The One Step You Shouldn't Skip When Making Costco's Pupusas

Have you seen the Del Real Foods Pupusas in the refrigerator case at Costco? We think everyone should try this El Salvadorian dish once, but there is a trick to improve its texture. Before you start planning a meal of this birria- and cheese-stuffed treat, take a minute to learn how to cook it properly. 

Sure, the air fryer or microwave are quick, but neither one will bring out the best of this food. Instead, grab a cup of water and heat a little oil in your frying pan. Put the pupusas in the pan, splash some water along the edges, then cover the pan to steam. After a couple of minutes, you can flip them over and brown the other side. You'll find that adding a little extra moisture combats the dryness that these store-bought pupusas tend to have straight out of the package, and browning them transforms the corn meal from soft to crunchy. It's essentially the same technique that you use to make store-bought tortillas taste restaurant-quality.

Pupusas have been around for over 2,000 years, and at their core, they're still the same. Who doesn't love corn meal stuffed with fillings? While the Pipil tribes of El Salvador likely filled them with whatever they could hunt or gather nearby, the arrival of Spanish colonizers introduced two new fillings that many of us still love today: cooked pork and cheese.

If you're going to stuff your pupusas, any cheese, meat, or veggie is fair game — think barbecued chicken, mushrooms, or steamed cactus. Pupusas also go well with foods that were traditionally planted alongside corn like squash and beans, a la our winter squash pupusas recipe. For a quick snack, you can simply brown them and serve them plain, dipping them into guacamole, sour cream, or salsa — red, green, or mango. Don't forget to add curtido on the side; This juicy, tangy Salvadoran cabbage slaw is the perfect accent for the pupusas.