Try This Easy Recipe for Vegan Sopes, the Mexican Appetizer

Sopes are the perfect Mexican appetizer or snack to bring to your party and serve buffet-style with toppings like avocado, salsa, herbs, jalapenos, jackfruit, and more. The traditional dish is similar to a puff pastry and consists of a chewy-on-the-inside corn base that's garnished with your favorite toppings and oftentimes includes meat and cheese. For this recipe, we made the dish completely plant-based with the option for jackfruit carnitas, vegan chorizo, and vegan queso fresco. With every bite, you'll experience a taste of bold flavors.

This delicious recipe is packed with plant-based protein and is a healthier option than the original recipe. In one can of refined beans, there are 24 grams of protein, and in one ounce (28.4 grams) of vegan chorizo, there are seven grams of protein - a healthier way to help your muscles recover.

Recipe Developer: Broke Bank Vegan

Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 25 mins
Total Time: 40 mins

Vegan Sopes Recipe

Serves 9

Ingredients

• 2 cups masa harina
• 1 ½ cups warm water
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 recipe refried beans

Optional toppings for the sopes

• Neutral oil (vegetable oil) for frying
• Vegan queso fresco
• Salsa Fresca
• Vegan Mexican crema
• Pickled jalapeños
• Vegan chorizo
• Jackfruit carnitas
• Avocado cubes
• Lime wedges

Instructions

For the Dough:

1. Add the masa harina and salt to a mixing bowl and combine. Then, add in 330g (approx. 1 ½ cups) of warm water to start and mix together using your hands.
2. Begin kneading the dough to form a ball that's sticky enough to stay together, but not coming off on your hands. Keep mixing and pressing with your palm for a few minutes.
3. If the dough appears too crumbly, add a tbsp of water at a time until you are able to form a texture similar to play-dough. If it becomes too sticky, add in a little more masa harina.

Rolling

1. Next, start breaking off pieces of the masa dough to form small balls (about 60-65g each, or the size of a golf ball). Roll each piece of dough in between your palms until smooth. You should get about 9-10 sopes out of this recipe. Cover all the dough balls with a tea towel on your counter or cutting board.

Pressing

1. If you have a tortilla press, cut a zip lock bag into 2 pieces that will fit into the press (one for each side of the sope).
2. Open the press and place a ball of dough in the center on a piece of plastic. Place the other plastic piece on top and close the press down quite gently to form thick tortillas (about ¼-inch).
3. If you don't have a tortilla press, place your ball of dough between the same 2 pieces of plastic on your counter. Press the dough down with the bottom of a baking dish or flat plate until it's about ¼-inch thick.

Cooking

1. Preheat a cast-iron skillet for 8-10 minutes up to medium-low or medium (medium-low works best on our stove). Then, add a sope in and cook on the first side for 60-70 seconds. Flip and cook for another 60-90 seconds, or until brown spots are forming (for us, 70 seconds on the first side and 80 seconds on the second works best).
2. Remove from heat and let the first sope rest while you add in the next sope. After about 30-60 seconds, pull a little dough from the inner portion of the cooked sope and pinch it out to the edge with your thumb and index finger to form a ridge all the way around.
3. Cover the sope with a tea towel, and repeat this process until all are cooked.

Serving

1. Heat about ¼ cup of neutral oil in the same cast-iron skillet over medium-low or medium (depending on your stove).
2. Fry each sope on both sides for about 20-30 seconds, or until they appear a light golden color. Remove from heat and transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to get rid of any excess oil.
3. Serve your sopes with a layer of refried beans on the bottom. Top them with any of the following: salsa fresca, avocado cubes, vegan queso fresco, vegan Mexican crema, cilantro, lime, or hot sauce. Enjoy!

Nutritionals

Calories 243 | Total Fat 6.7g | Suagr 0.5 g | Saturated Fat 1.6g | Cholesterol 9mg | Sodium 403mg | Total Carbohydrate 38.6g | Dietary Fiber 9.9g | Protein 8.9g | Calcium 78mg | Iron 4mg | Potassium 483mg |