Salvadoran Chuletas
When I say “chuletas” you may think of lamb chops or pork chops and their distinctive shape, but Carlos asked me to make Salvadoran Chuletas which are something entirely different.
At first I thought Carlos was playing a trick on me because the food he described sounded really strange. He said Salvadoran Chuletas look like a meatball wrapped around a strip of tortilla. I questioned him further. “Are you sure this isn’t something your mother invented? Is this really a Salvadoran dish that other people will recognize?” – He assured me this is a real Salvadoran dish. I asked if the meatball part goes on the end of the tortilla strip so that at least it’ll look more like a lamb chop, but he insisted it goes in the middle.
With Carlos’s descriptions and encouragement, I gave it a try, and he says I hit the jackpot – so I present to you Salvadoran Chuletas, (or “Chuletas de Carne Molida.”) I have no idea how this dish came to exist in El Salvador but I imagine a hungry husband telling his wife that he wants chuletas for dinner. The wife goes to the kitchen, knowing full well that they don’t have such an expensive cut of meat, and she creates these fake “chuletas” out of day old tortillas and carne molida in the hopes of tricking her husband.
If you know the real story or anything else about Salvadoran Chuletas de Carne Molida, be sure to leave a comment! For now, here is my recipe.
Salvadoran Chuletas
Ingredients:
2 lbs. ground meat (beef, turkey or chicken)
1 handful fresh cilantro, washed and chopped
1/2 a medium onion, chopped fine
1/2 a medium green pepper, chopped fine
2 eggs
1 cup bread crumbs
1 heaping tablespoon fresh minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
canola oil (for frying)
5 thick corn tortillas
Directions:
1. Fry the cooked tortillas in a little oil until slightly crunchy. Remove and cool. Cut into thick strips. Set aside. (Leftover handmade tortillas work best for this.)
2. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients except the tortilla strips and oil. Mix by hand.
3. Take a small handful of the meat mixture, (a little larger than a golf ball), and a strip of tortilla. (Choose the longest strips of tortilla. The short strips can be discarded or reserved for a different recipe.)
4. Mold the meat mixture around the strip of tortilla so that you have tortilla poking out at each end with a meatball-like shape in the middle. Make sure you don’t make the meatball too rounded or big or they won’t cook through when frying.
5. Fry in oil over medium heat, turning to brown on each side. Do this in batches, removing to drain on paper towels when finished.
6. Serve with rice and fresh salsa. Makes approx. 15 to 20 chuletas.
Posted on February 6, 2013, in Culture, el macho, Familia, food/drink, recipes, Salvadoreños. Bookmark the permalink. 7 Comments.
Baya! Pense que esta receta era un invento de mi mama! jajaja. I have these at my moms sometimes. They are definitely Salvadoran and not chuletas! jajajaa But the combination de carne molida con tortillas echas a mano is good! Fresh tortillas are good, pero day old tortillas fry better and are tastier for this meal. (Digo yo… no se..lol)
Tracy, I loved your recipe! It’s better than mine LOL. This is one of the dishes I have to make at least once a month, specifically requested by my husband. Also, have you tried carne deshilada o carne deshebrada con huevo? That is another must in my house.
Wow Por muchos años pensé k eran especiales and unique to my family. LOL
Yummy yummy and Carlos is so lucky :D
My grandmother made this and my mother still makes this..not regularly though. They mostly used chicken and referred to it as “Chuletas de Pollo.” But instead of having the “meatball” be round, my grandmother formed it into an oval shape. I also thought this was a dish made up by my mother’s family! My mother assumed it was my grandmother’s recipe because she doesn’t know anyone else who made this while growing up. I can’t find an explanation…it’s a mystery, but I really enjoy it. Anyway, yours turned out scrumptious looking.
I learned that my grandmother was the cook for a small all-female housing complex…she learned recipes from her god-mother including fried sesos spread on a slice of pan Frances that was also quickly fried. She also took a thick tortilla, cut it in half. Then opened up one half like a pita and stuffed it with scrambled egg mixture or whatever meats she had…then dipped the stuffed tortilla halves in an egg wash and deep-fried them…sort of like a Salvadoran version of a Monte Cristo sandwich..heheheh.
I’m glad to know others have memory of this chuletas dish. Great post!
What a great comment. Your grandmother sounds really interesting and I bet she knew a lot of good recipes!
Aunque usted no lo crea, todos Los Salvadoreños comemos chuletas (poor man’s lamb chops)¿ Como se originaron? Seria como el eslavon perdido de la evolución.
Agree it must to be a wife getting the best for her husband out bits and parts. LoL