Pupusas, please!

I know for a food blog, starting my first post of the year about a dish with just bread, meat and cheese may seem a little basic, but I don’t care. I like it. Last year, a friend of mine mentioned to me a Latin American dish called pupusas while creating a cooking project video for Spanish. Pupusas are thick flatbreads stuffed with meat and cheese. I was intrigued, so I asked her to make me some, and boy did I become obsessed. I immediately asked her for the recipe so that I could make them at home.

First, I used 2 cups of tortilla flour and 1 and ½ cups of water to make the dough. Then, I took handfuls of dough and rolled them into medium sized disks using a rolling pin. Next, I filled each of them with 2 tablespoons of each cooked, shredded chicken and Mexican blend cheese. Before I put them in the pan to cook, I closed the pupusas by grabbing them by the corners and pressing the edges together with my fingers so they formed pockets. Lastly, I laid them onto the lightly greased pan that had been warming on the stove over medium heat and let them sit until they became golden brown on both sides, or the dough was cooked all the way through.

Pupusas were a huge hit with my family. They pretty much forced me to make them at every family event for a solid month after I introduced them. Pupusas are simple yet packed with flavor, but they’re also a lot of work. They’re kind of unreasonable to make on a large scale, because they take some time to prepare and cook. Pupusas aren’t quick, but trust me, they’re worth your time.