Arepas (pronounced ah-reh-pas) are round patties made from white corn flour. They can be made sweet or savory and are prepared over 75 different ways in Colombia. Arepas are eaten for breakfast, as a snack, meal, or as a side to accompany any dish. There are so many ways to eat them, and preparations vary by region.
Arepas Boyacenses (pronounced bo-ya-senses) are from the Boyaca region in Colombia. They are unique because they are semi sweet (contain panela), they contain cuajada (cheese), are thick, and contain flour (in addition to the cornmeal flour).
Notes:
- Be sure to cook on low-medium heat on a non-stick pan
- I am using brown sugar instead of panela, as well as queso fresco instead of cuajada
What You’ll Need:
- 2 cups of water
- 1 1/4 cup of precooked white cornmeal
- 1/2 cup of white all purpose flour
- 6oz of queso fresco
- 3 tablespoons of melted butter
- 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon of flaky salt
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1/2 tablespoon of honey
Directions:
- Preheat a large nonstick pan to low-medium heat.
- Add the cornmeal flour, flour, brown sugar, and salt into a large bowl and whisk to combine.
- Place the water in a microwave safe bowl and heat in the microwave for 1 minute.
- Then, add the water in ¼ cup increments and all the butter into the cornmeal flour and use a spatula to mix well.
- Once the flour begins to absorb the water and the dough cools off, you can begin mixing with your hands. Mix until there is no dry flour remaining.
- Once the dough is ready (it should look like playdoh and should not stick to your hands) set aside.
- In a blender, add the queso fresco and honey. Remove and place into a small bowl. Use a spatula to squish the crumbled queso fresco so that it becomes creamy and like a paste.
- Next, let’s make the arepas. Take sections of the dough and roll them into a ball. Once you have a bowl, use your fingers to carve out a hole in the middle.
- Grab the queso fresco paste and stuff it into the hole. Seal the arepa, roll it back into a ball, then flatten it to make the arepa shape.
- To make the arepa shape, use the palm of your hands to press the ball until it becomes a disc in between your palms. Rotate the arepa disc to ensure all areas of the arepa are smooth and similar in depth (it should be about 1 ½ inch thick).
- After you get your desired arepa shape, hold your arepa in one hand and inspect the edges. Be sure to tap in any rough or dry edges (you want the edges to be smooth like a circle).
- Lightly grease the pan with butter, and then place the arepas in the low-medium heat.
- Let each side cook for 12 minutes until the cheese melts and it turns crispy on the outside.
- Additionally, because these arepas are so thick, you’ll want to heat the sides. Use tongs to hold the arepa. Then, hold the thick edges on the pan so that it cooks and lightly browns. Repeat for each arepa.
- Top with flaky salt.
- Yields 6 arepas.
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