One of the greatest pleasures of
Mexican street food are sopes: round bundles of masa lightly fried and piled with refried beans, shredded chicken, salsa roja or salsa verde, and cotija cheese. There are plenty of variations that can be found between central and south Mexico. Enjoy them with chicken (most popular) or without meat and load on the beans and vegetables! Or, make them with slow-cooked beef or chorizo; the possibilities are endless. This batch makes plenty of sauce, so feel free to get out some tortilla chips and dip!
These little antojitos, or snacks, can be eaten throughout the day, making them the perfect all-day, anytime recipe. Keep reading on for everything you need to know to make them the best they can be:
The key ingredients for sopes:
— Masa harina. Masa harina is made from corn kernels that have been nixtamalized and ground into a flour-like texture. In order to rehydrate the masa harina and masa, add enough water to create a moist paste. If you don’t work with the dough quickly, it will dry out.
— Ancho chile powder. Ancho chiles are an essential part of this recipe. It might be difficult to find ancho chiles at your local grocery store, so I used ancho chili powder instead.
— Mexican crema. Use sour cream or crème fraîche if you can’t find Mexican crema. You need to thin out 1/4 cup sour cream with about 2 teaspoons water, cream, or milk.
— Cotija. If you can’t find cotija, you can use queso fresco.
Top tips for making sopes:
— If the masa appears dry, add 1 tablespoon water until it’s soft and pliable. The dough shouldn’t be sticky. When forming the balls, there should be minimal cracking around the edges.
— Always use a cast-iron pan or comal for making the sopes. You’ll first cook the sopes in the pan with dry heat and no oil. The second round requires a shallow fry in the same pan.
— The first cooking step doesn’t require you to cook the sopes entirely. They need to stay pliable. If they cool too much, they will harden before you can manipulate the dough.
Storage:
Store the sopes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, then reheat them in the oven when you’re ready to enjoy again.
Ingredients
Salsa Roja
- 2roma tomatoes
- 1/2white onion, coarsely chopped
- 2cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp.fresh parsley
- 1 tsp.kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp.ancho chili powder
Refried Beans
- 1/4 c.neutral oil
- 1/2 c.chopped white onion
- 4cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1(15-oz.) can pinto beans, drained
- 1 1/2 tsp.kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp.ground cumin
Sopes & Assembly
- 2 c.(185 g.) masa harina
- 1 c. plus 2 tbsp. warm water
- 1/2 tsp.kosher salt
- 1/3 c.vegetable oil
- 1 c.cooked shredded chicken
- 1/2 c.shredded iceberg lettuce
- 1/4 c.chopped white onion
- 1/4 c.crumbled cotija
- 1/4 c.Mexican crema or sour cream
- 1/4 c.thinly sliced radishes
Directions
Salsa Roja
-
- Step 1
Arrange a rack in upper third of oven; preheat to 400°. Line a small baking sheet with foil. Place tomatoes on prepared sheet.
- Step 2Roast tomatoes until softened and blistered, about 30 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes.
- Step 3In a blender, pulse tomatoes, onion, garlic, parsley, salt, and chili powder until smooth. Transfer to a medium bowl; set aside until ready to use.
- Step 1
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Refried Beans
- Step 1In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, heat oil. Cook onion and garlic, stirring occasionally, until onion is lightly golden and translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Step 2Stir in beans, salt, and cumin. Cook, stirring occasionally, until warmed through, about 5 minutes. Using the back of a fork, roughly mash beans; set aside until ready to use.
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Sopes & Assembly
- Step 1In a large bowl, combine masa, water, and salt. Using your hands, shape dough into a ball.
- Step 2Divide dough into 6 (2.5-oz.) pieces. Using a tortilla press or a flat plate, pie dish, or skillet, flatten dough into 1/2″-thick rounds 3 1/2″ to 4″ in diameter.
- Step 3In a medium cast-iron skillet or comal over medium-high heat, cook 2 rounds at a time, turning once, until barely golden and still pliable, 1 to 2 minutes per side; a light skin will form and begin to look like a tortilla. Transfer to a cutting board and let cool slightly. Using your pointer fingers and thumbs, form a 1/4″- to 1/2″-high border around sope. Repeat with remaining dough.
- Step 4In same skillet or comal over medium heat, heat oil until an instant-read thermometer registers 325°. Cook 3 sopes at a time, turning once, until lightly golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes per side.
- Step 5Build sopes with chicken, lettuce, onion, cotija, crema, radishes, beans, and salsa.
