Stuffed Corn Griddle Cakes with Melted Cheese and Cabbage Relish
Inspired by techniques from America's Test Kitchen, Serious Eats and NYT Cooking.
These corn masa cakes are stuffed with a gooey melted cheese centre, griddled until spotted golden-brown, and served with a quick tangy cabbage relish and a simple tomato salsa. A classic made easy to shape and cook at home.
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Method
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Equipment
- 3 medium bowls
- blender
- small saucepan
- baking tray lined with baking paper
- clean damp tea towel
- large heavy frying pan or griddle, preferably cast iron
- fish slice (spatula)
- kitchen paper
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 548 kcal |
| Protein | 21.9 g |
| Carbohydrate | 60.4 g |
| of which sugars | 7.8 g |
| of which free sugars | 0 g |
| Fat | 25.6 g |
| of which saturates | 11.3 g |
| Fibre | 8.7 g |
| Salt | 2.72 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
4 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
Metric · 4 servings
Dough
- 240 g masa harina (corn flour for tortillas)
- 1.5 g fine sea salt or table salt about ¼ tsp
- 450 ml boiling water, plus extra warm water as needed
- 1 tsp neutral oil, plus extra for the pan
Cheese filling
- 220 g low-moisture mozzarella, grated (check the rennet)
- 60 g queso fresco or feta, crumbled (check the rennet)
Curtido (cabbage relish)
- 300 g white cabbage, very finely shredded
- 1 carrot, coarsely grated about 80 g
- ½ small onion, very thinly sliced
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 80 ml cider vinegar
- 80 ml water
- 1.5 g fine sea salt or table salt about ¼ tsp
Tomato salsa
- 400 g can chopped tomatoes
- ½ onion, roughly chopped
- 1 garlic cloves, peeled
- ½ jalapeño, seeded (optional)
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- 1.5 g fine sea salt or table salt about ¼ tsp
- 1
Make the curtido. Toss the cabbage, carrot, onion, oregano, vinegar, water and the 1/4 tsp salt together in a bowl, pressing down firmly to bruise the cabbage. Leave for at least 30 minutes, tossing it now and then, so the salt and vinegar draw out moisture and the cabbage softens and turns pleasantly tangy. The longer it sits, the more mellow and crunchy-tender it becomes, so make this first.
- 2
Simmer the tomato salsa. Blend the tomatoes, onion, garlic and jalapeño until smooth. Warm the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat, add the purée carefully as it will spit, then stir in the 1/4 tsp salt and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring now and then, until it has thickened slightly. This short simmer cooks out the raw tomato edge and lets the flavours settle into a rounder, fuller sauce.
- 3
Mix and rest the dough. Stir the masa harina and 1/4 tsp salt together in a bowl, then add the boiling water and 1 tsp oil and mix with a spatula into a soft dough. Cover and leave to rest for 20 minutes, which lets the corn flour fully hydrate so the dough becomes easier to shape. Knead briefly for 15-20 seconds, then flatten a small piece to check it: if the edges crack more than a few millimetres, work in warm water a teaspoon at a time until the dough feels soft and slightly tacky, like play dough. Divide into 8 balls of about 85g each and keep them covered under a damp tea towel so they don't dry out and crack.
- 4
Prepare the cheese filling. Mix the mozzarella and queso fresco together in a bowl, then squeeze the mixture into 8 firm balls of about 35g each. Pressing the cheese firmly together now means it holds its shape as a compact filling rather than spilling out of the dough later.
- 5
Fill and shape the pupusas. With damp hands, press a deep dent into a dough ball with your thumb and work it into a small bowl shape with walls about 6mm thick. Drop in one portion of cheese, pull the edges of the dough up and over it and pinch firmly to seal, then roll the parcel gently back into a ball. Pat it between your palms into a disc about 10cm wide and 1.5cm thick, smoothing over any cracks with a wet finger so the cheese can't leak out as it melts. Set it on the lined tray under the damp towel and repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
- 6
Griddle until golden. Heat the heavy frying pan over medium heat and wipe it with a little oil. Cook the pupusas in batches, without crowding the pan, for about 4 minutes per side, until they're browned in patches, crisp at the edges and the cheese inside has fully melted. Drain briefly on kitchen paper, then serve hot with the curtido and tomato salsa alongside, since pupusas lose their crisp edge quickly once they cool.
Storage
Refrigerate cooked pupusas within 1 hour and use within 3 days; reheat in a dry pan over medium-low heat until piping hot (74°C) all the way through. The curtido keeps in the fridge for up to 1 week in a covered container. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
