45 min
Warm Halloumi & Crispy Chickpea Salad with Herb Toasts
Golden halloumi and spiced chickpeas turn a bowl of greens and tomatoes into dinner, finished with crunchy sourdough and a punchy parsley-mint dressing.
Photo: JMRAFFi / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Vegetarian Dinners
Salvadoran-Style Bean & Cheese Pupusas with Curtido & Salsa Roja
Hand-patted masa cakes hold creamy refried beans and melting cheese, with a crisp vinegar slaw and smooth tomato salsa to cut every rich bite.
Directions
Make the curtido
Combine cabbage, carrot, sliced onion, oregano and 1 teaspoon salt in a heat-safe bowl. Pour over boiling water, toss for 1 minute, then drain well. Stir in vinegar and sugar, cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours, tossing once.
Cook the salsa roja
Blend tomatoes, chopped onion, garlic, 1/2 cup water and 1/4 teaspoon salt until smooth. Simmer in a small saucepan for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until spoonable but still pourable. Cool to warm.
Mix the masa
Stir masa flour and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt together. Add 2 3/4 cups warm water and 1 tablespoon oil and knead by hand for 2 minutes. The dough should feel like soft modeling clay with no dry cracks; add water 1 tablespoon at a time if needed. Cover 10 minutes.
Combine the filling
Mix refried beans and cheese until evenly marbled. Divide into 12 compact portions. Divide the rested masa into 12 balls and keep them covered with a damp towel.
Fill and pat
Lightly oil your hands. Cup one masa ball into a 4-inch round with a shallow well. Add one filling portion, draw the edges over it and pinch closed. Gently pat and rotate into a 5-inch disk about 1/2 inch thick. Seal small cracks with damp fingers.
Griddle in batches
Heat a lightly oiled cast-iron skillet or griddle over medium. Cook 2 or 3 pupusas at a time for 4 to 5 minutes per side until the masa is set and both faces have golden-brown patches. Adjust heat if they darken before the centers are hot.
Verify and serve
Check one pupusa from the first batch; its filling should reach 165°F and the masa should have no raw center. Plate three with a mound of curtido and a generous pool of salsa roja, matching the photograph. Pass hot sauce only for diners who want it.
Why this works
Why it worksA brief hot-water wilt softens the cabbage just enough for vinegar to penetrate while retaining the curtido's essential crunch.
Why it worksSoft, rested masa seals around a cohesive bean-cheese filling without splitting, and oiled hands prevent sticking without adding excess flour.
Why it worksModerate griddle heat gives the thick cakes time to set through before their surfaces develop the photographed brown patches.
Useful kitchen gear
Tools that make this easier.
Compare the function and specifications first; skip anything your kitchen already handles well.
Paid links: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. You pay no additional cost.
Compare on Amazon12-inch cast-iron skilletA broad heat-steady surface cooks several thick pupusas evenly and develops browned griddle patches.See current options →
Compare on AmazonCountertop blenderIt turns tomato, onion and garlic into the smooth salsa roja served beside the filled masa cakes.See current options →
Compare on AmazonStainless mixing bowlsSeparate nonreactive bowls keep vinegary curtido, masa dough and bean-cheese filling organized.See current options →
Swaps & notes
Easy swaps
- Use a thick homemade refried bean purée, cooling it completely before mixing with cheese; loose whole beans make shaping difficult.
- Monterey Jack can replace mozzarella or quesillo, but avoid very wet fresh cheese that may leak.
- For pupusas de queso, omit beans and use 2 1/2 cups grated melting cheese, sealing especially carefully.
Cook notes
- Total time includes a 2-hour curtido pickle; make it first or refrigerate it overnight. Active work is about 90 minutes.
- Use instant masa harina intended for tortillas, not cornmeal or cornstarch. Brands absorb water differently, so judge the soft, crack-free texture.
- Keep filling about 1/2 inch from the edge before sealing. Overfilling is the main cause of tears and cheese loss.
- Cooked bean filling is reheated inside the cakes; verify 165°F in the center of a representative first-batch pupusa.
- The salsa is deliberately mild. Add jalapeño to the blender or hot sauce at the table only if desired.
Storage
Refrigerate cooled pupusas, curtido and salsa in separate covered containers for up to 4 days. Reheat pupusas in a lightly oiled skillet over medium-low until crisp and 165°F in the center. Freeze cooked pupusas with parchment between them for up to 2 months; thaw overnight before reheating.
Questions
Why does my masa crack around the filling?
It is probably too dry. Knead in warm water one tablespoon at a time until a flattened ball has smooth edges, then keep unused dough under a damp towel.
Can I shape pupusas ahead?
They are best cooked soon after shaping because the filling slowly hydrates the masa. For advance work, prepare the curtido, salsa and filling separately, then shape just before griddling.
How do I stop the filling from leaking?
Use a thick, cool filling, leave enough masa around it and pinch the top seam fully closed before flattening gently from the center outward.
Cook next
More recipes you’ll like
45 min
115 min
Deep-Dish Spinach & Feta Lattice Pie with Dill
Golden puff-pastry lattice encloses a generous, sliceable filling of dry spinach, tangy feta, ricotta and fresh dill in this substantial Greek-inspired bake.
65 min
Mumbai-Style Pav Bhaji with Buttered Rolls, Onions & Lime
A buttery, warmly spiced mash of potatoes, cauliflower, peas and tomatoes meets griddled rolls, sharp onions and lime for a complete vegetarian street-food dinner.
110 min
Afghan-Style Potato & Scallion Bolani with Garlic Yogurt
Thin homemade flatbreads fold around a cumin-scented potato and scallion filling, then crisp in a skillet beside cool garlic yogurt.
Salvadoran-Style Bean & Cheese Pupusas with Curtido & Salsa Roja
Screen stays awake when supported.
1. Make the curtidoCombine cabbage, carrot, sliced onion, oregano and 1 teaspoon salt in a heat-safe bowl. Pour over boiling water, toss for 1 minute, then drain well. Stir in vinegar and sugar, cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours, tossing once.
2. Cook the salsa rojaBlend tomatoes, chopped onion, garlic, 1/2 cup water and 1/4 teaspoon salt until smooth. Simmer in a small saucepan for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until spoonable but still pourable. Cool to warm.
3. Mix the masaStir masa flour and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt together. Add 2 3/4 cups warm water and 1 tablespoon oil and knead by hand for 2 minutes. The dough should feel like soft modeling clay with no dry cracks; add water 1 tablespoon at a time if needed. Cover 10 minutes.
4. Combine the fillingMix refried beans and cheese until evenly marbled. Divide into 12 compact portions. Divide the rested masa into 12 balls and keep them covered with a damp towel.
5. Fill and patLightly oil your hands. Cup one masa ball into a 4-inch round with a shallow well. Add one filling portion, draw the edges over it and pinch closed. Gently pat and rotate into a 5-inch disk about 1/2 inch thick. Seal small cracks with damp fingers.
6. Griddle in batchesHeat a lightly oiled cast-iron skillet or griddle over medium. Cook 2 or 3 pupusas at a time for 4 to 5 minutes per side until the masa is set and both faces have golden-brown patches. Adjust heat if they darken before the centers are hot.
7. Verify and serveCheck one pupusa from the first batch; its filling should reach 165°F and the masa should have no raw center. Plate three with a mound of curtido and a generous pool of salsa roja, matching the photograph. Pass hot sauce only for diners who want it.