Mexican Pambazos
Pambazos are Mexican sandwiches filled with potatoes and chorizo. What makes the difference is the preparation of the bread roll: it's covered in chili sauce and fried. Though the chili sauce is quite hot, it only leaves a subtle heat on the roll. Of course, we included alternatives to chorizo.
Ingredients
Protein
- 6 oz chorizo [1] soy or meat
Fresh Produce
- 2 large potatoes cubed
- 2 cups shredded lettuce e.g. romaine
Dairy - Toppings
- 1 cup crumbled cheese feta, cotija, queso fresco
- 1 cup sour cream crème fraîche, or Mexican crema
Packaged Goods/Staples
- 2 cup tomato puree [2] not seasoned
- 6 medium bread rolls [3]
- salt
- oil
Culinary Spice Kit
- Ancho chili, pasilla chili, black peppercorn, garlic, jalapeño, onion, coriander, oregano, cumin [4]
Optional Toppings
- pickled onions or jalapeños
- fresh cilantro leaves
- avocado slices
- fresh chili slices or hot salsa
Instructions
Salsa
- In a POT, heat 1 tbsp oil and tomato puree. Season with 1 tbsp Pambazos spices and salt to taste. Cook over low heat for 15-30 minutes until the sauce thickens. Set aside.
Potatoes
- In a covered POT, cook potatoes over low heat until soft. Drain and set aside.
Chorizo
- In a large PAN, add the chorizo and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes.
Alternatively for ground meat or beans:
- In a PAN, heat 2 tbsp oil, add crumbled meat/beans, Season with salt and Pambazos spices to taste. Fry until cooked.
Mix
- Add the potatoes to the cooked chorizo. Mix well and smash them a little bit.
Pambazos
- In a large PAN, heat 1 tbsp oil over medium heat.
- Dip the rolls into the salsa to cover all sides.
- Fry the rolls on both sides until slightly crisp. Repeat until all rolls are crisp. Add oil if necessary.
Assemble
- Fill rolls with the chorizo-potato mix. Add your preferred toppings.
- Enjoy!
Video
Notes
[1] Substitutes: 6 oz ground beef or poultry or 1 can black or pinto beans
Alternative: 4 eggs (scrambled) and 2 slices bacon or salami (cut into 1/4 inch cubes)
[2] Substitute:
2 tbsp tomato paste with 1-2 cups of water
or 2 tomatoes with a little water as needed
[3] firm outside, not too soft inside, for instance, Kaiser roll
Substitute: It's actually fun with any kind of bread. (see tip below)
Tip: If your bread is so soft that it would fall apart when soaked in liquid, then toast it a bit and spread the sauce on it instead of dipping it into the sauce.
[4] Minimal substitute: chili powder or paste of your choice, plus salt & pepper to taste