One of my all-time favorite foods from Central American cuisines would have to be pupusas. Pupusas are flatbread pockets of corn masa dough that can be stuffed with a wide variety of fillings, and then lightly fried on a griddle. They are like a heavenly hybrid of crispy empanadas and chewy tortillas. In fact, I loved pupusas so much after trying them at a restaurant that I learned to make them myself.
These authentic Salvadorian cheesy pupusas with chorizo are easy to make and SO delicious. After stumbling across Logan's Salvadorian Style Chorizo, I was super inspired to try this recipe! This chorizo has such a great bite and mouth feel, the perfect addition to these gooey empanadas. It's even better that Logan's chorizo is never mass produced like some other chorizos on the market. It also can't hurt that the flavor is both authentic and fantastic. You have to try these cheesy pupusas with Logan's Salvadorian Style Chorizo!
Crispy corn flatbreads are stuffed with gooey oaxaca cheese and chorizo, pan-fried until irresistibly crispy and then served with a simple slaw. Simple, but so delicious.
Add vinegar, oil, salt, pepper, and sriracha to a medium bowl. Whisk to combine. Add slaw mix. Toss. Let the slaw sit while you make the pupusas.
Add the the chorizo to a small sauté pan. Turn the heat to medium-high and use a wooden spoon to break up the meat. Brown the chorizo until cooked through, drain on paper towels. Set aside. Shred the cheese.
Add the masa harina to a medium bowl. Stir in salt. Slowly drizzle in the water while stirring the masa. Continue to stir until the water is incorporated. If needed add a little bit more water to the dough. The dough should be slightly sticky and wet, and form into balls easily. (See photo for consistency.) Wet hands with cold water and continue to mix the dough until it comes together. If the dough seems dry, add a few drops of water until it comes together. Keep your hands wet to prevent the dough from sticking.
As before, keep your hands slightly wet, so the dough doesn’t stick to your skin. Use your hands to grab a heaping 1/4 cup of the dough. Roll into a ball and slightly flatten.
Place three tablespoons of the cheese in the middle. Spoon another two tablespoons of the chorizo on top. Use your hands to enclose the dough around the filling. Once the filling has been covered, again use your hands to flatten the dough into a disc about 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch thick. Repeat with remaining dough.
You can use a few different cooking vessels to cook the pupusas, but I prefer to use a cast-iron skillet. It conducts heat beautifully and you need very little oil to make the pupusas very crispy. If you want to cook a bunch at the same time, I’d also recommend using a large griddle you can set on your stovetop.
Heat the skillet or griddle to a medium heat. Drizzle the skillet or griddle with enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan or skillet. (For a large cast-iron skillet, I used about 2 tablespoons of oil.) Once the oil is hot, add the pupusas. Cook until super crispy and brown, about 3-4 minutes per side.
Serve the pupusas with a little bit of slaw and eat right away while gooey and hot.
