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This is a common dish amongst Latin America and for a good reason, it’s amazing! Growing up in a Salvadoran household, meant I often enjoyed this dish with rice and refried beans on the side. Bistec Encebollade translates to steak smothered in onions...? My mom had two ways of making this dish but my favorite one is the version below. The other version was bistec encebollado en salsa, which involved stewing the steak and onions in a homemade tomato sauce. How to make bistec encebollado? Ingredients: 2lb thin cut beef bottom round steak or Milanesa cut 1 tbsp Mustard 1 tbsp Salsa negra (worcestershire sauce) 1 tbsp Soy Sauce 1/2 tbsp Cumin 1/2 tbsp Beef Bouillon 1/2 tbsp Garlic paste Ground black pepper to taste Salt to taste 1-2 white onions 1 cup water or beef 2 tbsp olive oil or preferred fat Instructions: Wash your meat with white vinegar, salt and water.... OR don't. Pat the meat dry and add all the seasonings listed, mix well to coat evenly and let it rest in the refrigerador overnight or minimum 1 hour. Once you are ready to cook the meat prepare the onions. Peal and slice the white onion into onion rings, add mustard and worcestershire sauce, mix well and set aside. In a medium sauce pan at medium heat, add the oil and sear each piece of bistec on both sides until golden brown. Once it's golden brown remove it from the sauce pan and let it rest in a container. When finished searing the meat add in the onions and stir fry for about 5 minutes and add 1 cup of water or beef broth. Cover the sauce pan and let it sautee for about 5 more minutes. Add in the meat and mix well, cover and let is simmer for about 10 minutes on medium heat. Let it cool for a few minutes and enjoy!

Perfect to enjoy with a hot coffee on a rainy day! Salporas de arroz, also known as Salpores de arroz, is a type of hard cookie that is made with rice flour as the main ingredient. Salporas are a typical 'pan dulce' in El Salvador and are commonly eaten with hot coffee for breakfast or a late night snack. I prefer to dip mine in my hot coffee to soften up the cookie. When researching how to make these I found a handful of recipes and they all contained similar ingredients but were very different. I personally don't like my Salpora too hard or too dry so I make them a little bit softer than normal. I experimented with a couple of recipes online and tweaked it to what i like my Salpora to taste. Below are some of the ingredients that many alternate: Fat: Some use Salvadoran sour cream, or vegetable shortening or butter. Cinnamon: You can use ground cinamon in you want the cinnamon taste but some use the cinnamon stick when mixing the ingredients to give it the cinnamon aroma. Flour: The main ingredient should be rice flour but I have seen some recipes that mix all purpose flour Egg: Some recipes have it, others don't. Ingredients: 10-14 salporas 2 cups of rice flour 1 1/2 sticks or 1 1/2 cups of salted butter or unsalted. If you use unsalted add a pinch of Salt to the mixture. 1/2 cup of sugar. If you don't want them too sweet, add 1/4 cup of sugar. 1 tsp of ground cinnamon 1 tsp of baking powder 1 egg 1 tsp of vanilla extract Instructions: Sift the rice flour Add all the dry ingredients into a bowl: sifter rice flour, sugar, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and mix well. Add the egg, vanilla extract, butter, and mix well with your hand or stand mixer until the dough gains a playdough consistency. Wrap it in seran wrap and let it sit for 30 minutes, this will allow the flour to fully hydrate. Make the Salporas. The traditional shape looks like an American football and it's pressed down with three fingers to give it the ridges. You can shape them into anything you want, hearts, circles, stars, etc. It's important to make the shape at least 1/2 inch thick so that when you press down it doesn't thin out too much and break. Bake for 20-30 minutes at 350. Take it once it reaches your desired conssistency, I took them out at 25 mins because I didn't want them to be too hard. Let it cook for about 10 minutes and enjoy! Hope you all enjoy this recipe on a gloomy day with hot coffee in hand. As always head over to @FLOURISHWITG on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok for the video recipe.

When I was a kid, the only way my mom would get me to eat green vegetables was by mixing them in with eggs, I love eggs. Ejotes con huevos or green bean egg scramble is a popular choice for breakfast or dinner. My favorite way to enjoy them is with refried Salvadoran beans, queso fresco (fresh cheese) and avocado. It's easy to make and adds some fiber to your meal! How to make Ejotes con huevo? (How to make Green bean scramble?) The key to make a delicious green bean scramble is to use tomato and onion and sauté it with the green beans until tender. As the tomato cooks, it releases it's juice and gives the green beans and the egg a delicious flavor. It's important for the green beans to be tender before adding the eggs in, the eggs cook quickly and you do not want the green beans to be crunchy. Ingredients: Handful of green beans 4 eggs 1 tomato 1/4th onion Ground black pepper to taste Salt to taste 1 tsp of oil Instructions: Prepare the vegetables - Pinch both ends of each green bean to remove the ends. Wash the green beans, and tomato. Small dice the vegetables - Tomato, onion and the green beans. In small-medium frying pan on medium heat add the oil. Once the oil is hot add in the diced onion, tomato and green bell pepper. Stir and cover for 5 minutes on low-medium heat or until the green beans are tender. Once the green beans are tender add in the eggs, salt and pepper and scramble until cooked to your desired temperature. Hope you enjoy this quick breakfast option, as always head over to @flourishwithg on Instagram, Facebook or Ticktok for more recipes!

A delicious take on green beans, this is a very "casera" recipe. It's not traditional but it's one that Salvadoran households make here and there, and you will most likely not find it at any restaurant. The main ingredient is green beans and the supporting actors are cheese, egg and tomato base sauce. This recipe may seem a bit difficult to make, but there are plenty of tips to make it easier. What is a relleno de ejotes y queso? In the Salvadoran cuisine we love "rellenos" which tranlates to, stuffing. But typically our rellenos are wrapped in whipped eggs, fried and then stewed in sauce. We make rellenos de: papa (Potato), güisquil (Chayote squash), chile verde (Green bell pepper), flor (squash flower), ejotes (green beans), coliflor (Coliflower) and much more. The rellenos de Ejote y queso consist of a piece of cheese enclosed by a couple of green beans, dipped in the whipped egg and fried in a tomato sauce base. I typically enjoy it with white rice and a small salad on the side. How to make rellenos de ejotes y queso? In my opinion rellenos de ejotes y queso are the trickiest to make, trying to keep 10 greenbeans together can become a bit frustrating. Watching my mom make them over and over again I picked up a few techniques that definetly helped. To make the relleno pick the technique that works best for you! Ingredients for 5-7 rellenos: 1 lb of green beans Chesee of preference. I like to use queso fresco or Oaxaca cheese. 6-7 eggs depending on size 4 Roma tomato 1/2 green bell pepper 3 garlic cloves 1/2 white small onion 1 tsp ground anatto 1 tsp cumin 1/2 tsp oregano 1 tsp paprika 1 tsp ground black pepper 1 tsp chicken bouillon Salt to taste Cooking twine (Optional) Instructions: Place a medium to large pot on medium heat and fill it up half way with water. Let it come to a boil. In the meantime, prepare the vegetables: Wash and clean all of the vegetables listed. Cut 1/4 inch from both ends of each green bean, use your fingers to snap it off or a knife. Cut the tomato, onion, and green bell pepper into medium pieces. Once the water is at a boil, add salt and parboil the green beans for about 2-3 minutes. Do not overcook as they can begin to fall apart and this will make it diffifult to put the relleno together. Turn off the heat and remove the green beans from the pot to cool in a dry container. Drain the water from the pot. Add the tomato, green pepper, onion and garlic to the blender along with all the spices listed, and blend until smooth. Add the sauce to the same pot you used to parboil the greenbeans. You can choose to char or boil the vegetables before blending them but it's not necessary. Prepare the cheese: Cut the cheese into thin layers in a regtangular shape, about 1 x 3 inches Prepare the whipped egg: You need one big container and one small container. Seperate the egg whites from the yolk, place the egg whites in the big container and the yolk in the small container. With a hand held electric mixer whip the egg whites until fluffy and firm. Continue mixing and gradually add the yolks in as you mix. You should get a firm fluffy consistensy after adding in the yolks. Place a frying pan on low to medium heat with about 2 tbsp of oil and begin preparing the rellenos to fry. You may need to replenish the oil as you fry because the egg absorbs the oil. These are the two methods i use to make the rellenos, once they are fried add them into the pot with the sauce. Use a plate to build the relleno: Add 1/3 cup of whipped egg, line up 4-6 green beans on top, add a slice of cheese, layer with another 4-6 greenbeans and add a bit more of whipped egg mixture. Once the oil is hot, slowly push off the relleno from the plate onto the fying pan with a spatula. If the relleno is spreading out once it's on the frying pan, hold it in place with the spatually against the edge of the frying pan for a few seconds to allow the egg to set. Use two spatulas to turn over the relleno as it fries. Fry until golden on all sides and add it to the pot with the sauce. Use cooking twine: Use a piece of cooking twine to tie your relleno together through the entire cooking process. Set a piece of the twice, then place 4-5 green beans, add a slice of cheese, add another 4-5 green beans on top, and then tie the twine to hold it all together. Dip the relleno in the egg with your hand or big spoon and place it on the fyring pan. Once golden on all sides add it to the pot with the sauce. If you have any egg mixture left, you can fry it on its own to make "huevo en torta" and add it to the sauce as well. Once you have fried all the rellenos and add them to the pot with the sause, let it stew for 15-20 minutes on medium heat. Serve with your choice of sides or enjoy it on it's own! Head over to @flourishwithg on instagram or TikTok to see the step by step video on how I made these rellenos!

This article may contain affiliate links Riguas are soft, sweet and buttery pancakes made with fresh white corn, they can be eaten plain, with butter or even stuffed with beans, cheese and different types of protein. Riguas is a common street food in El Salvador and can be found being sold off a hot griddle cart. Riguas are very similar to tamales de elote (corn tamales), with the difference that these are thin pancakes and cooked on a griddle as opposed to steamed. How to make Riguas de Elote? Riguas de elote seemed to be one of the easiest treat to make but for me it took multiple times to get it right. Here are some tips to consider if it's your first time making them: Use a good blender or processor: My first attempt did not go well because my blender did not process the kernels well enough and it caused a separation between the kernels and the juice the corn produces If you see the separation happening then strain half of the mixture to decrease the amount of corn juice, this should help with the consistency of the mixture. Ingredients: This makes 4-6 riguas depending on size 6 fresh white corn: You can substiture with yellow if you cannot find white corn and or canned corn. 1 tbsp sugar 1 tsp salt 2 tbsp butter Banana leaves 1tsp oil Instructions: Prepare the banana leaves: Cut them into pieces large enough for the size of riguas you want to make. I typically cut them into 10x10 inc pieces. Don't cut themt too big because it becomes an issue once on the griddle but they shouldn't be too small to avoid the mixture from spilling out. Wash and clean them off with a napkin. Shuck and clean the corn and make sure to remove all the corn silk. Scrape the corn from the cob and remove any last pieces of silk. Blend or process the corn. If the mixture has too much liquid (corn juice), strain the excess liquid to improve consistency. Typically yellow corn contains more liquid so make sure to strain most of it out. In a cotainer, add the corn mixture, sugar, salt, and melted butter. Mix well. Place a skillet or griddle on medium heat. Spread oil with a brush onto the dull side of the banana leaf, place the banane leaf onto the griddle and add about a 1/3rd of a cup of the mixture onto the middle of the banana leaf. Fold the banana leaf over, shaping the mix into half moon shape. Cook 2-3 minutes on each side and then place the rigua directly on the griddle by removing the leaf. If the rigua is still not firm enough, let it cook a few more minutes on each side. Let the rigua cool off for a few minutes before serving. Add Salvadoran sour cream (crema) and/or fresh cheese (queso fresco), some add refried beans or plain old butter. Hope you enjoy these riguas de elote! For more recipes follow @flourishwithg on Instagram, TikTok and facebook.

My grandma from my dad's side is visiting us this month so I enlisted her to help me make some tamales pisques. Tamales Pisques are bean tamales but the process of making the dough, is what gives them the name "piques." How to make Tamales Pisques en El Salvador? I was today years old when I learned why tamales pisques are called "pisques." My grandma walked me through the process of how she makes them in El Salvador, and she shared that the corn (maiz) is cooked with ashes and this is what makes it "pisque." They call this process "nixtamalizado," but in El Salvador some call it "nizquesado" since ashes in spanish is "seniza." They used ashes before Cal became available, current day the process is mainly done with "Cal." In El Salvador my grandma buys the corn and boils it with the ashes and cal, she leaves it in the same water it was cooked in overnight. The next day they take it to the "molino" to be grinded to make the fresh masa. In the US we can sometimes find fresh masa made at certain latin stores but if you cannot find any, you can make it with white corn flour they sell everywhere! Tips: Make the beans and refry them a day before You will need at least 3 big mixing containers A big pot to cook the tamales Ingredients for 45-55 tamales: Part 1 Refried beans: 2lb bag of red beans (Salvadoran beans or Frijoles de ceda) Water Salt 10 Garlic Cloves 1/2 green bell pepper 1 white onion 1 tbsp Chicken bouillon 3 tbsp oil Instructions: Clean and wash the beans Place the beans in a large pot and add water until the it reaches at least 2 inches above the beans. The water will be absorbed by the beans so you may have to add more water as they cook. Add 1/2 of an onion, 5 garlic cloves, and 2 tbsp of salt. Place the pot on medium heat and cover the pot. It's going to take about 1 to 2 hours for the beans to be tender. Check them every 30 mins and adjust the salt to taste as needed and add more water if needed. Once the beans are tender in a large sauce pan at medium heat add 3 tbsp oil and char the green bell pepper, 5 garlic cloves and 1/2 white onion. Once they are charred take them out from the saucepan and add them to the blender cup. Add all the beans and the chicken bouillon to the blender. Try to not add much of the bean soup, I added about 1 cup. As you blend you may need to add more if the blender is having trouble. In the same saucepan that the vegetables were charred, at low heat, add 2 tbls of oil and the blended beans. Turn up the heat to medium heat and efry the beans until they come to a boil and have a more solid consistency, this will take about 10-15 mins. If you added addtional water to the blender, it may take a few minutes more to get the beans to the desired consitency. Make sure to stir at all time to avoid the beans from burning. Turn off the heat and let them cool down for about 30 mins. Part 2 How to prepare the banana plant leaves: These can usually be purchased in latin/hispanic grocery stores if you don't have any of your own. These need to be in good state and not be torn. You should be able to cut large enough pieces to wrap your tamales in. You can always put more than one piece but it will be harder to wrap in some cases. The objective is to wrap the tamal in the banana leaf and then wrap it in aluminum foil for additional support and protection from the water during the cooking process. Supplies: Banana plant leaves Aluminum foil Comal (Griddle or large skillet) Remove the stem that runs through the leaf. If you purchased the leaves from a grocery store they have most likely already done this. Cut the leaf into pieces big enough to wrap the tamal. This is around 7in x 7in depending on how big or small you want to make the tamales. Rinse each piece of leaf in water and use a new sponge to lightly scrub the front and back of the leaf. Set the griddle on medium-high heat. Place each piece of leaf on the griddle for about 3-4 seconds on each side. The leaf will start to change color as it heats up. This will make the leaf more manageable and keep it from tearing during the wrapping process. Do not leave it too long as the heat will cause it to shrivel up. Cut aluminum foil into pieces that are 1 inch more than the banana leaf. Place a piece of aluminum foil and a piece of banana leaf on top. This is one wrap, make as many as you need. You will need anywhere between 45-55 depending on how big or small you make each tamal. We ended up with 50 and we made them on the smaller side. Part 3 Dough (La masa): 16 cups flour: I like to use Maseca white corn flour 2-3 cups lard or preferred oil: Half of the batch i made it with lard and the other half with olive oil so i added 1 1/2 cups of lard to half and 1 1/2 cups of oil to the other half. In all honeslty i don't think the tamales suffer if you choose to not add lard, but that's my personal opinion. 12 cups of water 2 tbsp Cal 4 tbsp Salt or to taste 2 tbps Beef bouillon Chipilin (Optional) Instructions: In a medium bowl add 8 cups of water add the 2tbsp of Cal. Set it aside and let it sit for about 2-3 minutes until the white powder settles at the bottom of the bowl. In a large bowl add the 12 cups of flour, 2 tbsp salt, 2 tbsp beef bouillon and mix well. Start to add the water from the top of the water and cal mixture, to the dry ingredient bowl. Try not to move the bottom so that the powder doesn't rise. I was able to add 5-6 cups. Start to knead the until the dough starts to form. Add the additional 6-8 cups of regular water, the dough should be very soft. Now add the lard or preferred oil and mix well. The mixture should now be a very thick pancake mix. At this point you can pick the chipilin leaves, wash them and add them to the dough mixture or you can choose to add one leaf to each tamal as you wrap them. Taste test the dough and adjust the salt or beef bouillon if needed and mix well. Part 4 How to wrap and cook the tamales: We're almost there! This is the fun part in my opinion. To make this an efficient process, set up a wrapping station. All ingredients for the most part should be cooled. We should start wrapping no more than 10 mins after our dough is done so that it doesn't dry out. The wrapping station needs to include the beans, the banana leaf wraps, the dough and the pot that you will be cooking the tamales in. If you don't have a pot that will fit all of them at once, cook them in batches. Prepare the pot: If you have steamer tray for your pot you can place it in or place banana leaf scraps/leftovers on the bottom of the pot or top of the steamer tray. As you wrap the tamales, start to stack them horizontally on top of the banana leaves. Set the stack of wraps in front of you Scoop about 1/4 of a cup of dough onto the center of the banana leaf on your wrap. Make a light dent in the middle of the dough. If you want to make your tamales bigger, add more dough. Add the beans in the middle of the dough. Add as much beans as you want, i like my tamales with a lot of beans so i put about 1 to 2 tbsp of refried beans. Grab the edge of the banana leaf furthest from you and fold it towards you to shape the dough into a cylinder shape and then put it back down. By shaping this side first, it will make it easier to wrap it. Now grab the edge of the banana leaf closes to you with both hands and fold it over the dough until it covers it all. With both hands press it towards you a bit and flip it to fully wrap it. Do not tighten too much as it needs a bit of room to expand a bit as it cooks. Move the tamal wrapped in the banana leaf about 2 inches from the edge of the aluminum foil piece. Grab the edge of the aluminum foil closest to you and with both hands fold it over the tamal, press it towards you a bit and flip it as many times as needed until the entire piece of aluminum is wrapped around the banana leaf. Press down lightly on the sides of the tamal were the tamal ends and fold the flaps under the tamal. Be careful and don't tighten it too much as it will cause it to burst through the sides and aluminum as it cooks. Place the tamal horizontally in the pot. Once the pot if full and has about 1 inch of room left up top add in the water. Fill up the pot with water up 1/2 of the pot. Then place more banana leaf scraps on top and add the lid. Place the pot on medium to high heat and let it cook for 2 hours or until the dough is fully cooked inside. About 2 hours into the cooking open up a tamal from the top and make sure the vegetables are fully cooked. Once the vegetables are fully cooked, turn off the heat and let the tamales rest for about 1-2 hours before serving them. Once they are fully cooled down you can freeze them in air tight bags or vacuum sealed bags. In my experience they are good frozen for up to 3 months. When you are ready to eat them, the best way to re-heat them from frozen is by steaming for 10-15 minutes with the aluminum and banana wrap on. I enjoy eating tamales pisques with Salvadoran sour cream or queso fresco, with fresh brewed cofee and some pan dulce. I know it seems like a long process but it's totally worth it to have fresh tamales. The recipe can be split in half, so just dived the measurements by half and it should make anywhere between 20-30 tamales. I suggest you make a big bactch and gift some to your loved ones, they will be very happy! Fore the video recipes head over to @flourishwithg on Instagram, Tiktok and Facebook!

This post may contain affiliated links What is Atol de Elote? Have you had Atol de Elote (corn) before? It translates to a corn flour drink that can be made with many flavors but this one is corn flavor. I'll be honest, It's not my favorite... but my husband and mom are obsessed with it, so naturally I had to learn to make it just for my husband. It was actually my mom who got my husband hooked! Atol de Elote can be enjoyed with pan dulce or with boiled corn on the cob. You dip the corn on the cob in the Atol! It's really good but it can be a filling drink. How to make Atol de Elote? I made a small batch because it's just my husband and I but feel free to double the or tripple the recipe. As you're making it, make sure to adjust the sugar to your pallet. I suggest you start out with 2 tbsp and add as you go. I ended up adding 1/3 cup of sugar in total. I've also seen many ways of making Atol in terms of the order in which you boil or add each ingredient. I made it the way my mom has made it but I've also seen my Tia add all ingredients in the pot and then place it on the stove. Ingredients: Serving of 3-4 cups of atol 4 corn (you can sub for 2 cans of sweet corn) the corn must be ripped and cannot be small (tierno). 2 cups milk 2 cup water 2 tbsp corn starch 1/4 cup sugar or to taste pinch of salt 1 cinnamon stick 1 tsp Vanilla extract or paste (optional) 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon (Optional) 1/3 cup sugar or to taste Instructions: Clean and wash the corn Prepare all the othe ingredients. I measure everything out and place each ingredients in a small container. This makes the cooking process easier. If you have a glass measuring cup, place your milk in there. Shuck the corn and remove it from it cob. It corn must be raw. Add it to the blender along with the two cups of water. Blend until smooth Place the strainer on top of the pot and strain the mixture. Add the sugar, cinnamon stick, and optional ingredients (vanilla extract and ground cinnamon). Let this come to a soft boil. Place the 2 cups of milk in the microwave for 3 minutes. Add almost all of it to the pot and stir it in, leave about 1/4 cup of milk behind. Let this come to a boil, whisk frequently to keep it from sticking. Mix the corn starch into the rest of the milk left behind. Once the mixture is boiling, slowly whisk the corn starch mixture in to the pot. Let it come to a boil and thicken up a bit. Turn the heat off and let it rest about 5 minutes before serving. The colder it gets, the thicker it will become. Warm it up in the microwave to reheat. Enjoy! for more recipes follow @flourishwithg on Instagram and TikTok!

This blog may contain affiliated links Up until I was fourteen or fifteen years old, I had no idea people ate plain white rice. Our plain white rice was made with tomato, green bell pepper and onion, and our rice only went up from there. The women in my family are elaborate with their rice so growing up plain white rice was not something offered on the menu. There is an arroz frito (fried rice) for every occasion, for a cookout we had arroz with zanahoria and cilantro (rice with carrot and cilantro). When my Mamatita (my dad’s mom) would visit, we would impatiently wait for her arroz con salchicha y papa (rice with sausage and potatoes). If my mom wasn’t too tired she’d make it with vegetables like corn, green beans and peas. But for our every day meals, the “basic” rice would do. I clearly remember the era when my mom decided that plain white rice was “the” thing to make, I would complain so much, “Why do you mak that rice, it has no flavor.” I remember that sometimes she would make two small batches, one for her and the other for my dad and I. And this is how plain white rice was introduced to my pallet. And I must admit that as an adult that’s my go to but whenever I have a pep in my step and I make rice with “tomate, chile verde y cebolla,” I fall in love all over again with the simplicity of the flavor. How to make arroz con tomate, chile y cebolla? Ingredients: 2 cups of rice 1 Roma tomato 1/3 green bell pepper 1/4 white onion 1 garlic clove 1 tbsp preferred oil 1 tbsp chicken bouillon Salt to taste 2 1/2 cups warm water Kitchen tools: Sauce or sauté pan with lid Spatula Knife Cutting board Instructions: Wash and dice the vegetables into a medium dice Wash and strain the rice Place the sauce pan on medium heat, once it’s hot add the oil Add the vegetables and let them sauté for about 2 minutes Add the rice and let it sautee with the vegetables for about 2 minutes. Stir as necessary to make sure it does not burn. Add the warm water, chicken bouillon and salt to taste. I usually check the salt level by tasting the water mixture, you want it to be slightly salty because the rice will absorb that. Once the rice comes to a boil, turn the heat to low and cover. Let it cook for 15-20 minutes or your desired texture. Turn off the heat and let the rice sit covered for another 5 minutes. Do not stir until you’re ready to serve. This is a simple and everyday recipe, please adjust to your liking! For more recipes and videos follow @flourishwithg on Instagram and TikTok.

This post contains affiliated links What is Salpicon? Salpicon Salvadoreño is a dish served cold, similar to a chopped salad. All the ingredients are finely chopped, mixed and seasoned to taste with salt and pepper. The beef is finely chopped or minced up and allowed to rest in order to absorb all the flavor from the rest of the ingredients. Normally it's served with rice and a side salad. In El Salvador the typical salad served is composed of iceberg lettuce, tomato and carrot. I suggest you add the salad you'd prefer, I typically add a salad with more nutrients that have a spinach or kale base.Now not only is Salpicon delicious, it's also very nutritious and full of protein. So however you decide to eat it, enjoy! Ingredients 1 lb Beef Chunk or the cut you prefer. The leaner the cut, the better. 1 bunch of Fresh mint. 1 bunch of Cilantro 1 white onion or red onion. I prefer red but the traditional recipe uses white. 6-7 Radish 4 cloves of garlic 2 limes Salt and pepper to taste Tools to make Salpicon Salvadoreño? Cutting board Chopping knife Mixing bowl Grater How do I make Salpicon Salvadoreño, G? Wash your meat with water and vinegar Cut it up into 1-2 inch pieces Place the beef chunks into a pot and cover with water. Add salt, half of the cilantro, half of the white onion chopped into big pieces and 2 garlic cloves. You can add this loosely or use an herb bag in order to easily remove. Cook until tender, this may depend on the cut you use and how small or big the pieces are. While your meat cooks, chop the rest of the ingredients finely. You can do this manually or use a food processor to chop it up. Once done add to a big bowl with a lid. Once the beef chunks are tender, do the same thing and chop up finely. You will add this to the bowl with all the other ingredients. Juice the two limes and add salt and pepper to taste You can eat right away or place in the fridge for 30 mins to absorb the flavors more. Hope you are your family enjoy this recipe as much as i did growing up. For more recipes head to @flourishwithg on Instagram and Tiktok.

Links may be affiliated Avocado salsa is my favorite sauce to put on tacos, rice bowls or even to just eat with chips. It's a great way to elevate any meal and add an additional protein by adding in greek yogurt. This one is for the avocado, cilantro and garlic lovers that want a protein filled salsa option to put on anything and everything. It's creamy, tangy and full of flavor! Typically this green salsa is made with It's made with plain greek yogurt, avocado, cilantro, jalapeño, lime, and the star of the show... garlic. It's simple to make and only takes about 20 minutes. You can adjust it to your preferred spice level by replacing the jalapeño for a Serrano pepper or habanero. Ingredient for 18-24oz batch: 1 medium avocado 1/2 of a cilantro bunch 1 cup of greek yogurt 1 jalapeno 1 lime 5 -6 garlic cloves peeled Fresh ground pepper Salt to taste 1/4 cup water Necessary kitchen tools: Knife Blender Cutting board Garlic Peeler Step by step Wash your vegetables and cut them into large pieces, everything will be blended so no need to cut too small Peel your garlic. I use my silicone garlic peeler, it's easy to use and easy to clean! Put your avocado, cilantro, yogurt, jalapeño, garlic cloves and water into the blender. Then squeeze the full lime and blend until smooth Once blended add the pepper and salt to taste. I recommend you blend it for an additional 10 seconds, taste and adjust the salt/pepper to your liking. This recipe is very garlic-y, so if you're not a garlic fan reduce the amount of garlic. We used this sauce to make tacos, rice bowls or just eat with some good ol' tortilla chips. Whatever you decide to use it on, I hope you enjoy it! For more recipes follow @flourishwithg on Instagram and TikTok.

The final step to the series that ties everything we've learned together! We made it to the final learning step of the pupusa series! So far we have learned to make "El Curtido," "La Salsa," "Los frijoles," filling options, and "La Masa." This post is to walk you through the assembly, cooking and give you tips to make the process easier. How to prepare to make pupusas? Depending on what type of pupusas you are making some steps mentioned may not be necessary. For example if you want a vegetarian option you won't need to make the chicharron. Decide what type of pupusas you want to make and plan accordingly. Below is the order in which I like to make the ingredients: Chicharron: Make a batch a few days before and freeze it. If you want it to be fresh make it at least 1 day before you make the pupusas. You can make it the day of but it's about a 2 hour process to make it. Refried beans: This is a two step process you want to make them from scratch, so I suggest you make them 1-3 days before. You will have to boil the beans first and then refry them. Curtido: Make 1-2 days before. Like any pickled vegetable, the longer it sits the better it taste! Salsa: You can make this a day before or the same day. Make sure it has enough time to cool down. The sauce should be room temperature when served. Vegetable fillings and Cheese: You can prep the same day. Masa: Prep it no more than 20-30 mins before you start making the pupusas. This should be the last ingredient What all do you need to make a pupusa? You should have everything you need in one place during this process. Your workstation should include your dough in the bowl it was prepared, a small container with your preferred oil, and your preferred fillings already mixed. I recommend you set this up right next to your stove on the side that is closest to the sink. In addition you will need a 'comal' (griddle) to cook them on, if you don't have one and you are just making a small amount of pupusas you can use a pan or skillet. Two burner griddle Single Burner griddle How do I make a pupusa? The objective is to make a pupusa with a lot of filling and a thin layer of dough. The more you practice the closer you get to this. Place your griddle or pan on between a med-high heat depending on your stove. It cannot be too low because your dough will get hard. It can't be too high either because it won't cook the dough throughly and burn the outside. Sprinkle water no the griddle or pan and if the water droplets jump around it's ready to go. If the water drops evaporate let it heat up a bit more. Dip your fingers into the container with oil and evenly distribute a thin layer of oil on both of your hands. This will prevent the dough from sticking to your fingers. Do this anytime you feel the dough sticky throughout the entire process. Grab a ball of dough that is about 2 inch in diameter. This will determine how big or small your pupusa will be. It's always best to grab more than you will need because the excess can be removed. Turn this ball into a tortilla with even thickness all around. Do this by pressing down the ball of dough with the palm of your hands as you switch it from hand to hand like you're clapping softly. Don't leave your tortilla too thick because this will impact the ratio of dough to the filling, and if it's too thin it will break when you start to add the fillings. Hold the tortilla in your less dominant hand and with your dominant hand grab the filling you want to add. Place the filling in the center of the tortilla and close the tortilla in a similar movement to a flower closing up. The dough should now be around the filling and at this point if you feel there is excess dough at the top (point of closure) remove it and put it back in your dough container. Repeat step #3 and flatten out the ball of dough (with the filling inside) back into a tortilla shape. Take this opportunity to even out your dough and filling and make your dough smooth. Once you reach the desired size and shape place it on the griddle. Cook it for about 4-5 mins on each side or until dough is fully cooked through. Let it cool down for about 5 mins, serve and enjoy!! If this method is too difficult you can try a beginner method: Use your preferred method to make two small and thin tortillas. By hand or using a kitchen tool. Place on tortilla on a smooth surface with plastic wrap to keep the dough from sticking Add the filling on top of the first tortilla Place the second tortilla on to of the filling With your fingers start to seal the edge of the tortillas and close all gaps Smooth our any imperfections and place it on the griddle. Try the method that is easiest to you! With each pupusa your technique will improve. My first pupusas were not the greatest but with time and practice I have gotten better. If you want to see videos with these techniques head over to @flourishwithg on IG or TikTok!

The fillings are endless and can be adjusted to meet any dietary restrictions. The pupusa is the national dish of El Salvador and it represents the country and our people, it's warm and filled with love. The art of making the pupusa is in the dough, the fillings and the hand skills of those making it. Not to worry though because with practice all three can be achieved! What are the typical pupusa fillings? The typical Salvadoran pupusa is filled with a mixture of the following: cheese, chicharron, Salvadoran refried beans, loroco, and squash. As it's evolved and become more popular, fillings have expanded to meet different dietary restrictions. The last time I travelled to El Salvador I was surprised to see menus with options that ranged from vegetables to seafood. How to make the best pupusa filling? Weather you choose to make a traditional filling or make a mixture of your own, here are some tips to help you enhance these fillings: Seasoning: The only time the seasoning is not necessary is if you're only filling it with cheese. Otherwise if you make it with vegetables and cheese or any protein add seasoning. The dough is bland and in order for the filling to standout it has to be seasoned and not get lost in the cheese and dough. Consistency: It's important that the fillings get processed or smashed down and are left with clumps. When you place these fillings in a ball of dough you don't want big chunks because they will break through your dough as you're flattening it out. Mixing: If you choose to make pupusas with more than one ingredient, mix your ingredients together and then fill the pupusa. If you just add in the ingredients as your making the pupusa you may get portions with just ingredient A and others with ingredients B. Let's get a bit more into the details of each typical filling and common mixtures. Cheese: This is the most common filling, it can be alone or with any of these ingredients I will be listing below. In El Salvador we use the homeland cheese know as "quesillo" but if you are in a place where this is hard or impossible to find you can use any cheese that melts well. Some of my favorites to use are mozarella and Oaxaca cheese. Try not to buy pre-shredded cheese as some companies add a layer of preservatives that makes it hard for it to melt. It's best if you can get the block of cheese and shred it yourself. You can also sub this with vegan cheese for a vegan option. Chicharron: Seasoned fried and processed pork. This is a typical filling and it's normally mixed with cheese, beans and loroco to make a pupusa "revuelta." Recipe can be found here. Refried Salvadoran beans: This is also a typical filling and can be mixed with el chicharron y queso. Recipe can be found here. Loroco: This is a flower with an earthy taste and it's a popular filling for pupusas. You wash the flower and chop it into small pieces to mix with cheese or other ingredients. Squash or any other vegetables (Mushrooms, carrots, jalapeño etc.): The best method is to grate or finely chop the vegetables and remove excess water. You can season them and sauté them for a few minutes. Be sure not to overcook because it may be harder to handle when filling the pupusa. Let it cool and then mix them with cheese or any other ingredients. Flor de calabaza (Squash flower): It's said that this is what was initially used to make the pupusa fillings and it's still one of the commonly used ingredients. Wash them well and chop them into medium pieces. The flower is normally mixed with cheese. Browned garlic: Fry the peeled garlic cloves in olive oil or butter. Smash them a bit and mix them in with cheese for a delicious mixture. Other proteins (Chicken, beef, shrimp, crab, lobster): Many restaurants where I live are offering chicken, beef and shrimp options. The key here is to season your protein as you would if you were to eat it alone. It's best to shred the chicken and beef, and finely chop any seafood. Let me know which one is your favorite and follow me for more recipes on social media: @flourishwithg