. Keep the shaped pupusas under the cloth.

   Add in this stepVegetable oil ½ tbsp

6. Heat a 26 cm heavy frying pan or griddle (comal) over medium heat for 3 minutes, then wipe it with a paper towel dipped in the remaining oil. Lay in the pupusas 2 cm apart (cook in batches if they do not fit) and cook for 3 min 30 sec without moving them, until the underside has golden-brown spots and releases easily. Flip with a spatula and cook the second side for the same time. They are done when both sides are spotted, the pupusa feels puffed and a little cheese sizzles out at the edges. The filling is very hot, so let them sit for a minute.

   Add in this stepVegetable oil ¼ tbsp

   medium heat

7. Serve hot, straight from the pan, with a big pile of drained curtido and the salsa roja spooned over. In El Salvador they are eaten with your hands: tear off a piece and use it to pick up the curtido.