Get a load of these glorious gorditas

Before moving to Lansing to work at City Pulse, I spent 5 years living in Maryland, about 20 minutes outside of Washington. Being so close to the city, filled with people from across the globe, I was introduced to cuisines I’d never even thought to explore in their most authentic forms.

There was an especially large Salvadoran population in my area, and I quickly fell in love with El Salvador’s national dish, the pupusa. A pupusa is a savory corn cake stuffed with any combination of meat and/or and veggies, refried beans and mozzarella cheese. Luckily, there was a pupuseria about 800 feet away from my house, and I frequented it so much that the manager knew my name and order by heart.

While there are pupuserias in the Detroit and Grand Rapids areas, it’s not the same as having one within walking distance of my home like I used to. However, when I have a craving and want something a bit more substantial than the frozen pupusas from Trader Joe’s, I’ve found the gorditas at Pablo’s provide a similar experience.

A gordita is like an open-faced pupusa with a thicker and grittier corn shell. It holds up much better as a handheld, allowing you to eat it kind of like a sandwich. It’s also deep fried, whereas pupusas are typically cooked on a griddle.

Pablo’s gorditas are served bursting at the seams with the meat of your choice — in my case, always carnitas. The tender shredded pork, with a light coating of oil from the deep fryer still hanging on, ensures no bite of the tortilla is too dry, and the bit of meat on the outside of the corn shell gets extra crispy, the Maillard reaction working its magic once again.

The handhelds are topped with sour cream and a sprinkling of soft, white cheese that melts into the meat. The sides of fluffy, aromatic rice and creamy, earthy refried beans help diversify texture and flavor even more, though, like a lot of meals I seem to enjoy, it can be very salty. For a pop of freshness, I recommend the complimentary salsa verde.

I’ve never had a bad bite at Pablo’s, but the gorditas stand out as a hearty, filling and downright delicious treat when I’m missing my Maryland days. Even if I’m no longer working 500 feet away from Pablo’s in the future, I know I’ll still find myself as loyal of a customer as I was at my local pupuseria. That being said, though, if anyone knows of a good Salvadoran restaurant in the state, feel free to send me an email at nicole@lansingcitypulse.com.