Step by step easy beans and cheese pupusas

Every time people know I’m from El Salvador, the follow up question is…do you know how to make pupusas?
Well, I’ve always loved my mom’s homemade pupusas, but since I moved to the US, I make them and we eat them very often in my home now. We love them, my husband loves them too, and my toddler already pronounces pupusas in perfect Spanish.
I hope this can give you an idea on how to make pupusas. I will be posting a step by step process in my stories, and this is the full recipe for 8 medium size pupusas (four servings, or two).

Simple ingredients

Corn flour

In El Salvador, most people make the dough from scratch. This means, the corn is boiled and softened, ground it, and the kneaded. It is a long process, but it makes a huge difference in the consistency of the dough. The way I did it in this recipe is by using corn flour with warm water. I kneaded for about 10 minutes. Another variation that I love is the rice pupusas. The process is similar, but the kneading can take a little longer, and includes oil.

Water

I use warm water to make it easier for the dough to form.

Canola or Vegetable oil

I use vegetable oil for this recipe to make sure it doesn’t add any other flavor to the dough.

Mozzarella cheese

I use quesillo which is a similar version to mozzarella cheese. Quesillo is made in El Salvador, so it might be difficult to buy it here. However, mozzarella is a great substitute. If you buy it shredded, you can add a sprinkle of milk and reheat in the microwave for 30 seconds on high. If you buy fresh, try to knead it a little bit before use it. If you buy the mozzarella block, shred it first. The goal is that the cheese has some consistency of a soft dough. You can also use shredded cheese and mix it in with any other ingredient for the mixture that goes in the middle.

Refried beans

If you are making refried beans from scratch, you will need to cook them a little longer to get the thick consistency to make the pupusas. Again, the goal is that all the ingredients have a dough consistency so they don’t leak easily. You can watch my video about making refried bean on my Instagram @salvadorankitchen. Here is the recipe : https://salvadorankitchen.com/easy-refried-beans-for-pupusas/

How to make pupusas (step by step)

1. Add corn flour to a big bowl. Start by adding 1/4 cup of water at a time, and continue until all water is added.
2. The kneading process will take about 10 minutes. Make sure is soft and not cracking. See the video for reference “how to make pupusas” on Instagram to see the method.

3. Make a tortilla cup and add beans and cheese (you can add any other ground ingredient in this step)

4. Use a little bit of oil on your hands to make sure the dough does not get stick on your hands. Close the tortilla and make the tortilla shape again. See the video for reference “how to make pupusas” on Instagram to see the method.

5. Add the pupusa to a lightly oiled pan at medium high heat. Cook them four minutes each side. It is okay if the cheese comes out, it will cook slightly as they are cooking.

6. Serve with curtido (shredded pickled cabbage) and tomato sauce.

How to serve

You can serve pupusas with curtido (shredded pickled cabbage, or cabbage slaw), see the recipes here: https://salvadorankitchen.com/simple-pickled-cabbage-salad-for-pupusas/ and homemade tomato sauce, recipe here: https://salvadorankitchen.com/easy-tomato-sauce-for-pupusas/These two add the perfect crunchy bite and the moisture we love when we eat pupusas.

How to store

You can store in the fridge for three days. Freeze up to three months. Make sure you wrap them individually before storing. Also, do not store them if they have curtido and tomato sauce, this will make them soggy and not very good to reheat them.

To defrost, leave them at room temperature for six hours or overnight. Reheat them in a pan at medium heat flipping both sides.

Let me know if you have questions, I am always available on IG @salvadorankitchen. I would love to help and see how they turn out.

Happy cooking!