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Pupusas

PUPUSAS

Norman Van Aken. Adapted from The New York Times 

Yield: 9 Pupusas

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 Cups masa harina

1 ½ Cups warm water

12 ounces mozzarella, grated (or a mix of mozzarella and queso blanco) 

canola oil, as needed

In a large bowl, mix the salt into the masaharina. Stir the water into the masaharina with your hands. Lay a foot-long square of plastic wrap on a work surface. 

Divide the cheese into 9 balls. 

Divide the dough into 9 equal parts, and pat it out in your hands to form a disc a little larger than your palm. If the dough is very sticky, lightly oil your hands.

Put a pile of cheese onto the masa, leaving some space around the edges. Fold the masa in half over the cheese and pinch the edges together to enclose the cheese. It will look like a large somewhat lumpy empanada if you have made those. Patch any holes with a little more masa. Repeat with the remaining masa and cheese.  Oil the plastic wrap, and put the pupusas on it. 

Heat a large nonstick sauté pan over medium-high heat, and very lightly grease it with oil. When the oil is pretty warm, lay the 3 or 4 pupusas in the pan, and cook until richly browned in spots, about 4 minutes. 

The cheese might bubble out a bit but that is part of the charm. Flip the pupusas, and cook another 4 minutes, until they’re browned and cooked through. 

Norman Van Aken has been described as legendary, visionary and a trailblazer. He is known as “the founding father of New World Cuisine,” a celebration of Latin, Caribbean, Asian, African and American flavors. He is also known internationally for introducing the concept of “Fusion” to the culinary world.