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1
Mix and Rest the Masa Dough
10 Mins + 10 Mins Rest
Warm water about 45°C (110°F)
Put the masa harina and salt in a large bowl, add half the oil, then pour in the warm water a little at a time, mixing with your hand until a soft dough forms. Knead for 2 minutes, cover with a damp cloth and rest for 10 minutes.
Add the water slowly: masa harina drinks it up as you mix, and dough that is too wet will not seal around the filling.
Done when: Soft, smooth dough that holds a ball shape and bends without cracking.
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2
Cook the Pork Filling
10 Mins
Medium-high heat, pork to 71°C (160°F)
Cook the ground pork in a dry pan over medium-high heat, breaking it into small crumbs with a spoon, for about 8 minutes until browned and cooked through. Stir in the garlic and cumin and cook 1 minute more, then tip into a bowl and let it cool for 5 minutes.
Let the pork cool before mixing the filling: hot pork melts the cheese early and makes the filling runny and hard to seal.
Done when: Pork browned, crumbly, no pink left, cooked to 71°C (160°F).
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3
Mix the Filling
5 Mins
Room temperature
Stir the cooled pork into the warmed refried beans, then fold in the shredded mozzarella until everything is evenly combined. Divide the filling into 8 equal portions of about 80g each.
Mixing the cheese through the beans instead of layering it stops the cheese from escaping in one lump when the pupusa cooks.
Done when: One uniform filling, 8 even portions, cheese evenly distributed.
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4
Shape and Stuff the Pupusas
15 Mins
Room temperature
Oil your hands lightly. Divide the dough into 8 balls of about 110g each. Flatten one ball into a cup in your palm, place a portion of filling in the middle, then pull the dough up and over the filling and pinch it closed. Pat gently between oiled palms into a disc about 12 cm across and 1 cm thick, turning as you go so the filling stays inside.
If the dough tears and filling shows, pinch a small piece of dough over the hole and pat it smooth — a patched pupusa cooks just as well as a perfect one.
Done when: Even discs, about 12 cm across, with no filling showing through the dough.
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5
Griddle Until Golden
24 Mins, Two Batches
Medium heat, comal about 190°C (375°F); filling reheated to 74°C (165°F)
Heat a dry comal, cast-iron pan or flat griddle over medium heat until a drop of water sizzles. Cook 4 pupusas at a time for about 6 minutes per side, until golden-brown in patches and the dough looks set. Turn once, gently, with a wide spatula.
Do not press the pupusas flat with the spatula: pressing squeezes the melted cheese out of the sides. Let the heat do the work.
Done when: Golden-brown speckles on both sides, edges firm, cheese melted inside and the filling steaming hot at 74°C (165°F).
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6
Rest and Serve with Curtido
5 Mins
Serve hot
Rest the pupusas for 2 minutes so the cheese settles, then serve two per person with a generous spoonful of curtido and tomato salsa on the side. Eat them with your hands, tearing off pieces and scooping up slaw as you go.
The curtido is not optional garnish: its cold, sharp vinegar bite is what balances the rich, hot cheese and pork.
Done when: Hot pupusas, crisp-edged, with cold curtido and salsa alongside.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve hot off the comal, two pupusas per person, with curtido and salsa roja piled on the side — eat them with your hands while the cheese is still molten.
El Salvador
4h 5m
Italy
Thailand