Pupusas with Mushrooms and Chiles

By on June 12, 2011 in Appetizers, Fall, Street Food, Vegetarian
Pupusas are something of the national dish in El Salvador, and today we shared a giant cheese-and-green chile-stuffed pupusa for lunch at the Farmers’ Market.  It was delicious, served in a little paper boat with a dollop of curtido (a fermented cabbage salad) and a spoonful of mild red salsa.  We bought our lunch from the Tres Pupusas stand, where you can get them stuffed with a wide variety of savory fillings, ranging from a traditional pork to a vegan black bean and corn.  We shared our lunch at one of the communal dining tables, chatting with an older gentleman who was finishing off a dish of strawberry gelato (and starting on his wife’s vanilla gelato, while she was off buying plants), and a woman eating a most delicious looking oyster po’ boy (I didn’t ask for a taste, but I was tempted).  I digress.  I adore lunching at the Farmers’ Market.So, as logic would dictate, we came home and I made a giant batch of pupusas for our evening meal.

Pupusas are akin to arepas, gorditas, and any number of other regional variations on stuffed, griddled or fried masa cakes.  The varieties are endless; the authenticity nuances subtle, but of cultural importance.  Given that, I will start by saying that these are NOT authentic, so no mail on that, please.  There are regional differences regarding the masa that is used–some is nixtamalated (treated with lime), some is not–the grind, etc.  Regardless, use what you have and you will be happy with these fat, crispy little masa sandwiches.  I made ours with a two-pound blob of fresh masa dough that I bought from our neighborhood tortilleria:

If you are not lucky enough to have a neighborhood tortilleria, you can buy Maseca Masa Harina in most grocery stores and just mix it with water and knead it to form the dough.  The texture will be a little different, but will work well.  The non-authentic way to fill the dough is to make two rounds, top them with filling, and press the edges together.  Using some plastic wrap to press out the dough helps with this method.  That’s what I did:

 

The authentic way is to press out a large, thin round, place the filling in the center, wrap it into a ball, and press the whole thing down.  If I make these about a hundred more times I will probably master that.

For the filling, I thinly sliced eight ounces of cremini mushrooms and three seeded and stemmed jalapeno peppers.  I sauteed this mix in a little olive oil with some salt.  That’s it.  I also added a little shredded cheese on top of each mound of filling, as pictured above.  I used a mix of provolone and Gruyere (most inauthentic!).  Any melty, mild cheese would work well for the mushroom filling.

Skim the bottom of a skillet with oil and cook the pupusas over medium heat until you get a nice, golden crust on both sides.  It helps to press them down with a spatula a few times to really integrate the filling with the dough.  Serve them hot with slaw and a nice salsa.  We ate ours with the thin, intensely fiery salsa from Las Americas, our neighborhood tortilleria where I bought the masa.  My two-pound ball of masa made ten, good-sized pupusas.

There are so many great international dishes that you can make at home with just a few ingredients.  Having a bag of masa harina in the pantry is a great way to experiment, and you can fill these with anything.  Give them a try and you will see how easy it can be.

Thanks for reading,

-Angela FRS

 

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5 Responses to Pupusas with Mushrooms and Chiles

  1. Jersey Girl Cooks June 13, 2011 at 1:50 am #

    These look so good Angela! We have made arepas before but will have to try these.

    Reply
  2. Yenta Mary June 13, 2011 at 11:01 am #

    Raisin bran vs. homemade pupusas … hmmmm. My breakfast looks so, so woefully pitiful now!!! What I would give to have one of those … 2 of those???

    Reply
  3. Karen Harris June 13, 2011 at 1:10 pm #

    I've never met a stuffed pie like dish that I didn't like and yours looks especially delicious.

    Reply
  4. Jay June 15, 2011 at 9:43 am #

    looks utterly delishh..
    first time here..yummy space you have with rich collection of recipes..excellent clicks..
    Am your happy follower now..:)
    do stop by mine sometime..

    Tasty Appetite

    Reply
  5. claudia lamascolo June 17, 2011 at 3:25 pm #

    This sounds absolutely delcious!

    Reply

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