It turns out that sopes are one of the most traditional Mexican recipes! you find them everywhere in Mexico. So, if you are a Mexican living abroad, or a tourist that tried them, this is definitely one of those foods you will want to have again! and guess what? they are super simple to make, only 3 ingredients and about 15 minutes to make this delicious sopes!
What are them, anyway?
Sopes are made from the same “dough” that corn tortillas are made (masa harina). They are just a thicker version that is usually also smaller and that has some “cup” like form. They basically have a border so they can hold other food on them. Btw… How do you pronounce sope?… so – pe. The first part so it is like when you say “so, what are we having for dinner” the pe part you pronounce like when you say “perhaps”.
They are part of a bigger category we call antojitos Mexicanos they are also known as picaditas in Tierra Caliente, Guerrero. In Mexico City (my hometown) they are in most places circular and relatively small, but in other restaurants they are long and they are even made of blue corn masa harina!
The amount of calories in sopes is about 120 kcal for this recipe (small sopes). Bigger sopes have way more calories, my friends. It depends a lot on the toppings, this is just for the corn base with the oil.
Sopes toppings
- Refried black beans or just some mashed beans will work if you can’t find refried in your store. Note that the most traditional way to use them is to put them at the bottom of the sope and then add the other toppings
- Onion, avocado, tomato in cubes
- Lettuce and sour cream. I love sunflower sour cream on this, but you can use tofu sour cream if you want a lighter version
- In some places, they use diced cooked potatoes
- Some spiciness! I love adding either salsa roja, or salsa verde. You can also add pickled jalapeños or carrots!
Sopes recommendations
- They keep well in the fridge for about a week, they may dry a bit, so put them in the microwave or a pan with some drops of water to warm them up
- For masa harina, I recommend to buy either Maseca or Pan, although this last one is more recommended for arepas
- As always… easy with the spiciness! add a little and then more and then decide if you want more 🙂
Do I seriously have to make them?
I think they are very easy to make! but if you don’t have enough time, you may find them in certain Mexican food grocers. In the UK, you can buy them in some restaurants like Mestizo or if you are in the US you may be able to order them from MexGrocer.
But seriously, give them a try! just buy some masa harina and the toppings and you will have quick sopes 🙂
Shall we make sopes, friends?
First get your ingredients, basically:
- 1 cup of masa harina. I recommend Maseca if you live abroad, or Pan, but it is not quite the same!
- 3/4 cup of water. Or as needed! it needs to have the consistency shown in the pictures below
- Pinch of salt. OK to get scientific here, a teaspoon will do. This is optional, I actually rarely put salt!
- 1-2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
- Toppings of your choice. Normally: refried beans, chopped onion, tomato in cubes, coriander, sunflower sour cream or tofu sour cream
Mix the masa harina, water and salt in a bowl. The consistency should be like this. While you make the sopes, add the oil to a pan and pre-heat at medium strength.
Create the sopes with your hands, or with a tortillera if you have one! I make them with my hands, it is super easy. The ingredients yield 4 sopes of the size you normally get in Mexico, basically think about dividing the masa into 4 equal parts and then give them form.
Once this has been done, you just have to rise the sides a bit to give them the proper form of a sope
Put the sopes in the pan and cover them with a lid so they are well cooked, no one wants raw sopes :P. Let them cook for about 5 minutes and then flip them for another 5 minutes
Enjoy
We hope you love this recipe as much as we do ❤️, it’s:
As Mexican as it gets, this is probably one of the most famous antojito Mexicano you’ll ever find!
Super customisable, add whatever topics you may like!
Easy recipe for sopes, sopecitos,
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Sopes
Ingredients
- 1 cup Masa harina Maseca is probably the best you can find abroad
- 3/4 cup Water
- 1 teaspoon Salt
Toppings (all optional, add your own!)
- 1 cup Refried beans
- 1/3 cup Cilantro
- 1/2 cup Sunflower seed sour cream or tofu sour cream
- 1/2 cup Diced tomato
- 1/2 cup Diced onion
- 1/2 cup Chopped lettuce
- 1/2 cup Pickled carrots/jalapeño chilies
Instructions
- Get the ingredients
- Mix them
- Add 1-2 tbsp of oil to a pan and put it and preheat at medium heat
- Form the sopes. You don't need a tortillera, but if you have one it might be helpful!
- Once you have a sope, you can make them like "cups" by raising the sides a little bit
- Add them to the pan and leave them to cook for about 10 minutes. Cover them with a lid. Flip at 5 minutes in and cover them again
- Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Calories area approximate per sope and it only considers the sope, not the toppings!
- This goes amazing with sunflower sour cream or if you prefer a seed free version, try tofu sour cream
- Add refried beans, onion, avocado, tomatoes!
- Serve them hot, they are not good cold!
- They keep in the fridge for about a week, but they dry up. Add some drops of water and heat them in a pan or the microwave it this happens
- They keep for months in the freezer, but the texture once unfrozen might be a bit different