Pambazo Meatless

Pambazo (pamˈbaso) is the name of a Mexican white bread. It is also the name of the dish made with this bread dipped in a red guajillo pepper sauce and filled with papas con chorizo (potatoes with chorizo).

For those who have never heard of this name ‘Pambazo’, it is a very popular Mexican sandwich made with spicy chorizo and potato using a bread called Pan basso. The top of the bread is coated with a salsa made of guajillo peppers and fried in a pan with a bit of oil until it becomes crispy.

The salsa–a guajillo pepper sauce–is really quite simple to make. Dried chilies, diced onions, garlic, a bit of salt, and water is all it takes to make a delicious, vibrant sauce to bathe the bread in.

The crispy bread is then filled with creamy refried beans, chorizo potato mixture, lettuce, crema, and Queso Fresco. Pambazos are not a spicy sandwich, but they have a rich taste. In Mexico, they are sold everywhere, on streets, in restaurants, and cafeterias.

I have never had this sandwich before and definitely had no clue how it would taste. I have not seen this being on the menu in any of the local restaurants, and even if they do, I would not have been able to taste it as I am a vegetarian. So, the only way is to prepare one by myself. I was looking for ways to use my favorite ingredient soy Chorizo apart from making Chili and felt like hitting a jackpot when I found out about this sandwich. I used a bread that is locally available for me called bolillos. You can either use bolillos or teleras as it is very difficult to find the traditional pan basso bread. This is a very filling sandwich with all the yummiest fixings to enhance the flavor.

Ingredients

• 5 to 6 guajillo peppers
• 1/4 white onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• Salt and pepper
• 4 bolillos bread
• 1/2 packet Soy Chorizo
• 3 medium-sized potatoes
• 1/2 cup vegetarian refried beans
• 1/2 cup salsa verde (store-bought or prepared)
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup or as needed crumbled queso fresco

Directions

1. Bring a small pot of water to boil and place the chilies, onion, and garlic and let it sit for some time until the chilies are fully rehydrated.
2. Strain the chilies, onion, and garlic, add them to a blender, add required salt and pepper, and 1/2 cup of the water used to rehydrate the chilies.
3. Blend it until smooth. Transfer it to a bowl and set aside.
4. Peel the potatoes and cut them into small cubes and cook them in boiling water until tender. Make sure you do not cook them too much. They need to hold their shape a bit.
5. Now, in a pan, heat up a few teaspoons of oil, add the soy chorizo and sauté for a few minutes. You can add chopped Jalapeños if you need more heat in your sandwich.
6. Now, add the cooked potatoes and fry for a few more minutes until the potatoes soak up all the yummy flavors from the chorizo.
7. Now, cut the bread into halves, brush the top and bottom with a generous amount of the salsa.
8. In a pan, add 2 teaspoons of oil, coat all sides, and fry the bread only on the top and bottom side until crispy.
9. Remove the bread from the pan, fill them with layers of refried beans, potato chorizo, and top it off with lettuce, sour cream, salsa verde, and queso fresco.
10. Enjoy the sandwich!