Pupusas de Chicharron con Queso
El Slavador is a small nation rich in culture and is most famous for its national dish, pupusas. Pupusas are similar to arepas, the tortilla is thick and the pupusas can be made with several diffeent fillings. The most popular being mozzarella, beans, pork, or a mixture of whatever you'd like. The recipe listed below is my own- it's for pupusas de chicharon con queso, pupusas filled with pork and cheese. For the past couple of years I've added new ingredients and taken out others to achieve the most delicious pupusas. At the end, I've also added a recipe for curtido a must have side dish when eating pupusas (in my opinion) but it is optional.
Servings: 10-12 Pupusas
Prep time: 1 1/2 - 2 hours
Ingredients
Chicharron (Pork)
- 2lbs pork shoulder
- 1/2 White onion
- 3 Garlic Cloves
- 3 Bay leaves
- 1tbsp oregano
- 1tbsp chicken boullion
- 1 tsp cumin
- 2tsp cayenne
- 1 Green bell pepper
- 1 Roma tomato
- 3 cups of mozzarella
Masa (Dough)
- 4 cups of instant corn masa
- 3-4 cups of hot water
- 1 tbsp of salt
Curtido
- 1/4 cup white onion chopped
- 1/2 cup Shredded carrots
- 1/2 cup Chopped cabbage
- 2 Serranos sliced optional
- 1/2 cup of white vinegar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 tbsp Oregano
- 1/2 tbsp salt
Steps for preparing the ingredients
- Cut pork shoulder into 1-2 inch cubes. Set pan to medium high heat and add pork shoulder once pan is hot. Add half cup of water, 1/4 onion, garlic cloves, bay leaves, oregano, cumin, chicken boullion, and cayenne. Cover with lid and let meat cook on meadium-high for 15 minutes, after 15 minutes mix the pork shoulder, reduce heat and let it cook for another 40 minutes.
- Once the 40 minutes are done uncover pan, let liquid evaporate (do not drain) and fry your pork shoulder until its golden brown. Once done, remove from pan and set aside to cool.
- In a food processor, add 1/4 onion, green bell pepper, roma tomato, 1tsp salt, pepper and cumin. Roughly blend these ingredients together and set aside in a bowl.
- Next, shred your pork shoulder and combine it well with the vegetable mixture. This will be your filling!
- For the curtido, thinly slice cabbage, onion, and serranos. Combine shredded carrots, onion, cabbage, and serranos in a bowl. Submerge in hot water for 2-3 minutes.
- Drain hot water and add 1/2 cup of vinegar, 1/2 cup of water,. 1/2 tbsp of oregano and 1/2 tbsp of salt. for best results let sit in the refrigerator overnight before serving.
- Now, we make our masa (dough). Take your 4 cups of corn masa and put it in a bowl. Add 3 cups of hot water and mix the dough by hand. You will now its ready once the masa easily falls off of your hand and no longer sticks to the bowl. Add more water if needed but add only a little at a time.
Tips before you begin assembling
After all of this, now we can make our pupusas! But first, here are a few tips before you begin. Set up a little station! Putting these pupusas together and cooking them at the same time can become overwhelming, make sure you organize your ingredients. Have the meat and veggie mixture in one bowl, the mozzarella in another, and your masa in a third bowl. Also, keep a small bowl of water mixed with a tbhsp of oil nearby. Each time you make a pupusa you'll put a bit of that water mixture on your hands so that the masa doesnt stick.
Putting it All Together
- Coat your hands in a little bit of the water oil mixture. Grab some masa, about the size of a baseball and roll into a ball. Start to flatten it out with the palms if your hands.
- Fill it up with your meat mixture and some mozzarella. Carefully begin to close the pupusa and take off the extra masa. Flatten it once again with the palms of your hands.
- Heat up a comal (flat griddle) over medium high heat, coat with a thin layer of oil.
- Cook each pupusa for 4-5 minutes on each side.
- Now for the most important step, serve and enjoy!