Sopes

Sopes are like small tortillas that are thicker and have a border around the edges. This border serves as a barrier to contain all the toppings like beans, meat, lettuce, Mexican crema, tomatoes, and queso fresco, to name a few.

Course Antojitos

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword How to make Sopes Recipe, sopes receta, what are sopes

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Servings Sopes

Calories 178kcal

Author Mely Martínez

Ingredients

FOR THE DOUGH

1-½ cup of masa harina
1-¼ cup of warm water

TOPPINGS

4 tablespoons vegetable oil or lard
1 cup refried beans
2 cups lettuce finely shredded
1-½ cup cooked beef or chicken shredded
½ cup Mexican cheese queso fresco crumbled
¼ cup white onion finely chopped
½ cup Mexican cream
Spicy salsa of you choice

OPTIONAL TOPPINGS:

⅓ cup radishes thinly sliced
1 avocado sliced or diced
½ cup of tomato diced or sliced
Pickled jalapeños and carrots.

Instructions

Mix the masa

Mix Masa harina (corn flour) and warm water in a medium-sized bowl, and knead the dough until you have a uniform texture.
If the dough feels dry, add more water, little by little, spoon by spoon, until the dough is soft and manageable, like play dough. It doesn't have to be sticky. If you live in a place with lots of humidity, the dough won’t need too much water. If that's not your case, make sure the dough has enough moisture to avoid any cracking on the sope's surfaces.
Cover the dough with a wet kitchen towel; this will help to keep the dough moist. Keep a small bowl of water next to your working area to moisten your hands and dough. (Please check the ingredients list below)
Divide the dough into 10 pieces of the same size, and cover with a clean kitchen towel.

Form the Sopes

Heat the griddle or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.
To form the sopes, cut the plastic bag into 2 squares of about 6-IN each. Place one piece of plastic on the Tortilla press, then put down one of the small balls of dough and cover it with the other piece of plastic.
Close the tortillera and press down gently with the tortilla press handle until you form a medium size thick tortilla. About 4-½ inches.
Lift the handle and remove the top plastic. Pick up the tortilla, holding it with the plastic at the bottom, and gently flip the tortilla into the palm of your hand. A large part of the tortilla will cover your hand.
If you don’t have a Tortilla Press, use a glass pie dish to press down the dough; I use it all the time, and it works wonderfully.
Place the tortilla on the already hot griddle/comal; this is a fast but gentle move.
Turn the tortilla after a minute, don’t let it cook longer, or the dough will dry and crack. Turn again after a minute; the last cooking will take about 20-30 seconds.
Remove from the griddle with the help of a spatula. Cover the tortillas with a dry kitchen towel and allow them to cool for about 30-45 seconds, and start forming the border by pinching the edges with your fingers.
Now, the tortillas had become sopes, covered them again with the kitchen towel, and cook the rest of the sopes.

To serve the Sopes

Heat the oil or lard in a frying pan or griddle over medium heat.
Place the sopes on the skillet and lightly fry them on both sides (about 30 seconds each side will be enough time to fry them and give them a little golden color). Remove from the heat and place on a plate that has already been covered with paper towels to absorb any excess fat.
Now it is the time to spread the refried beans and top them with shredded lettuce, beef, chicken, or any other topping you choose. Serve with salsa.
Enjoy!

Notes

If you can’t find Mexican queso fresco, you can substitute the Mexican cheese with feta cheese and parmesan cheese.
Mix equal amounts of sour and heavy cream with a pinch of salt to substitute the Mexican crema. (I know many people living outside Mexico — like me — who struggle to find Mexican products).
Making Sopes require a certain amount of time and preparation; that’s why is better to make them when you have some leftovers in your fridge, like refried beans and beef or chicken from a stew; that way, you will have some of the ingredients ready.
You will need a plastic bag like the ones used to store food in the freezer (to form the sopes), a griddle-comal, a tortilla press, or a glass pie dish in case you don’t have a tortilla press.

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