Sopes

In the words of my boyfriend: "why does fried corn taste so good?!" Sopes are no exception. They're a little more complicated to make but much more fun.


Ingredients
- masa seca de maiz (aka, dry corn masa. It has to be this kind. Masa de harina won't work)
- water (as indicated on masa package)
- salt (as indicated on masa package)
- 1/2 cup of oil

1. Prepare masa as indicated on package. 2 cups of flour will make about 6 sopes. You want the dough to be moist but not sticky. If all the flour doesn't mix, add small amounts if water until the right consistency.

2.  Roll the dough into lemon sized balls.  Flatten the ball between your palms (like you're playing patty-cake) until it's about 1/4 inch thick.  Then start to pull the edges up to about 1/2 inch high.  Try to get the edges as vertical as possible, and roughly the same height.

Step 2

3. Heat oil in a pan.  Once it's hot, place the sope (flat side down) into the pan.  Using a high-heat spatula, gently flick the oil on to the sides and inside the middle so that it cooks those areas too.  Unless you have a deep fryer, or are willing to work with 2 inches of hot oil in a pan, this is the easiest way to get the majority of the sope fried.  The sides and center will never be totally fried like the bottom, but they will get warm enough to not be doughy anymore.

4. After a few minutes, and when you can see the bottom edge start to turn golden, flip the sope over.  This is best accomplished using thongs and a spatula.  Grab the edges with the thongs, and use the spatula to help guide it.  This will also reduce the likelihood of oil splatter (which is never an enjoyable experience). 

Step 3 & 4

5. Once the top rim has become golden, remove from the pan and place on a plate covered with paper towels to drain.  The one in the picture that has no edge was using the last of the dough that was not enough to make a full size one.  You can make them this way too but they're much more difficult to contain the toppings. 

6.  Fill the sopes.  The filling we always had as kids was: beans inside the center, topped with chicken, lettuce, monterey jack or queso fresco cheese, and salsa.  Or try my picadillo recipe.