Bean and Cheese Pupusas

In El Salvador, pupusas — tender masa harina cakes encasing fillings like creamy refried beans and melted cheese — are one of the country’s most popular street foods. “Only in my adult life did I become more interested in learning to make pupusas,” says chef Evelyn Garcia, who grew up in a half Salvadoran and half Mexican household. “I think I was just so spoiled with my mother or grandmother always making them that I never took the time. Now, I make them so much I’ve even started a pop-up for them specifically.”

Garcia’s Houston pop-up workshop, Pupusa Lab, shows off the versatility of these snackable stuffed corn cakes. To make them, Garcia begins with masa harina, a fine flour made from dehydrated nixtamalized corn, and kneads it with water and salt to form a soft, malleable dough. 

“I believe the most important tip for making pupusas is to pay attention to the consistency of the dough,” she says. “The dough should be slightly sticky. This ensures that the filling and dough flatten out at the same time and that the filling will be spread evenly throughout the pupusa.” A simple mixture of water and oil prevents the dough from sticking to your hands as you mold and pat the filled disks. The shaping process is forgiving: If the disk cracks, just patch it with a little extra dough. 

A stint on a hot griddle or in a cast-iron skillet creates a delicately crisp crust surrounding tender, fluffy masa, gooey cheese, and endless filling options. “My mother would always play around with different fillings by adding things like minced poblanos or even mushrooms,” Garcia notes.

Finally, a plate of pupusas wouldn’t be complete without Salsa de Tomate, a simple pureed tomato sauce, and Curtido, a lightly fermented cabbage slaw. A colorful and versatile condiment, curtido is a staple on the Salvadoran table, Garcia says. “I’m a lover of all things sour, and it is the perfect side dish to cut through the richness of the cheesy pupusas.” To show off the versatility of these tasty bites, Garcia likes to swap the refried beans for chopped spinach (see Note).