Salvadoran Breakfast Plate

Step 1

Place the masa harina and salt in a large bowl, then pour in 1 cup of warm water slowly while mixing with your hands until the dough feels like wet sand — soft and moisturizing but still holding together.

Step 2

Let the dough rest in the bowl, covered with a damp towel, for 5 minutes so it absorbs the water and becomes easier to shape.

Step 3

Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces by pulling off chunks the size of golf balls and rolling each one between your palms into a smooth ball.

Step 4

Flatten each ball into a thin disk about 4 inches across by pressing it gently between your palms, working from the center outward, rotating as you go.

Step 5

Place 2 tablespoons of shredded cheese in the center of each flattened disk, then fold the edges up and over the filling to seal it in, pinching to close the seam.

Step 6

Gently flatten the sealed pupusa back into a disk about 4 inches across using your palms; the cheese will stay inside as you work. Repeat with all 4 pupusas.

Step 7

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers and slides quickly when you tilt the pan, about 90 seconds.

Step 8

Carefully place all 4 pupusas into the hot oil in a single layer, then fry without moving them for 3 minutes until the bottom is light golden brown, like toasted bread.

Step 9

Flip each pupusa with a wide spatula and fry the other side for another 3 minutes until it is also light golden brown.

Step 10

Transfer the cooked pupusas to a clean plate and cover them loosely with foil to keep them warm while you cook the eggs and beans.

Step 11

Add the ground beef to the same skillet (still on medium-high heat) and use a wooden spoon to break it into small crumbles, stirring every 30 seconds.

Step 12

Cook until the beef is no longer pink and looks uniformly brown throughout, about 4 minutes; this means all the raw meat has been cooked.

Step 13

Push the cooked beef to the sides of the skillet, then crack all 4 eggs directly into the center, spacing them apart so each can spread slightly.

Step 14

Cook without stirring for 2 minutes until the egg whites turn opaque and firm, then gently scramble the eggs together with the cooked beef using the wooden spoon.

Step 15

Continue stirring the eggs and beef together over medium heat for 1 minute until the eggs are fully cooked and slightly creamy, without any visible raw egg white.

Step 16

Heat the canned beans in a separate small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until they are warm throughout and steam rises from the surface, about 4 minutes.

Step 17

Divide the warm refried beans between two plates, spreading them to cover about a third of each plate.

Step 18

Divide the eggs and beef mixture between the two plates, placing it to the right of the beans in a small mound.

Step 19

Place 2 pupusas on each plate next to the eggs, arranging them so all components fit together.

Step 20

Drizzle 1 tablespoon of hot sauce over each plate, concentrating it on the beans and pupusas.