Arepas De Harina Venezuelan Flour Arepas Recipes

HOW TO MAKE AREPAS WITH CORN FLOUR

Steps:

• The traditional arepas recipe only requires corn flour, water and salt, so in addition to being delicious they do not contain gluten and so are perfect for people with celiac disease. However, if you want to get a much smoother and tastier dough, you can add a little milk and a teaspoon of butter to the mix. Your arepas will be simply delicious.It is important to note that the corn flour we use is not the same as cornstarch, which is sometimes also called 'cornflour'. Cornstarch is a very fine flour most often used as a thickening agent for sauces and stews, etc. The corn flour used for arepas is also known as maize flour and is made from ground cornmeal, although not as fine ground as cornstarch. Specifically, it is called masa flour as it has undergone the process of nixtamalization. Make sure you buy the right kind as cornstarch will not be coarse enough to make arepas.
• The arepa dough should always be soft and easy to shape. If it is hard then the end result will also be hard, which will make it difficult to enjoy and digest them.To keep your arepas soft and delicious, start by mixing a half cup of warm water with a half cup of whole milk, skimmed milk or lactose-free milk (whichever you prefer). Add a teaspoon of salt and stir. If you want to, you can make it without milk and instead use two cups of water.
• Add butter if you want to give the dough some more flavor. Then start gradually adding the corn flour while mixing it by hand. Do not put it all in at once or you run the risk of the dough becoming very tough.Stop adding the flour when the dough is compact but still soft and easy to shape. If you feel that it has become too hard, just add a little more liquid.
• Turn the oven to 250°C (482°F) to preheat it and place a non-stick skillet over medium heat at the same time so that it warms up. You do not need to add any oil.Now it's time to make arepas. Make balls with the dough and then flatten them gently to form a sort of round bread, about the thickness of a finger. The size of the arepa is basically however you want to cook them.
• Place the arepas in the pan on medium heat in order to brown and seal them. It is important not to make it too hot as they might burn on the outside and remain raw on the inside.Once golden brown and sealed, put them in the oven for 5 minutes on each side. Although many people skip this step and only do them in the pan, this final touch allows the arepas to become crispy on the outside but soft and cooked on the inside.
• When your arepas are browned on the outside, they're ready to be eaten. Now you just need to open them and fill them with whatever you want: ham and cheese, chicken, beef, etc. There is a long list of delicious possibilities to make a delicious and very complete meal. Bon appetite!

HOW TO MAKE AREPAS (3 INGREDIENTS!)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 C). Set out a baking sheet and line with parchment paper. And to a large mixing bowl, add water and salt. Stir to combine and dissolve salt.
• A little at a time, add the areparina and stir with a whisk or your hands (our preferred method). You may work your way all the way up to two cups, although we typically have 1-2 Tbsp leftover. You're looking for a dough that doesn't easily stick to your hands, is moldable and moist, and can be rolled into a ball. Once you have that consistency, cover with a towel for 5 minutes. We did mix both white and yellow areparina as inspired by Teote (optional).
• Uncover, grab a large handful of dough, and roll into a ball (as the recipe is written, our batch made 6 large arepas, but it could also make 8-10 smaller arepas).
• Carefully press the ball between the palms of your hands to form into a roughly 1/2-inch thick disc (for thinner, crispier arepas, press closer to 1/4 inch). If it cracks a lot on the sides, your dough may need 1-2 (15-30 ml) more water. A little cracking is OK - just use your hands to close the cracks by gently patting along the edges (see photo).
• Once the arepas are formed, heat a large cast-iron or non-stick pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add a little oil and swirl to coat. Then add arepas, giving them a little room in between so they don't touch. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until deep golden brown (a few blackened spots are OK). You're looking to form a crust. Then flip and cook for 2-3 minutes more or until the underside is also browned.
• Transfer to your parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 15-18 minutes or until slightly puffed up and a little more golden brown in color. Some people like to slice into them immediately, but I find they can be a little doughy in the middle at that stage, so I prefer to let them cool for 5-10 minutes and serve while they're warm but not piping hot.
• To enjoy, slice in half and enjoy as is, spread both sides with vegan butter and a little maple syrup (YUM), or cut the arepa 3/4 of the way around, leaving a seam on the edge so you can "stuff" it like a pita. Fillings could include everything from black beans to rice to guacamole or even our Vegan Barbacoa!
• Best when fresh. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator up to 3-4 days or in the freezer up to 1 month (cooked or uncooked). Reheat in a 350-degree F (176 C) oven until warmed through. If reheating frozen uncooked arepas, I'd recommend letting them thaw first and cooking them as instructed.

AREPAS

Steps:

• Combine arepa flour and salt in a medium bowl. Make a well in the center and add 2 1/2 cups warm water. Using a wooden spoon, gradually incorporate dry ingredients, stirring until no dry lumps remain. Let rest 5 minutes to hydrate.
• Knead dough a few times in bowl, then divide into 8 pieces. Roll each piece on work surface into a ball, then gently flatten to about 1/2" thick.
• Heat 1 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 4 arepas, cover, and cook until golden brown, 6-8 minutes. Uncover, flip, and cook (keep uncovered) until other side is golden brown, 6-8 minutes. Transfer arepas to a wire rack.
• Repeat with remaining 1 tablespoons oil and dough.
• Split arepas and stuff with desired fillings; serve with lime wedges for squeezing over.

HOMEMADE AREPAS

Steps:

• Stir water and salt together in a bowl. Gradually stir corn meal into water with your fingers until mixture forms a soft, moist, malleable dough.
• Divide dough into 8 golf ball-size balls and pat each one into a patty about 3/8-inch thick.
• Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Working in batches, cook corn patties in hot oil until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer cooked arepas to a paper towel-lined plate to drain until cool enough to handle.
• Slice halfway through each cake horizontally with a thin serrated knife to form a pita-like pocket.

HOW TO MAKE VENEZUELAN AREPAS

Steps:

• Wash your hands
• In a medium bowl add water and salt. Mix until the salt is dissolved.
• Slowly add the harina P.A.N. Mix with your hands, making circular movements and breaking with your finger the lumps that may form. Let rest 5 minutes to thicken.
• Preheat a non-stick 11-inch square griddle over medium heat. If you don't have a griddle you can use a skillet instead.
• After 5 minutes add the oil to the dough and work it in with your hands for 2 minutes. The dough should be firm enough holds its shape without cracking when molded. If it is too soft add a little more of harina P.A.N; if too hard add a little more water.
• Divide the dough into 4 equal portions. Form 4 balls. Then flatten them gently until they're about 1/2-inch thick discs.
• Place the discs on the preheated griddle and cook the arepas for 5-7 minutes on each side or until lightly golden brown.
• Split each arepa in half and fill them with whatever you like: cheese, ham, egg, beans, chicken, beef, tuna ... your creativity is the limit!
• Serve hot.

AREPAS DE HARINA (VENEZUELAN FLOUR AREPAS)

Steps:

• Sift the all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour and salt into a large bowl. If bits of flour remain after sifting, dump those into the bowl as well. Evenly distribute the flour and salt with your fingers, if necessary.
• Spread your fingers apart and make a claw with one hand and start circling the flour mixture. Drizzle in the oil slowly with your other hand, while continuing to circle with your fingers to create little pea-sized clumps. Squeeze any larger chunks and separate them with your fingers.
• Pour about a couple of tablespoons of the warm water into a corner of the bowl and mix a mound of flour with your hand, staying in that corner, until the water is absorbed and a clump of dough forms. It should feel malleable but dry. Remove this dough to a work surface and repeat with another mound of flour, until you have a couple of tablespoons water left, each time removing the newly formed dough to the existing pile. When there is just a little flour left, add the water a teaspoon at a time, using just enough to gather most of the flour. You may not use all the water -- it's better for the dough to be too dry than too wet.
• Combine all the mounds of dough into one and knead on your work surface until it all comes together, 1 to 2 minutes. If the dough is too sticky, lightly dust the work surface with whole-wheat flour. If the dough is still crumbly, knead in a couple of drops of water until the dough holds together but is not sticky. The dough should be dry enough that you do not need to flour your work surface.
• Shape the dough into a vertical log and knead the dough a little at a time, starting at the top and working towards you: Fold over 1 inch and knead; then fold over 3 inches, knead again; fold over 4 inches and knead; and so on, until the dough accumulates on the sides, forming a horizontal log. Position the log vertically again and repeat this process 7 more times. Once you are done, the dough should be smooth and uniform.
• Roll the dough into a neat log and cut into 6 equal pieces, each weighing a little less than 4 ounces. Working with 1 piece at a time, knead the edges of the dough into the center, turning the dough a little after each knead until turned 360 degrees. Gather all of the edges and bring them together in the center, then push the center down gently to resemble a flattened soup dumpling that's as round as possible. Flatten it slightly, remembering which side has the gathered ends -- we'll call this side the "tail" and the more smooth side, the "face."
• Heat a medium cast-iron skillet over medium-low heat or a nonstick skillet over medium. Lightly oil the cast-iron with a paper towel. If you have a good nonstick skillet, no need to oil it.
• Roll out each arepa, tail-side down, to about 6 inches in diameter. Cook in the skillet, face-side down, until the face is opaque, 35 to 40 seconds. All we want is a very superficial, even cook on the skin -- it should be mostly pale but a couple of little light brown freckles are okay. Flip and cook until the bottom is completely opaque with some larger golden brown spots, 90 seconds to 2 minutes. A little char is normal. Flip a final time and watch your arepa puff up! If you see a small hole in the arepa, push down with a spatula to trap the air in. When the arepa has puffed up, about 30 seconds, remove to a towel or napkin and wrap to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining arepas and serve immediately.
• For serving, you can cut the arepas into half-moons and stuff them or you can slice them into two rounds and sandwich your filling between the rounds. My favorite fillings are black beans and queso duro (a salty, hard white cheese), or ham, crema and queso duro. I also like to stir together some crema with grated queso duro to spread inside the arepas. We also serve plain arepas as sides for other meals.