I have been getting slack of late, and feel that I am not cooking enough dishes during the week. Well this week was a very busy one, with 2 friends having birthdays, a friend's band having a gig, a uni assignment was due, so there wasn't much time. To get around this I thought I would make something that appeared quite simple, straightforward and easy to make. Well we all know that appearances are deceiving! And the end result can lead to a meal that looks disappointing and leaves you having to apologise to anyone from that country. So a note to future self, travel back in time and pick something else, for El Salvadoran Pupusas need some time to make. Particularly if you are a complete novice like myself.
Made from maize flour, Pupusa is a thick, hand-made tortilla. They can be stuffed with a multitude of fillings such as: cheese, refried beans, cooked ground pork or Loroco (a vine flower bud form Central America). Then they're fried until a rich golden brown. It is generally served with Curtido, a cabbage slaw made with vinegar and chilies. They are a cross between empanadas and tortillas that can be found throughout Central and South America.
Enjoy, or as they say in El Salvador, ¡Buen provecho!
Link to challenging El Salvadoran snacks: http://www.whats4eats.com/breads/pupusas-recipe
Difficulty: 2
Appearance: 3
Taste: 3
TOTAL: 8
OK this would have to be one of the hardest dishes I have made so far. Due to my terrible tortilla making techniques, my Pupusas looked like they had been in a car accident as their filling was hemorrhaging out of the dough. The simple looking method of flattening the dough between your palms was deceptively difficult. I will certainly have to get lessons before I attempt to make them again. Or cheat and buy a tortilla press.
Now objectively speaking, my pupusa looked horrible. I'm surprised that the El Salvadoran government didn't barrage into the kitchen and charge me with crimes against humanity. This is certainly one of those dishes that would of course look perfect if prepared by a native.
Even though my pupusa didn't look like any photo I saw on the internet, they didn't taste that bad. The refried beans and the cheese made it a tasty savoury snack. And the maize flour made them taste like Doritos (funny that!), so that's awesome in my book. The only downside was they were a little dry, so next time I would serve with a large dollop of sour cream. And I would of loved to try the Curtido, but choose against it for I didn't have enough time and I'm not a fan of slaw in the first place. So to finish off, I am very sorry to the people of El Salvador, I didn't mean to butcher your cuisine. If there is anyone that is willing to pay for me to travel to El Salvador so I can culinary repent, I would be fully amenable to that!
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