pupusas (masa cakes) with bacon and cheddar

53 Pinches 18 Photos
Wichita, KS
Updated on Oct 3, 2014

A pupusa [pu'pusa], is a traditional Salvadoran dish made from a thick, handmade corn tortilla that is usually stuffed with a blend of cheeses, pork and/or refried beans. I made these years and years ago, and today when I was going through my recipe files, I found it. These are incredibly easy to make and the way I make them, are a wonderful accompaniment to some eggs for a hearty breakfast. So, you ready... Let's get into the kitchen.

prep time 10 Min
cook time 10 Min
method Stove Top
yield 6 serving(s)

Ingredients

  • 2 cups masa harina
  • 1 pinch salt, kosher variety
  • 1 1/3 cups warm filtered water
  • 1 cup grated cheese, i use monterey jack, but have some fun with it
  • 4 ounces bacon, diced
  • - vegetable oil, for cooking

How To Make pupusas (masa cakes) with bacon and cheddar

  • Step 1
    Gather your ingredients.
  • Step 2
    Put the bacon in a pan.
  • Step 3
    Chef's Note: The pan should be big enough to cook the Pupusas.
  • Step 4
    Cook the bacon until lightly browned.
  • Step 5
    Place on a paper towel to drain, and reserve the pan with the bacon grease.
  • Step 6
    Combine masa harina, salt, and water in a mixing bowl, along with 2 to 3 teaspoons of the bacon grease. The bacon grease is optional... good, but optional.
  • Step 7
    Knead to form a smooth, moist dough with a play dough-like consistency... Remember play dough?
  • Step 8
    Chef's Note: What is Masa Harina? Masa harina is the traditional flour used to make tortillas, tamales, and other Mexican dishes. Literally translated from Spanish, it means "dough flour," because the flour is made from dried masa, a dough from specially treated corn.
  • Step 9
    Divide the dough into six equal portions and roll into balls.
  • Step 10
    Chef's Note: The balls should be about 2 inches in diameter. I suspect you will get from 6 to 8.
  • Step 11
    Using your thumb, poke a nice hole in the center of each of the balls.
  • Step 12
    Fill up the hole with bacon and cheese.
  • Step 13
    Wrap the dough around the filling, and seal. Make sure that there is no leakage.
  • Step 14
    Pat the dough between your hands until you have a nice round disk about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.
  • Step 15
    Add the vegetable oil to a pan (just to cover the bottom), and bring the heat up to medium high, and then add the Pupusas.
  • Step 16
    Cook for several minutes per side (about 2 or 3) until each side is golden brown.
  • Step 17
    Chef's Tip: I went crazy and used the same pan that I cooked the bacon in... So, I cooked them in bacon grease (I think I have a death wish). If you don't want to use the bacon grease, just wipe out the pan and use the vegetable oil.
  • Step 18
    Serve warm with a nice runny egg or two. Enjoy.
  • Step 19
    Keep the faith, and keep cooking.

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