Arepas (Venezuelan Corn Cakes)
Ingredients
| 2 cups of pre cooked corn meal "Pan" | ||
| 1 tsp kosher salt | ||
| 2 to 3 cups warm water |
Arepas are the national dish of Venezuela. They are made with pre cooked corn meal. They can be baked or fried and are usually stuffed with savory, sweet and salty components. You may find the proper corn meal in Latin markets. Look for a yellow package labeled “Pan”.
Directions:
- Add 2 cups of warm water to a large bowl.
- Slowly drizzle in the corn meal, mixing with a wooden spoon until a dough begins to form.
- Make sure you drizzle the corn meal into the water not the other way around.
- Your dough should not be too dry, but slightly moist and pliable.
- Using wet hands form balls a little smaller than a tennis ball.
- roll the ball between you hands to get a good texture and uniform shape
- Moving hands from side to side start to flatten out the dough until you have a disk about 1/2 inch thick.
- In a large saute pan, add a little oil and fry the Arepas using medium heat. The Arepas should be golden brown. about 3 minutes per side.
- Set the Arepas aside to cool.
- Now your Arepas are ready to be stuffed.
- Cut the Arepas in half, but not all the way through. They should look like pita pockets.
Stuffing Variations:
- Shredded beef, pork or chicken, black beans, sweet plantains and white cheese.
- Chopped chicken, avocado and mayonnaise.
- Scrambled eggs with tomatoes peppers and onions.
- Melted butter and crumbled cheese.
- The possibilities are endless.
No Comments