Vegan Mexican Sopes
Slightly thickened tortillas are topped with refried beans, diced seasoned potatoes, and all the salsa for a delicious vegan dinner option for your weeknight meal plans.
Equipment
- 1 non-stick griddle or skillet or comal
- 1 tortilla press you can also use the back of two plates or even work to form the sopes with your hands, but a tortilla press makes for a great investment if you plan to use it often.
- 1 food scale
Ingredients
For the Sopes
- 252 grams blue corn masa harina
- 8 grams kosher salt
- 280 grams warm water
- neutral cooking oil for frying
For the Filling
- 2 cups refried black beans
- optional, crumbled queso fresco
For the Pico de Gallo
- 1 jalapeño, stemmed and seeds removed, finely diced
- 1 small hot house tomato, stem removed, finely diced
- 1/3 cup finely chopped cilantro leaves
- 1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
- juice from 1 lemon
- kosher salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Prep the Sopes
- In a large bowl, combine the masa harina with kosher salt. Add warm water and begin to mix together using a wooden spoon, spatula, or your hand.
- Mix the dough until it forms the consistency of play doh where it feels pliable to form and shape, but does not stick to your hands.
- Using a food scale, measure out 85 to 90g for each dough ball. Form into a ball and set back into the large bowl. You should have 8 dough balls all together. Cover tightly and allow dough to set about 10 minutes.
- Preheat your comal, non-stick skillet, or griddle on medium high heat.
- Cut two pieces of parchment paper to form two, 6 x 6 " squares. You will use these to flatten the tortillas so they don't stick to your tortilla press.
- Open a tortilla press and lay one sheet on parchment paper down so that it covers the bottom portion of the press. Place one dough ball in the center and cover with the second sheet of parchment paper.
- Close the top of the tortilla press and gently press down to begin to flatten the dough ball. Do not press too firmly or it'll flatten too much. Aim for about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thickness for each tortilla. Remove the parchment sheets from the tortilla.
- Place the flattened tortilla on your comal or griddle and cook about 45 to 60 seconds on one side. Flip and cook the second side for another 45 to 60 seconds. Transfer the thick tortilla to a plate and allow to cool slightly for a minute.
- When the tortilla is cool enough to handle, use your opposing index fingers to pinch the edges to form a rim, like a pie crust. Cover with a clean kitchen towel or napkin and repeat until all sopes are formed.
- Heat neutral cooking oil of choice in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, begin frying two to three sopes at a time, about 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Fry until the edges are crispy and slightly darkened/golden. Remove from the skillet and place on a plate lined with paper towels to drain excess oil. Repeat with remaining sopes until all are fried.
Prep the Pico de Gallo
- In a medium bowl, combine the finely chopped jalapeño, tomatoes, onion, cilantro. Squeeze in lemon juice and stir everything to combine fully. Season with kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste. Set aside while prepping the sopes.
Assemble the Sopes
- Place one or two sopes on a plate per person. Spoon about 3 tablespoons of refried black beans per sope. Top with pico de gallo and any other desired toppings. Serve.
Notes
Additional garnish options: pickled red onions, crumbled queso fresco, torn cilantro leaves, salsa of choice