Pambazos (guajillo‑dipped rolls filled with potato and chorizo)
Soft rolls dipped in smoky guajillo sauce, shallow‑fried and stuffed with mashed potato and spicy chorizo for a proper Mexican street‑food hit.
Pambazos are Mexico’s answer to a saucy, fried sandwich — rolls dipped in a smoky guajillo sauce, fried until glossy and filled with spicy chorizo and mashed potato. They’re messy, moreish and made for sharing.
Make them when you want a proper street‑food moment at home: midweek supper, a lively weekend lunch or whenever comfort food needs to wear a fiesta jacket. The guajillo sauce is the star, so don’t skimp on softening and blending the chillies properly.
Ingredients
- 4 bolillo rolls — use fairly soft rolls about 80–100 g each
- 6 dried guajillo chillies — seeds removed
- 400 ml hot water
- 4 garlic cloves — peeled
- 30 ml white vinegar
- 150 ml vegetable oil — for frying and cooking
- 500 g red potatoes — peeled and cut into 2–3 cm pieces
- 250 g Mexican chorizo — fresh, casing removed
- 1 brown onion — finely sliced
- 150 g iceberg lettuce — shredded
- 100 ml crema — Mexican crema or natural yoghurt thinned with a little milk if unavailable
- 100 g queso fresco — crumbled
- 15 g fresh coriander — roughly chopped
- 2 limes — cut into wedges
- salt — to taste
- black pepper — to taste
Equipment
- blender or hand blender
- slotted spoon
- saucepan
Instructions
Prepare the chillies: snip off stems and shake out seeds from the dried guajillo chillies, then place the chillies in a bowl and pour over the hot water so they are submerged. Leave to soak for 15 minutes until soft.
Blend the sauce: drain the chillies, reserving about 100 ml of the soaking water. In a blender, combine the drained chillies, two of the garlic cloves, white vinegar and about 100 ml of the reserved soaking water. Blend to a smooth, pourable sauce then season with salt.
Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a frying pan over a medium hob and cook the blended guajillo sauce for 2–3 minutes, stirring, to take the raw edge off and deepen the flavour. Remove from the heat and keep warm.
Cook the potatoes: place the red potatoes in a saucepan, cover with cold water, add a pinch of salt and bring to the boil. Simmer until tender, about 12–15 minutes. Drain thoroughly.
While the potatoes cook, heat another 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a frying pan over a medium hob. Add the brown onion and sauté for 3–4 minutes until soft, then add the remaining garlic cloves and the Mexican chorizo (remove casing) and cook, breaking up the meat, for 6–8 minutes until the chorizo is cooked through and slightly crisp. Season with black pepper and a little salt if needed.
Make the filling: mash the drained potatoes roughly (leave a little texture) then fold in the cooked chorizo and onion. Adjust seasoning and keep warm.
Assemble and fry the pambazos: split each bolillo roll partway (leave a hinge). Working one at a time, dip each roll into the warm guajillo sauce and make sure it’s coated inside and out — this is what gives pambazos their signature colour and flavour. In a frying pan, heat about 4 tbsp vegetable oil over a medium hob and shallow‑fry the sauced rolls for about 1–2 minutes per side until crisp and glossy. Drain briefly on kitchen paper.
Fill and garnish: open each fried roll and spoon in a generous portion of the potato‑chorizo filling. Top with shredded iceberg lettuce, a drizzle of crema, a sprinkle of crumbled queso fresco, chopped fresh coriander and a squeeze of lime. Serve immediately.
Tips
- If you can’t find bolillo, use a soft white roll about 80–100 g each — don’t use very dense bread.
- Reserve some of the guajillo soaking water to thin the sauce; adding too much at once will make it too watery.
- Work one roll at a time when dipping and frying so the sauce doesn’t cool and the roll doesn’t become soggy.
- Make the potato‑chorizo filling ahead and keep warm; assemble and fry the rolls just before serving for best texture.
- Store leftovers wrapped in the fridge for up to 24 hours; reheating in a hot oven (180°C fan/200°C conventional) for 6–8 minutes restores some crispness.
Substitutions
bolillo rolls → soft white rolls of similar size
Stays closeMexican chorizo → spicy pork sausage, removed from casing
Stays closecrema → natural yoghurt mixed with a little milk and a squeeze of lime (use 100 ml yoghurt thinned as needed)
Stays closedried guajillo chillies → dried ancho chillies (milder, darker flavour)
Noticeably different
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 790
- Calories
- 26 g
- Protein
- 63 g
- Carbs
- 36 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
- Sugar
- 850 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make the guajillo sauce in advance?
Yes — make it up to 24 hours ahead and store in the fridge. Reheat gently before dipping the rolls; if it’s thick, stir in a little reserved soaking water to loosen it.
What if I can’t find Mexican chorizo?
Use any fresh spicy pork sausage removed from its casing. Spanish cured chorizo won’t melt or break down the same way, so cook it separately and consider cutting into small pieces.
How do I stop the rolls going soggy?
Dip quickly, fry promptly and don’t let them sit after dipping. Shallow‑frying seals the surface and keeps them crisp.
Can I make these vegetarian?
Yes — skip the chorizo and increase spices in the potato filling (smoked paprika, chilli powder) and add fried mushrooms or crumbled plant‑based sausage for texture.
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