The Pupusa series, Episode 4: Los Frijoles Salvadoreños

One of the typical fillings for pupusas is refried Salvadoran beans. The refried beans are mixed with cheese and chicharrón and it's knows as a "pupusa revuelta." To make the Salvadoran refried beans it requires a two step process. The first is to make bean soup and then you use the beans to refry them and use for the pupusas.

Step 1: Sopa de frijoles (Bean stew). You can find the recipe here.

Step 2:

Once the bean stew is made, you can then refry the beans.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of stewed beans (Frijoles cocidos)

• 1/2 White or Red onion

• 1/2 Red or green bell pepper

• 3 cloves of garlic

• Vegetable oil

• 1/2 tbsp Chicken bouillon

• Salt to taste (optional)

How to make refried beans ( Frijoles refritos)?

1. Cut and slice the onion and peppers into 1-2 inch pieces

2. Place a sauce pan on the stove at medium heat. Once ready add the sliced vegetables and garlic cloves to the sauce pan. You will stir fry them until the edges of the onion and garlic cloves are dark brown, and the peppers have a vibrant color.

3. In a blender add your stir fried veggies, the beans and chicken bouillon. You can add some of the bean broth to help blend or to adjust the consistency to your desires. If you add too much don't worry because it will evaporate while you're frying them.

4. Blend the beans until smooth. Taste and add salt to taste if needed. I normally don't add salt since the chicken bouillon already has salt.

5. Add the blended beans back into the sauce pan with oil at medium heat

6. You will fry them until they are boiling. You can tell they are boiling because there will be bubbles forming and poping out. Be careful as they may splatter far and burn you. I normally cover them and move them every 2-3 minutes. The longer you leave them on the heat the more solid the consistency will become since water/broth will evaporate. For pupusas you want the frijoles to be more solid so that they are easy to mix. You can remove them from the heat once they have reached your desired consistency.

7. Let them cool before you mix it with other ingredients. Especially cheese.

It's best to make the refried beans the day before or a few hours before making pupusas. Refried beans will last 3-4 days in the refrigerator. You won't regret making a cheese and bean pupusa and it's also a great option for vegetarians. Try and it and tag me on social media: @flourishwithg and check out the other recipes we share on a daily basis.