Arepas

Arepas, Step by Step

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1. Stir the salt into the warm water, then rain in the masarepa while mixing with your hand.

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2. Knead for 3 minutes until smooth. Add the oil and knead again.

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3. Rest the dough for 5 minutes, then check it: it should feel like soft modelling clay and not crack when you flatten a ball. Work in more water a tablespoon at a time if it does.

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4. Divide into 8 pieces and roll each into a ball, then flatten to a disc 1.5 cm thick and 10 cm across, smoothing the edges with wet fingers so they do not crack.

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5. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or heavy frying pan over medium heat.

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6. Cook the arepas for 6 minutes a side until a crust forms and they sound hollow when tapped.

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7. Transfer to a 200°C / 390°F oven for 12 minutes to cook through and puff slightly.

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8. Meanwhile mix the chicken with the avocado, mayonnaise, lime, spring onion, coriander, salt and pepper.

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9. Split each hot arepa almost in half with a serrated knife, open it like a pitta, and stuff generously with the reina pepiada, or with one of the other classic fillings.

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Small Things That Help

• Masarepa, not masa harina and not polenta. The brands to look for are P.A.N. or Goya.
• Smooth the edges with wet fingers before cooking, or the arepas crack open on the griddle.
• They should sound hollow when tapped. That is how you know the centre has cooked and can be split.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• Out of spring onions? A small regular onion, finely sliced, or a few chives stirred in at the end both cover the job.
• Lemon is the everyday swap for lime in this kind of dish — the acidity plays the same role even though the flavour is not identical.

Serving Suggestions

• A cold beer or a papelón con limón
• Hot sauce
• Black beans and fried plantain

Storing & Reheating Arepas

Cooked arepas keep 3 days refrigerated and freeze 2 months. Reheat on a dry griddle for 4 minutes a side.

Arepas Nutrition

Per serving, an approximate calculation from the ingredient list. Treat it as a rough guide: an ingredient listed without an amount is not counted, so the figures run low; salt added to taste is not counted, so the sodium is low; part of the energy comes from foods, or weights per item, with no recorded source. How the figures are worked out.