This is a largely accurate rendition of the well-known Salvadorean dish. Although it may take some time, the work is totally worth it! Although you can buy pre-made chicharron at specialty markets, this recipe tastes identical. Additionally, I prepare the curtido and salsa roja ahead of time (the curtido may last for at least a week in the refrigerator and the salsa freezes really well).
| Prep Time: | 1 hr |
| Cook Time: | 39 mins |
| Additional Time: | 1 hr 15 mins |
| Total Time: | 2 hrs 54 mins |
| Servings: | 15 |
| Yield: | 30 pupusas |
Ingredients
- 4 cups plain tomato sauce
- 1 cup water
- 4 bunches fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed (Optional)
- 1 cube chicken bouillon
- salt to taste
- ½ head cabbage, shredded
- 1 large carrot, peeled and grated
- ½ cup white vinegar
- 3 scallions, minced
- 2 tablespoons dried oregano
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 (12 ounce) package bacon, or to taste
- 4 tomatoes, halved, or more to taste
- 1 green bell pepper, seeded and quartered
- 1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (Optional)
- salt to taste
- 4 cups masa harina, or more to taste
- 2 cups water, or as needed
- ½ cup vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Combine tomato sauce, water, cilantro, green bell pepper, onion, crushed garlic, bouillon cube, and salt in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook and stir until vegetables are soft, about 20 minutes. Let salsa roja cool for 10 minutes.
- Fill a blender halfway with the salsa roja. Cover and hold lid down with a potholder; pulse a few times before leaving on to blend. Pour into a bowl. Repeat with remaining salsa roja. Return to saucepan and simmer for 10 minutes more stirring occasionally. Allow to cool completely, about 1 hour, and refrigerate.
- Place cabbage and carrots in a large bowl. Add 4 cups boiling water and let stand for 5 minutes. Drain well. Mix in vinegar, scallions, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Chill curtido until serving.
- Place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until almost fully cooked and not yet crispy, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer bacon and grease (if desired) to a food processor. Add tomatoes, quartered green bell pepper, Monterey Jack cheese, and minced garlic. Puree and season the chicharron with salt.
- Mix masa harina and 1/2 cup water together in a bowl by hand. Add the remaining water slowly, about 2 tablespoons at a time, mixing well after each addition, until dough is moist but still firm. Cover with a wet towel.
- Heat 1/2 cup oil a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Take a golf ball-sized piece of dough and roll into a ball in your hands. Make a hole in the dough ball with your thumb; put a small amount of chicharron inside the hole, close it up, and flatten the ball with your hands into a thick tortilla shape. Place pupusa in the skillet and fry until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Repeat with the remaining dough and chicharron.
- Serve each pupusa topped with 2 tablespoons of curtido and 1 tablespoon of salsa roja.
- You can substitute mozzarella cheese for Monterey Jack cheese.
- We have determined the nutritional value of oil for frying based on a retention value of 10% after cooking. Amount will vary depending on cooking time and temperature, ingredient density, and specific type of oil used.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 234 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 34 g |
| Cholesterol | 15 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 8 g |
| Protein | 10 g |
| Saturated Fat | 3 g |
| Sodium | 676 mg |
| Sugars | 6 g |
| Fat | 8 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
I think I’d use my tortilla press and enclose the filling in between 2 corn tortillas.
Roja came out delicious and everything else was on point
You definitely need to plan ahead to make this. They take some time but are worth it in the end. I do think these would be perfectly fine as written but I made a few minor changes due to who I was making them for. Our good friends are from El Salvador and are very particular about the roja and curtido. After comparing her recipe to this one, I left out all of the green for the roja. The minor change with the curtido is that I used white onion instead of green which was her request. For the filling I ended up adding more cheese to get the texture I was going for. These turned out really good. They had never had them with bacon before and they enjoyed them. She did suggest I add some beans to the filling next time so I’ll put that out there. The hardest part of making pupusas for me is stuffing and then forming them. I had her here for help and she did it like a pro. After watching her I realized that in the past I try to flatten them too much. She left them large and fluffy so that they were easier to shape. I definitely recommend making the roja and curtido ahead of time like I did so that the flavors have a chance to get acquainted. I also recommend buying the already shredded cabbage and carrot in a bag to save some time. If you have never made pupusas you are missing out!