Muy Bueno: Fiestas 
How to Make Sopes + Video
Sopes are similar to corn tortillas but thicker with pinched edges to form a border. Find out How to Make Sopes quick and easy!
My daughter’s favorite meal are sopes! She loves sopes filled with shredded brisket, chicken mole, al pastor, or carne asada. Fill a sope and load it with toppings and she’s one happy girl.
I remember when she was little she used to help me make sopes – She used to get on her tip-toes and reach over the counter to press down on the lever of the tortilla press with all her might. She loved helping me in the kitchen and I loved her time with me in the kitchen.
I am getting a bit emotional as I write this because now my daughter is taller than I am. She no longer is that tiny little girl reaching over the kitchen counter. Now, she’s the girl reaching to get me something out of a tall cabinet when I can’t reach it.
Muy Bueno Cookbook
Did you know my daughter was the one who gave me the idea to write the Muy Bueno cookbook?
While eating dinner one evening my daughter said, “Mom, can you write all these recipes down for me so that when I go off to college I can make them?” That was my aha moment. I turned to my mom who was visiting and I said, “Mom, lets write a cookbook!”
My daughter was only eight years old at the time when this blog and cookbook journey started and now she’s 16 years old and will be a senior in high school next year.
It is so hard to believe that college is fast approaching. You always hear that children grow up in a blink of an eye, but you don’t believe it until you live through it.
I am so proud of my daughter Maya – she is smart, athletic, sarcastic, and oh so stubborn like her mama.
I dedicate these sopes to her – May the memories of her cooking in the kitchen with me and eating homemade meals at the dinner table as a family last a lifetime with her. And may she be inspired to make and share these recipes with her friends in college and one day for her own family.
Watch this video to see how truly simple these sopes are made.
What Are Mexican Sopes?
Sopes originated in central and southern parts of Mexico. A sope is thick, slightly crispy on the outside, and tender on the inside. They are very similar to a thick corn tortilla but with the edges pinched up to create a little boat in the middle to hold your favorite toppings.
How To Make Mexican Sopes
Sopes are very easy to make. With only a few ingredients and easy steps, you can make sopes. They are easier to make than corn tortillas because they don’t have to be as thin or as perfect.
- Combine. Simply place all the ingredients in a big bowl and combine the dough by hand until it feels like play-doh.
- Press. You can use a tortilla press or a rolling pin to press the dough balls into little circles. If you don’t have a tortilla press you can use a heavy skillet or pot to make the dough patties or use your hands to form a patty.
- Cook. Place the sopes on a lightly greased comal (griddle) with olive oil on medium-high heat for about 2 to 4 minutes on each side until dry.
- Form. While the cooked patty is still warm and as soon as you are able to handle it, pull the dough of the patty up and outward towards the edge, creating a little ridge of dough all the way around the circle to create a little “boat” or sope.
- Fill. Fill each sope with the filling of your choice and garnish with your favorite toppings.
Looking for Fillings? Try these:
How to Make Sopes quick and easy! #sopes #mexican #mexicanrecipe #tortillas #delicious | muybuenoblog.com via @muybueno” />
How to Make Sopes
Ingredients
- 2 cups masa harina, corn flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon shortening
- 1¼ cups warm water
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl combine the masa harina and salt. Add the shortening and rub in with your fingers so that it is evenly distributed. Add warm water and knead until mixture is smooth and slightly sticky. If the dough is dry add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Dough should be soft and moist like play-doh and not dry. Divide dough into 8 portions. Cover with a damp cloth to keep the dough soft and moist.
- Line a tortilla press with plastic wrap. Place a ball of dough on the press and cover with another piece of plastic wrap and press down to form a little 1/4-inch-thick patty. Peel off the plastic wrap. (If you don’t have a tortilla press you can use a heavy skillet or pot to make the dough patties or use your hands to form a patty.) Repeat with remaining balls of dough.
- Preheat a lightly greased comal (griddle) with olive oil on medium-high heat. Cook a patty on the comal for about 2 to 4 minutes on each side until dry. While the cooked patty is still warm and as soon as you are able to handle it, pull the dough of the patty up and outward towards the edge, creating a little ridge of dough all the way around the circle to create a little “boat” or sope. Repeat with the remaining patties.
- Fill each sope with the filling of your choice and garnish with your favorite toppings.
Video
Notes
- carnitas
- beans
- avocado
- shredded cheese
- pico de gallo
- guacamole
- refried beans
- shredded beef
- queso fresco
Originally published: May 2019
Photography by Jenna Sparks
4 Comments on “How to Make Sopes + Video”
With you recipe for Sopes, you omitted the Masa Harina measurement. Please correct the recipe on the email so I may make them. Thank You
It says “2 cups” – Weird?! Do you not see it?
I love sopes, Mom ( Gramma) used to make these when she had red enchilada sauce left over from enchiladas, the day before. She would make the red chile with meat and potatoes. She would feel the sopes with it and top it with freshly made beans and cheese, she would always safe me a couple, she new how much I loved them. I would call them Mexican pizza. Miss you Mama. RIP, YOU ARE ALWAYS IN MY HEART.
I bought your cookbook. And been making different dishes. My family and friends really enjoy the food. But cannot believed I made it from scratch. thank you so much.