On the quest to tap more into my inner creativity, I decided to make purple pupusas. Pupusas are made with cornmeal so are naturally gluten-free. You’ll find them in El Salvador and Honduras and it was one of my favorite treats my dad would bring home for dinner. The best ones are known word-of-mouth by a mother or grandmother who makes it out of her home.
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Usually you’ll find them white or yellow. But these are purple for fun. With some hibiscus flowers I colored the water and the result didn’t change the flavor of the pupusa at all so it was a success! This was my first time and not my last. I liked them but want to find a way to get more filling into them! These were lean pupusas but still nice. 😅
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I plated them on my custom board from @gasparswoodwork thank you! And thank you to @rootsartesano to introducing to this great cornmeal. We used it to make arepas months ago but it works well for these pupusas too!
Purple pupusas (makes 12-15)
* 2 cups white pre-cooked cornmeal (I use P.A.N which works for arepas too)
* 3 cups water
* ½ cup dried hibiscus flowers
* ½ tsp. Salt
* 1 ½ cups refried beans (I used black eyed peas)
* 1 cup mozzarella cheese
Guacamole, lettuce, no-cook pickled veg, cotija cheese (or feta)
1. Bring water to boil. Then add hibiscus flowers and turn off heat. Let steep for 10 minutes. Then, strain. Let cool to room temp or add some ice cubes. (You can also just use water if you don’t want purple).
2. In a bowl, combine 2 cups cornmeal and 1 ½ cups hibiscus water. Mix and add ½ cup more water if needed until a soft, pliable dough forms.
3. Take off a small piece of dough (the size of a lime) flatten in your hand. Fill with 1-2 tsp. of beans and cheese. Fold up and enclose filling. Flatten gently, keeping filling in the center. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.
4. Cook for 10-15 minutes on a greased nonstick pan. They are done when they expand a little and feel rigid and stiff. Flip once or twice.
5. Serve with toppings of choice. It takes some practice to form these so don’t get discouraged.
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