Cooking Arepas with Choko
Colombian and Venezuelan Arepas Recipe.
Por: Camila Garcia Voelkl.
“Arepas” are cornmeal round and flat cakes that originated hundreds of years ago in Colombia and Venezuela. It is a typical meal that is cooked on a rack, pan-fried or baked. They can be served as bread or use them for sandwiches with fillings such as cheese, beans, chicken, meat, veggies or many other options.
At home, my kids love arepas at breakfast, snack or even dinner. They love how versatile they are and how they can be combined with their favorite toppings. As a Colombian, I love to see them eat their arepas with such taste and pride.
My husband is Mexican, and he likes his arepa alongside some good beans, hot sauce, and avocado. My oldest daughter loves to top it with guacamole and my youngest loves it with hummus. I personally prefer it plain or stuffed with cheese!
It does not matter with which you accompany it or fill it, the arepa goes well with everything.
One of the things I like the most about this recipe is how easy it is to prepare, and it has allowed my daughters to join while cooking and share as a family, especially my youngest daughter, who is currently 6, loves to make the dough and form the arepitas using a tortillera (exactly, we do not have arepera, but we do have tortillera and they work the same).
Here is the recipe and if you make it at home, I would love to see you in action or the result. You can share your experience on Facebook or Instagram with the hashtag #arepasamigobilingue
Colombian and Venezuelan Arepas – Recipe
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 10 mins
Total: 20 mins
Yield: 6 arepas
INGREDIENTS
2 cups of corn flour
2 cups of water
Pinch of salt
Avocado or olive oil (Spray)
*optional: 1 cup of mozzarella grated cheese. If added, the recipe is not dairy free anymore unless you use a plant based type of cheese.
Mix water, corn meal, mozzarella cheese (optional), PINCH oF salt together in a large bowl. Knead until mixed well and the dough has a soft consistency.
Form balls the size of a medium orange and shape them as a semi flat circle or place them between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and Flatten with a rolling pin to your desired thickness.
Coat a griddle or frying panwith cooking oil spray and heat to medium-high. Add arepas and grill until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Serve immediately.
Arepas have a mild flavor so they go well with almost everything. You can try using two flat Arepas or one opened in half and filled it with your choice of shredded chicken, meat, vegetables, chesses, beans, hummus and much more.
Similar to arepas are the mexican “gorditas” and the salvadorian “pupusas”. They are also round flat corn cakes Gorditas are puffed up when fried in oil, forming an air pocket which is later filled. Pupusas are flatter and made with a corn flour stronger in flavor than the one used for arepas.
AT HOME
You can download, print and share the recipe with family and friends. Here is a PDF for you to keep. Available in English and Spanish!
