Pambazo Sandwich

The first time I ate a Pambazo Mexicano was in Mexico City. That food memory stayed in my head for years.

Bread dunked in guajillo sauce was one thing, but when they fried the bread.. Wait, what?! YES!

It’s a mouthwatering, tasty, sink-your-teeth sandwich. This Mexican street food favorite is hard to forget and easy to make at home.

INGREDIENTS

• • Bread
  • Lettuce
  • Potato
  • Chorizo
  • Guajillo Chiles
  • Onion
  • Garlic
  • Water
  • Salt
  • Oil

• Mexican Salsa
• Crema Mexicana (or Mexican sour cream)

INSTRUCTIONS

• Boil the potatoes on medium heat . Drain.
• Set aside until ready to use.

Or, if you have some leftovers from another dish, you can use that too to make this recipe.

The filling is similar to the Chorizo con Papas, but the chorizo filling has a smoother texture.

• Cook the Mexican chorizo in a large skillet and drain excess fat.
• Return the cooked chorizo to the skillet and add the boiled potatoes.
• With a potato masher, start mashing until the filling is smooth. Even just a little chunky is ok.

Word to the wise, use a big skillet that’s to fit all the ingredients for the potato mixture.

Also, don’t forget to drain the excess fat from the chorizo. There will still be plenty of fat in the chorizo to give your sandwich plenty of flavor.

For a vegan version of this dish, use vegan chorizo or soy chorizo.

Guajillo Salsa

• In a stockpot, add guajillo chile, onion, and garlic clove with water.
• Bring to a boil, then turn the heat off.

Let chiles rest in hot water for 5 minutes. Then discard the water.

• Add the reconstituted guajillo chile in a blender along with all the sauce ingredients.
• Add 1 cup of water just to get everything to blend.
• Blend everything until smooth.
• Pour the guajillo chile sauce into a deep dish.

If you need more water when making the sauce, don’t be afraid to add a splash water. The sauce is thin, not thick.

You need to use something that is deep enough to dip the bread in.

What Kind of Bread to Use? 

Traditionally, a special type of bread called pambazo (or pan basso) is used. Hence, the name of the dish, but this particular bread is relatively impossible to find in the US.

That’s why I’m using telera instead. You can use either teleras, bolillos, or kaiser rolls.

Where are Pambazos originally from?

One version says that pambazo bread was the worst quality made with the oldest flour and given to the lower classes. They would then soak the bread in guajillo salsa to make it edible.

Another version (and more popular version) is that Maximilian I (the Emperor of Mexico) and Carlota of Mexico (Empress consort of Mexico) visited Orizaba, a town in Veracruz. The chef made the bread which was inspired by the shapes of the volcano Pico de Orizaba, also known as Citlaltépetl. It is one of the highest mountains in North America.

• Cut in half the bread and dunk each side in the guajillo sauce.

Don’t dip the inside of the bread. You don’t want the bread to fall apart.

WHAT IS A TORTA?

A torta is a sandwich. Tortas are either made with telera bread, bolillo, birote, or french bread. They can be hot or cold, grilled, toasted, or even fried.

• Add oil to a pan on medium-high heat. 
• Fry both sides of the bread, sauce-side down in the hot oil. 

Do not fry the inside of the bread. The inside of the bread should still be white.

Some people will fry the bread in butter, or skip the frying altogether, and heat it on a griddle.

My advice for those of you who decide to use the griddle, oil it well or your bread will stick.

HOW TO ASSEMBLE

• Begin cutting the bread in half
• Then spread the chorizo mixture on one of the bread halves and top with the lettuce, crema mexicana, and Mexican Salsa (if you like to add a spicy touch).

You can add more or less Mexican salsa, depending on your tolerance to spiciness. For a not so spicy salsa, try salsa verde.

MORE MEXICAN SANDWICHES:

• Tortas Ahogadas
• Torta de Jamon
• Chicken Torta
• Torta de Milanesa

PRO TIP:

• You can customize your torta with grilled onions, tomatoes, refried beans, pickled red onions, cotija cheese, queso fresco, chiles toreados, pickled jalapeños, and more.
• Use your best judgment when assembling your Pambazo sandwich so you can fit everything inside the bread.

This Pambazo recipe is a great way to celebrate Mexican Independence Day or any special occasion. Just put the top of the bread back on, and dig in! Provecho!

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Pambazo

A Pambazo is a mouthwatering and tasty sandwich. Bread dunked in a guajillo chile sauce and stuffed with Mexican chorizo and potatoes. Delicious and flavorful with every bite!

5 from 45 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Mexican

Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 573kcal

Author: Maggie Unzueta

Ingredients

For the Filling

• ▢ 2 tablespoon oil
• ▢ ½ lb pork chorizo
• ▢ 1 potato diced, peeled, and cooked

For the Sauce

• ▢ 4 guajillo chile seeded, deveined, stems removed
• ▢ 5 cups water (divided)
• ▢ ¼ white onion
• ▢ 1 clove garlic
• ▢ ¼ tspn salt

To Assemble the Sandwich

• ▢ 4 telera breads (can also use bolillo)
• ▢ ¼ cup oil for frying (omit if using a griddle)
• ▢ shredded lettuce as desired
• ▢ crema mexicana as desired
• ▢ Mexican salsa as desired

Instructions

For the Filling

• In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil.
• Add the chorizo and cook. About 4-5 minutes.
• Drain excess fat.

  Return chorizo to the skillet.
• Add the cooked potatoes to the skillet. Mash until smooth.
• Set the filling aside until ready to use.

For the Sauce

• To a stock pot, add guajillo chile and 4 cups of water.

  Bring to a boil. Turn heat off. Let rest for 5 minutes.
• Discard water.
• To a blender, add reconstituted chile, 1 cup water, onion, garlic clove, and salt.

  Blend until smooth.
• Pour the guajillo chile sauce in a large deep dish (such as a Pyrex plate).

To Assemble the Sandwich

• Cut the telera bread in half.
• Dunk the top and the bottom of the bread in the guajillo sauce.  

  Do not dunk the inside of the bread.
• In a frying pan, heat ¼ cup oil. (You can also use butter).
• Add the bread to the pan and fry for 1 minute on each side.
• Baste with more sauce, if you like.

  (You can also use a well-oiled griddle instead of frying).
• Place bread on the plate.
• Add the chorizo potato mixture to the bottom half of the bread.

  Top with lettuce, crema mexicana, and salsa.
• Top the sandwich with the other half of the bread.
• Serve and enjoy!

Video

Notes

Don't forget to drain the fat from the chorizo after it is cooked.

If you need more water to make the sauce, don’t be afraid to add more. The sauce for the Pambazo is thin, not thick.

Word to the Wise: Don’t dip the inside of the bread. You don’t want to the bread to fall apart. The inside of the bread should still be white. 

Cooking on a Griddle:

If you use a griddle instead of frying, make sure it is well-oiled or the bread will stick.

Instead of oil, you can also fry the bread in butter. 

Don't be alarmed if the bread blackens slightly. The blackened part of the bread is delicious!

You can also add:
Tomatoes, Pickled Red Onions, Queso Cotija or Queso Fresco, Pickled Jalapeno, Crema Mexicana or Sour Cream

Nutrition

Calories: 573kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 35mg | Sodium: 837mg | Potassium: 364mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1231IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 74mg | Iron: 4mg

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