The arepas, specifically from Venezuela, are small corn cakes made from corn flour that are cooked over the stove in a wire rack (Colombia) or lightly fried and baked (Venezuela). You can eat them alone, but you can also add fillers. Continue reading for instructions on how to make arepas with three different fillings.
Ingredients
-2 cups (235 g) of corn flour
-2 cups (235 ml) of water
-Pinch of salt
-Oil
STEP 1
Mix the ingredients. Place the 2 cups of cornmeal and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Use your fingers or a wooden palette to stir both ingredients well. Measure 2 cups of hot water and mix it little by little with the flour.
-You can buy precooked corn flour, such as flour P.A.N., which is the most used in Venezuela. This flour contains no gluten or preservatives and you can find it in white or yellow.
-If you can not find corn flour, you can replace it with whole wheat flour or normal flour.
STEP 2
Knead the mixture. Use your hands to knead the flour and water to create a soft but consistent dough. Smooth it until it has no lumps and you can spin it without getting stuck in your hands or in the container.
-If the dough is too wet, add flour little by little and continue kneading.
-If the dough becomes brittle or falls off, add a little water. Do it very little by little until the dough has the right texture.
STEP 3
Shape the arepas. Take a handful of the dough and make a ball with it. Then, press with the palms of your hands until it forms a hamburger. It must be about 2 cm thick and about 12 cm in diameter. Put the first arepa on a baking sheet and continue doing the others.
-If you want to store the arepas to cook later, you can cover them with plastic wrap and store them in the refrigerator for 3 or 4 more days.
-You can also freeze them before cooking them. You should wrap them in plastic one by one and place them in a sealed container. In this way you can cook them until several months later.
STEP 4
To cook them, heat the oven to 250 ° C (480 ° F).
Do it when you are ready to cook the arepas, before frying. The oven must be hot before putting them inside.
STEP # 5
Fry the arepas.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. When the oil is quite hot, put several arepas in the pan and let them cool until one side is roasted, for about 3 or 4 minutes. Turn them around when you see a dark golden bark. Then, put them on a baking sheet and continue frying the other arepas.
STEP # 6
Bake the arepas. After frying the arepas and putting them on a tray, put them in the preheated oven. Bake about 15 minutes. When you think they're ready, take them out of the oven and pat the arepas. If they sound like they're empty, as if they echoed, they'll be ready.
STEP # 7
Open the arepas. Use a knife to open the arepas in half and fill them.