There used to be a pupuseria across from my high school that shut down in the last few years. I can’t quite remember the quality, but my high school palate wasn’t exactly sophisticated…

Since I have a massive bag of masa flour on hand, I decided to make some from scratch.

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I N G R E D I E N T S

• 3 cups of instant masa flour
• 2 cups of warm water
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• 1 can of pinto beans, mashed
• 1 white onion, halved
• 1 cup of shredded Monterey jack cheese
• 1 jalapeño
• 1/2 head of red cabbage, shredded
• 1 carrot, grated
• 1/3 cup of apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon of sugar
• 4 Roma tomatoes
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 teaspoon of dried oregano

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D I R E C T I O N S

1. Prep the curtido slaw a few hours before by combining the cabbage, carrot, vinegar, and sugar. Add salt and pepper to taste.
2. Prep the salsa by blending the tomatoes, garlic, oregano, and half of the onion in a blender. Cook the salsa on medium heat in a saucepan until it turns red and thickens, about 5 minutes.
3. Dice the other half of the onion and cook with oil in a large pan until tender. Add the drained and rinsed beans. While cooking, mash the beans using a wooden spoon. Add more oil as needed.
4. Combine the masa flour and water to form a slightly wet, workable dough. Take an egg-sized ball of dough (about 65 grams), divide the ball in half, and flatten each half. Fill with a heaping teaspoon of cheese and a heaping teaspoon of beans in between the dough discs, and seal the edges.
5. Heat oil in a pan on medium heat. Cook the pupusas until lightly browned and crispy, about 2-3 minutes on each side.
6. Serve with the salsa and curtido.