Masa Cakes With Spicy Slaw (Pupusas Con Curtido)
These flavorful stuffed corn-masa cakes are the national dish of El Salvador.
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup distilled white vinegar
- 1 ½ tsp. sugar
- 1 tsp. oregano
- 2 chiles de árbol, crushed
- ½ large carrot, peeled and grated
- ½ yellow onion, thinly sliced
- ¼ head green cabbage, shredded
- Kosher salt, to taste
- 2 cups masa harina
- 16 oz. grated Monterey jack
Instructions:
- Combine vinegar, sugar, oregano, chiles, carrots, onions, and cabbage in a bowl. Season with salt; toss; let chill.
- Put masa harina and 1 3⁄4 cups water into a bowl; stir to form a dough. Pinch off a 1 1⁄2-oz. piece of dough; roll it into a ball. Pat dough into a thin disk. Squeeze 1 1⁄4 oz. cheese into a ball. Press cheese into center of dough; cupping dough, stretch edges of dough around cheese and seal. Pat dough to form a 3 1⁄2″-wide disk. Repeat to make 12 pupusas in all.
- Heat a 12″ nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Working in 3 batches, cook pupusas, turning, until golden, 10–12 minutes. Serve hot with slaw.