Papusas!

Papusas are the newest entry on my list of favorite foods. These are a Salvadorian treat. I first picked some up in the freezer isle of the grocery store, not knowing what they were. They turned out to be delicious. Then, I went to this great Salvadorian restaurant known for their papusas, La Caravana, in Altadena, CA. I was not disappointed. The thing is, they're super-simple, so I wanted to make them for myself.

Your basic papusa goes like this: take some masa (a dough made of corn flour and warm water) roll it in a ball, make an impression in the ball, fill the impression with a filling of your choice (usually cheese and/or beans), seal it back up, and smash it flat. Then you cook it up on the grill, and you have a tasty, simple treat. Hooray!

Here, I've illustrated it for you:

1: Masa

2: Filling

Mine is made of black refried beans, garlic, halapeños, and queso fresco (Mexican cheese)

3: make a hole

4: fill the hole

5: close the hole

6: Cook

7: Enjoy!

I started with the recipe from here, but I changed the filling, of course, and making a hole with your thumb and filling that is way easier than what they suggest.