Pupusa is a classic dish from El Salvador, but it can also be found in neighboring countries such as Honduras and Guatemala. Originally made with corn flour and made into a disk, this dish is usually stuffed with ingredients like cheese or beans. Here, I decided to make the “dough” with a combination of corn flour and cooked quinoa. Quinoa, a “power seed” from Peru and Bolivia, is considered a complete protein because it contains a total of 21 amino acids. Incorporating quinoa gives the pupusas extra protein power while also adding texture to this already delicious treat.

Ingredients:

½ cup cooked quinoa

½ cup yellow corn flour

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup water

4 teaspoons canola oil

Directions:

1. Place quinoa, corn flour and salt in a medium sized bowl. Using a fork, mix it around to evenly distribute all the ingredients.

2. Add water and fold in batter with your hand. Make sure you mix all the ingredients. At this point, the masa should be sticky but should form a ball easily when rolled. If not, add water until it is sticky but easy to work with.

3. Heat up a medium-sized frying pan over medium heat. Add two teaspoons of the canola oil and let it heat up, about a minute.

4. Take about a ¼ cup of the dough and roll it around to form a ball. Flatten the ball to make a disk of the desired thickness. Place two disks  in the pan with oil.

5. Cook for about 8 minutes on each side or until you begin to see charred marks.  

Servings: 4   Serving Size: 1 serving

Source: Manuel Villacorta

Manuel Villacorta is a registered dietitian in private practice, MV Nutrition, award winning nutrition and weight loss center in San Francisco. He is the founder and creator of Eating Free, an international weight management and wellness program and author of three books, Eating Free: The Carb Friendly Way to Lose Inches, Peruvian Power Foods: 18 Superfoods, 101 Recipes, and Anti-Aging Secrets from the Amazon to the Andes and his newest book, Whole Body Reboot: The Peruvian Superfoods Diet to Detoxify, Energize, and Supercharge Fat Loss.