When it comes to cheap eats, tacos no doubt reign supreme — but the taco's Latin American cousin the pupusa is overdue for its moment in the spotlight.
Pupusa shops can be found in many Dallas neighborhoods, but arguably one of the most popular is family-owned Pupusas Doña Lola on Webb Chapel in Carrollton. Here a full dining room is the norm, particularly on Sunday afternoons — and at just $1.75 per pupusa, it's no wonder the place is packed. Throw in an horchata or a tamarindo agua fresca for $1.50, and you've got a filling meal for around five bucks.
The process of making these gooey, cheese-filled Salvadoran pockets is simple: Corn masa dough is prepared, rolled into orbs, and then formed into a bowl or pocket which is filled with cheese, shredded pork, or other ingredients like locoro, the unopened buds of a flowering vine native to Central America. After being rolled back out into a flat pancake, the pupusas are griddled until crisp and brown on the outside; then they're served with curtido, a vinegary cabbage and carrot slaw, and hot sauce (optional but recommended).
