Ingredients
Dough
- 500 gharina P.A.N. or another pre-cooked white maize flour (masarepa), not masa harina and not cornflour
- 625 mlwarm water
- 2 tspfine salt
- 1 tbspsunflower oil, plus more for the griddle
Domino filling
- 400 gcaraotas negras (black beans), cooked soft with onion, garlic and cumin
- 250 gqueso blanco rallado or a mild crumbly white cheese, grated
Perico filling
- 6eggs, beaten
- 2tomatoes, diced
- 1onion, finely diced
- 2spring onions, sliced
- 30 gbutter
- Salt and pepper
To serve
- 80 gbutter, at room temperature
- 150 gqueso de mano or fresh mozzarella-style cheese, sliced
- Nata (Venezuelan cultured cream), optional
Directions
- Dissolve the salt in the warm water in a wide bowl, then rain the masarepa in with one hand while stirring with the other, which prevents lumps.
- Add the oil and knead with wet hands for 3 minutes until smooth. Rest 5 minutes, then knead again: the flour keeps drinking water, and the dough should end up like soft, non-sticky modelling clay.
- Test the dough by rolling a ball and flattening it. If the edges crack, wet your hands and work in more water; a cracked edge bakes into a dry, split arepa.
- Divide into 8, roll into balls and pat each into a disc 10 cm across and 1.5–2 cm thick, smoothing the edge between your palms.
- Heat a budare, a heavy griddle or a cast-iron pan over medium heat with a smear of oil until a drop of water skitters.
- Cook 6–7 minutes a side without moving them, until a thin, pale golden crust forms with dark freckles and the arepa releases easily and sounds hollow when tapped.
- Finish them in a 200°C (400°F) oven for 8–10 minutes, or stand them on their edges on the griddle, until they puff slightly and the centre is cooked through, not doughy.
- Split each arepa around the edge with a serrated knife, leaving a hinge, and open it like a book while it is still hot.
- Butter the inside immediately so it melts into the crumb, then fill: black beans and grated white cheese for a domino, or scrambled perico, and eat straight away.
Technique
- The flour must be masarepa, precooked maize flour. Mexican masa harina is nixtamalised and behaves differently, and polenta or cornflour will not hold together at all.
- The dough should feel damper than you expect. Venezuelans judge it by the crack test at the edge of a flattened ball, not by measuring water.
- A crust that is too dark means the griddle is too hot: the outside sets before the centre cooks, giving a raw, pasty middle.
Substitutions
- No masarepa? There is no honest substitute. Venezuelan and Colombian groceries and most supermarkets carry harina P.A.N., and it keeps for months.
- For arepas fritas, roll the discs thinner and shallow-fry them in 2 cm of oil for 3 minutes a side until puffed and golden.
Variations
- Domino, split and filled with black beans and grated white cheese, the classic contrast.
- Perico, filled with eggs scrambled with tomato, onion and spring onion, the breakfast standard.
- Arepa de queso, with cheese kneaded into the dough itself, and arepa dulce with anise and papelon.
History
Maize cakes predate the Spanish; the name comes from erepa, the Cumanagoto word for maize bread recorded by colonial chroniclers.
Frequently asked questions
What is Arepa?
Arepa is a bread & pastry from Colombia: griddled corn cakes eaten daily with cheese, butter or egg. Maize cakes predate the Spanish; the name comes from erepa, the Cumanagoto word for maize bread recorded by colonial chroniclers.
How long does Arepa take to make?
Arepa takes 15 min of preparation and 25 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings (8 arepas). It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Arepa?
Yes, within limits. No masarepa? There is no honest substitute. Venezuelan and Colombian groceries and most supermarkets carry harina P.A.N., and it keeps for months. For arepas fritas, roll the discs thinner and shallow-fry them in 2 cm of oil for 3 minutes a side until puffed and golden.
What is the most important thing to get right in Arepa?
The flour must be masarepa, precooked maize flour. Mexican masa harina is nixtamalised and behaves differently, and polenta or cornflour will not hold together at all.
