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Michoacan's Lake Patzcuaro sopes, thick masa nixtamalizada griddled on the comal, pinched by hand, brushed with manteca, and topped with refried beans, queso ranchero, crema, and chile peron salsa.
Michoacan, Lake Patzcuaro, the P'urhepecha country around the Japunda, that is where these sopes live. Not in a generic Mexican snack basket. In the mercados of Patzcuaro and the kitchens of Uruapan, the Meseta, and the lakeside towns, where masa nixtamalizada is not decoration. It is the center of the meal.
The masa has to be fresh if you can get it. Masa harina works only when the market has failed you. The sope is pressed thick, cooked on a comal de barro or a heavy comal until the surface freckles, then pinched while hot so the rim can hold frijol refrito, queso ranchero, crema, and salsa de chile peron. Chile peron, chile manzano in some markets, is the one with black seeds. Remember that. It gives a bright, sharp heat that belongs to this highland table.
I have watched cocineras tradicionales near Patzcuaro shape masa with the same practical intelligence they use for corunda, uchepo, jahuacata, tsikanarhikata, nacatamal, chapatta, toquera, and the dishes outsiders forget because they never leave the plaza. Each one has its own masa, wrapper, occasion, and name. Do not flatten them. Cada estado, su propia cocina, and inside Michoacan, cada pueblo, su propia mano.
La manteca es el sabor. A spoonful in the beans and a little on the hot sope is not excess, it is structure. Add charales if you have them, those small lake fish, Chirostoma jordani and its relatives, crisped and eaten with lime. If you cannot find them, you have made a good sope. If you can, you have made one that smells like Patzcuaro market. Asi se hace y punto.
The P'urhepecha, historically called Tarascans by the Spanish, built a powerful state in western Mexico before the conquest and were never absorbed by the Mexica empire. Michoacan's 2010 UNESCO recognition of traditional Mexican cuisine specifically cited the work of cocineras tradicionales, especially from P'urhepecha communities, as living transmitters of nixtamal, comal, tamal, atole, and market cooking knowledge. Lake Patzcuaro's charales, including Chirostoma jordani and related species, have been a regional food source for centuries, though lake decline has made them more fragile and more important to source responsibly.
Quantity
1 pound
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon, plus more to taste
Quantity
1/4 to 1/3 cup
use only if the masa feels dry
Quantity
4 tablespoons, divided
never shortening
Quantity
2 cups
with 1/2 cup cooking liquid reserved
Quantity
1/4 small
finely chopped, for the beans
Quantity
1
minced, for the beans
Quantity
3
also sold as chile manzano, black seeds kept separate if you want less heat
Quantity
6
husked and rinsed
Quantity
1 small
for the salsa
Quantity
2 tablespoons
chopped, for the salsa
Quantity
1 tablespoon, plus lime halves for serving
Quantity
3/4 cup
crumbled
Quantity
1/2 cup
Quantity
1/2 cup
finely diced, for serving
Quantity
1/2 cup
for serving
Quantity
1 cup
cleaned and patted dry
Quantity
1/4 cup
finely sliced, for lining the basket, not dried corn husk
Quantity
as needed
only if frying charales
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| fresh masa nixtamalizada for tortillas | 1 pound |
| fine sea salt | 1/2 teaspoon, plus more to taste |
| warm wateruse only if the masa feels dry | 1/4 to 1/3 cup |
| manteca de cerdonever shortening | 4 tablespoons, divided |
| cooked flor de mayo or bayo beanswith 1/2 cup cooking liquid reserved | 2 cups |
| white onionfinely chopped, for the beans | 1/4 small |
| garlic cloveminced, for the beans | 1 |
| fresh chile peronalso sold as chile manzano, black seeds kept separate if you want less heat | 3 |
| tomatilloshusked and rinsed | 6 |
| garlic clovefor the salsa | 1 small |
| fresh cilantrochopped, for the salsa | 2 tablespoons |
| fresh lime juice | 1 tablespoon, plus lime halves for serving |
| queso rancherocrumbled | 3/4 cup |
| Mexican crema | 1/2 cup |
| white onionfinely diced, for serving | 1/2 cup |
| fresh cilantro leavesfor serving | 1/2 cup |
| small whole charales, Chirostoma jordani or related Lake Patzcuaro species (optional)cleaned and patted dry | 1 cup |
| hoja de maiz fresca de la planta (optional)finely sliced, for lining the basket, not dried corn husk | 1/4 cup |
| corn oil or additional manteca de cerdo (optional)only if frying charales | as needed |
Put the masa nixtamalizada in a bowl and knead in the salt. Press a little between your fingers. It should feel soft and damp, not cracked at the edges. If it splits, knead in warm water one tablespoon at a time. Fresh masa from a tortilleria already knows what to do. Masa harina needs more attention because it has been dried and brought back to life.
Divide the masa into 8 balls, each about the size of a small lime. Flatten each one between plastic in a tortilla press or with your palms until it is about 3 inches wide and 1/3 inch thick. Do not make them thin like tortillas. A sope needs body so the rim can hold the beans and salsa.
Heat a comal de barro over lena if you have it, or a heavy cast iron comal over medium heat. Lay the masa rounds down and cook 2 to 3 minutes per side, until pale brown freckles appear and the surface looks set. The center should still be tender. Too much heat burns the outside before the masa cooks through. That is impatience, not technique.
Move one hot sope at a time to a clean towel. While it is still hot, pinch up the edge with your thumbs and forefingers to form a low rim all the way around. Pinch a little masa in the center too, making shallow ridges that catch the lard and beans. Work fast. Once the masa cools, it cracks instead of obeying.
Melt 2 tablespoons manteca de cerdo in a clay cazuela or heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook until soft. Add the minced garlic for 30 seconds, then add the beans and a splash of their cooking liquid. Mash until thick but spreadable, leaving some texture. Salt them properly. Beans without enough salt taste tired. La manteca es el sabor.
Roast the tomatillos, chile peron, and small garlic clove on the comal until the tomatillos slump and spot brown and the chile skins blister. Remove the chile stems. For less heat, take out some of the black seeds. Grind in a molcajete with salt, then stir in cilantro and lime juice. A blender works if you must, but stop before it becomes foam. This salsa should taste bright, sharp, and alive.
If using charales, heat a thin layer of manteca or corn oil in a small skillet. Pat the fish very dry, salt lightly, and fry until firm and crisp at the edges, 2 to 4 minutes depending on size. Drain on paper or a clay plate lined with hoja de maiz fresca de la planta. Do not confuse that fresh green leaf from the plant with dried corn husk. They are different things.
Brush the cooked sopes with the remaining 2 tablespoons manteca and return them to the comal for 1 to 2 minutes per side, just until the bottoms crisp and the edges deepen in color. They should be sturdy enough to pick up but still soft in the middle. No me vengas con atajos. This second pass is what makes them taste like mercado food, not steamed masa.
Spread each hot sope with a spoonful of frijol refrito. Add queso ranchero, a thread of crema, salsa de chile peron, diced white onion, cilantro, and a few charales if you have them. Serve immediately with lime halves. Sopes wait for nobody. The masa is best while the bottom is crisp and the beans are still glossy.
1 serving (about 180g)
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