Salvadoran Pupusa

[sbk]

I was watching the food network and they had a show on a Salvadoran cafe that served up this amazing looking dish called pupusa, a thick corn tortilla like patty filled with cheese and ground flavored pork meat,

It looked delicious. Any such creature in Thailand (bangkok presumably but you never know, somewhere else might have it!)

[koknia]

Can't imagine there is a Salvadorean restaurant here.

Not that hard to make if you have masa. I think you can get it in BKK.

[tutsiwarrior]

I saw something like that somewhere in Latin America but done with wheat flour rather than corn meal...sort of a variation on empanadas or saltenas...

what is the food channel and how do you receive it?...I used to love to watch cooking shows from back in the days of Julia Child...the ones on thai TV are entertaining...

oh, to sit quietly with my darling sbk: 'pupusas, a glass of wine and thee...'

Edited October 14, 2011 by tutsiwarrior

[Jingthing]

Yeah, they are quite yummy. In Thailand? Not a chance.

Typically served with the distinctive cabbage salad (required)

plus hot spicy red chile salsa

plus mashed creamy pinto beans

plus sour cream

plus fried plantains

Edited October 14, 2011 by Jingthing

[MrRed]

Very easy to make at home,just make some good Masa and add what ever you like.

[MrRed]

Here you go....

[Jingthing]

You've got to have at least the cabbage salad and in my view some spicy salsa as well. Otherwise, a boring dish!

[tutsiwarrior]

Here you go....

man...that's a really nice looking griddle...just like a comal used for making home made tortillas: pat, pat, pat, pat splat; pat, pat, pat, pat splat...

I remember where I saw these items, it was at lunch time in Santiago, Chile and I went with some chilean engineers...it was a back alley sort of place near near center of town and they only served the pies and beer...it was sort of like a beat mens club with middle class guys (no women) hooking down the pies, quaffing Cristal beer and lots of 'haw, haw, haw...'...had some sort of indigenous quechua name for the pies, can't remember now...

[Jingthing]

So it was Salvadorian food in Chile? Okie dokie. Just checking.

[tutsiwarrior]

So it was Salvadorian food in Chile? Okie dokie. Just checking.

JT, don't be a dunderhead, as I said before, most places in Latin America have their own version of empanadas and meat pies which are quite tasty...for instance in Bolivia they have what is called a saltena which originated in Salta which is in northern Argentina...very tasty, you get them on Sunday morning for breakfast; my favorite are 'Saltenas Fuji' in Cochabamba that the locals claim are the best in Bolivia...a pastry with ground beef, potatoes and peas with lots of chile...mmmm, good, hard not to devour them outside the shop and not wait to get home...

if them chilenos heard you say that their meat pies were anything but chilean cuisine they would be very annoyed with you...

Edited October 14, 2011 by tutsiwarrior

[Jingthing]

Well I've had empanadas in Argentina, not Chile, and it's daft to say they are the same thing or even very similar to Salvadorian pupusas.

[tutsiwarrior]

(sheeesh) no one is comparing empanadas to pupusas...I'm just saying that in Chile I had meat pies that resemble the dish in sbk's photo, but made with wheat flour rather than corn meal and that were probably cooked in an oven rather than stove top on a griddle...

an'...I just wanted to tell an entertaining story and did not expect to be subjected to a brutal interrogation...

[Jingthing]

No biggie, but really, what's the same?

The starch? Different.

The cooking method? Different.

The filling ingredients? Different.

The typical side dishes? Different.

El Salvador is a small country. Their national dish is the pupusa although it is also can be considered "native" to Nicaragua and Honduras.

Edited October 14, 2011 by Jingthing

[tutsiwarrior]

No biggie, but really, what's the same?

The starch? Different.

The cooking method? Different.

The filling ingredients? Different.

The typical side dishes? Different.

but regardless of ingredients and cooking methods it's true that most Latin American countries have their own version of a meat pie, many times quite tasty and on the menu and available to the casual tourist...

(this is ridiculous...I'll bet that JT is a d'Aubuisson supporter with a death squad inclination to those that don't adhere to traditional pupusa recipes...)

[tutsiwarrior]

yeah, I spent time in Nicaragua in the 80s and had heard of the local pupusas but never saw any...had to make do with a street fritanga now and then...and if I got off work after 8pm just had to go hungry...I lost about 10kgs...

I remember the nicas had nice tacos al pastor...washed down with some nice Flor de Cana rum (the white, dry is the best in the world)...not bad...their corn tortillas were almost like a cake, not flat and thin like in LA...they never used much picante...

where I worked was across from the main post office in Managua and two old ladies sold corn bread and soft drinks (gaseosas) out in front...they did a roaring trade at breakfast time...

Edited October 14, 2011 by tutsiwarrior

[koknia]

Empanadas and pupusas are completely different things.

And yes, you definitely need the sides for the pupusas.

Edited October 14, 2011 by koknia

[Jingthing]

Empanadas and pupusas are completely different things.

And yes, you definitely need the sides for the pupusas.

Thank you! Someone gets it.

Try telling a Salvadoran that a pupusa is a "meat pie" and be sure to duck ...

[MrRed]

Same same but different ,get over it man!

[koknia]

I'm over it.

But it's same same like fried rice and cheeseburgers.

[Somtamnication]

So it was Salvadorian food in Chile? Okie dokie. Just checking.

JT, don't be a dunderhead, as I said before, most places in Latin America have their own version of empanadas and meat pies which are quite tasty...for instance in Bolivia they have what is called a saltena which originated in Salta which is in northern Argentina...very tasty, you get them on Sunday morning for breakfast; my favorite are 'Saltenas Fuji' in Cochabamba that the locals claim are the best in Bolivia...a pastry with ground beef, potatoes and peas with lots of chile...mmmm, good, hard not to devour them outside the shop and not wait to get home...

if them chilenos heard you say that their meat pies were anything but chilean cuisine they would be very annoyed with you...

You are bringing me memories. I grew up in Santa Cruz.....

[Somtamnication]

That Salvadoran dish looks similar to what the Venezuelans have. I have not been able to duplicate it myself. But, slightly off topic, the South American styles of flan (quesillo), I have mastered!!!

[SpoliaOpima]

A similar dish in Mexican cuisine is gorditas. Also served with curtido, pickled vegetables, which in Mexico usually contains carrots, onions and jalapenos. Some places do serve curtido de repollo (pickled cabbage) although it's far more common in El Salvador. I think Jorge at Tacos & Salsas in Bangkok will make gorditas on request, also curtido de repollo, with a day's notice.

[tutsiwarrior]

So it was Salvadorian food in Chile? Okie dokie. Just checking.

JT, don't be a dunderhead, as I said before, most places in Latin America have their own version of empanadas and meat pies which are quite tasty...for instance in Bolivia they have what is called a saltena which originated in Salta which is in northern Argentina...very tasty, you get them on Sunday morning for breakfast; my favorite are 'Saltenas Fuji' in Cochabamba that the locals claim are the best in Bolivia...a pastry with ground beef, potatoes and peas with lots of chile...mmmm, good, hard not to devour them outside the shop and not wait to get home...

if them chilenos heard you say that their meat pies were anything but chilean cuisine they would be very annoyed with you...

You are bringing me memories. I grew up in Santa Cruz.....

yeah...I spent some time in Santa Cruz and Montero...they got the best carnival in Bolivia...with a vigorous taquidari and 'Viva Santa Cruz!'...lovely ladies there as well; much less uptight and formal like up in the highland areas..

[The Mistress of Spices]

Love pupusas! Enjoyed them regularly when I lived in Washington DC, where there is a sizeable Salvadoran population. They are indeed easy to make at home, if you can get your hands on some masa harina. I brought some back with me on my last trip to the States but it's already running low with all the corn tortillas I've made. It would be LOVELY if someone can start selling masa harina in Bangkok!

[mynameisnotmary]

I'm a little late to the party, I know, but felt like chiming in. I don't know where to find Salvadoran pupusas in Bangkok, but they're not too hard to make. Even the pickled cabbage condiment that they come with (curtidos) is pretty easy to make, too. Just google a recipe and see if you can handle it.

But what I really wanted to point out is that Thailand has its very own version of pupusas. They're called mataba. Mataba are really similar to pupusas, except the filling is a curried chicken type of deal, and they are served with some vegetables and vinegar (much like the curtidos that come with pupusas). Here's a link to a video on how to make your own mataba:

http://en.foodtravel.tv/recfoodShow_Detail.aspx?viewId=746

Or, if you don't feel like cooking, just go look around the street vendors until you come across one selling mataba.

Love pupusas! Enjoyed them regularly when I lived in Washington DC, where there is a sizeable Salvadoran population. They are indeed easy to make at home, if you can get your hands on some masa harina. I brought some back with me on my last trip to the States but it's already running low with all the corn tortillas I've made. It would be LOVELY if someone can start selling masa harina in Bangkok!

Where I live, I cannot get my hands on any corn flour, so when I made pupusas I used regular all-purpose flour. The result, while not 100% like what I've had at Salvadoran restaurants in North America, was still palatable.

Edited July 20, 2013 by mynameisnotmary