Pupusas – El Salvadorian Filled Tortillas
"The pupusa originated in El Salvador and is similar to the empanadas found in other parts of Latin America. It's so popular in the tiny Central American nation that November 13th has even been declared ‘National Pupusa Day’! This recipe includes a filling of pork but you can also use cheese, ham and other treats."
- Prep: 30 minutes
- Cook: 15 minutes
- Total time: 45 minutes
- Recipe serves: 4-5
Ingredients
- 2 cups of masa harina (larger supermarkets will stock it)
- 1 cup of warm water
- 100g lardons/bacon bits
- 50ml of chopped tomatoes with chilli, herbs or garlic
Instructions
- Mix together the masa harina and water in a mixing bowl and knead until you get a firm dough. If you need to add more water, that’s fine. Cover the dough with cling film for 10 minutes.
- In the meantime, make your filling! This recipe has chicharrones (spicy pork pieces) in the pupusas. To make the filling, simply fry the lardons until crispy with the chopped tomato. Set to one side.
- Get your dough and divide it into 8-10 equal balls. In the middle of the ball of dough make a hole with your finger and put in your filling.
- Make sure you cover the filling with the dough so there are no holes.
- Carefully take the ball of dough and compress it gently so the filling doesn’t overflow. Then cover the ball with cling film and, using a rolling pin, slowly roll out the dough into a thick pancake.
- Heat a frying pan with a little olive oil and fry each pupusa for 4 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
- For an authentic touch, serve with pickled cabbage.
Tailor-made holidays
Flexible, custom-made holidays to Latin America created to match your exact requirements: our tailor-made itineraries are as unique as the clients for whom they are designed.
Design my tripPapagaio
Your edit for Latin American inspiration
Our exciting range of articles on Latin America explore everything from iconic destinations and lesser-known cultural gems to delicious traditional recipes. You’ll also find exclusive travel tips, first-hand client reviews and the chance to get your personal questions answered by our travel experts.
View Extraordinary Inspiration
