Sopes

Ingredients

• 2 cups masa harina (such as Maseca)
• 1 1/4 cups warm water, plus more as needed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup neutral oil (for frying and greasing hands)
• 1 1/2 cups refried beans (homemade or canned)
• 2 cups cooked chicken breast or thigh, shredded
• 1/2 cup crema or sour cream, thinned with a splash of milk
• 1 cup shredded queso fresco or cotija
• 2 cups shredded green cabbage or iceberg lettuce
• 1 cup salsa roja or salsa verde
• 1/2 white onion, thinly sliced
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

Before you cook

• Warm the refried beans in a small pot over low heat and keep them covered so they stay spreadable
• Shred the cooked chicken into bite-size pieces with two forks
• Thin the crema with a splash of milk until it drizzles easily off a spoon
• Shred the cabbage or lettuce and thinly slice the onion
• Grate or crumble the queso fresco
• Set out a small bowl of oil for greasing your palms while shaping the masa

Steps

1. In a large bowl, stir the masa harina and salt together
2. Pour in the warm water and mix with your hand until a soft dough forms with no dry crumbs
3. Knead the dough in the bowl for about a minute until it feels like soft play dough and doesn't crack at the edges when pressed
4. If the dough cracks, work in warm water one tablespoon at a time until it's smooth
5. Cover the dough with a damp kitchen towel to keep it from drying out
6. Divide the dough into 8 equal balls, each about the size of a golf ball
7. Grease your palms with a little oil and pat one ball flat between your hands into a disc about 3 inches wide and 1/3 inch thick
8. Set the disc on a dry countertop and place the rest of the discs under the damp towel while you work
9. Heat an ungreased griddle or heavy skillet over medium heat until a drop of water sizzles on contact
10. Lay two or three discs on the griddle and cook for about 2 minutes per side, flipping once, until the surface is dry and lightly spotted but not browned
11. Remove each sope from the griddle and, while it's still hot enough to handle, immediately pinch up the rim all the way around with your fingers to form a 1/4-inch wall, leaving a shallow well in the center
12. Set the shaped sopes aside on a tray and repeat griddling and pinching with the remaining discs
13. Pour the frying oil into the skillet to a depth of about 1/4 inch and heat over medium-high until it shimmers
14. Fry each sope base-down for about 90 seconds until the bottom turns golden and slightly crisp, leaving the pinched walls mostly pale
15. Transfer the fried sopes to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain briefly
16. Spread a spoonful of warm refried beans into the well of each sope
17. Top the beans with a portion of shredded chicken
18. Spoon salsa over the chicken on each sope
19. Scatter shredded cabbage or lettuce over the top
20. Drizzle each sope with the thinned crema
21. Finish with a sprinkle of queso fresco and a few onion slices
22. Serve immediately with lime wedges on the side