Arepas – fried cornmeal pockets stuffed with all the fillings you could ever want, like carnitas, spicy chicken, sweet potatoes, black beans, sauces, and more. THESE ARE SO GOOD!
SCALE
INGREDIENTS
arepas:
- 2 cups precooked cornmeal*
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 1/2 cups warm water
- oil for pan frying
filling ideas:
- Chipotle Shredded Chicken
- Carnitas — personal fave
- Magic Green Sauce or other sauce (umm, what other sauce would there be?)
- black beans
- sweet potatoes, sliced into thin pieces and sautéed in olive oil and salt
- red onions (pickled? yum)
- Cotija cheese
INSTRUCTIONS
- Mix the precooked cornmeal and the salt. Add the water and whisk remove any lumps, then stir until combined. Let the mixture rest for 5-10 minutes.
- Using your hands, divide the dough into 8 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and flatten in gently to create a disk, about 1 inch thick (see pictures).
- Heat a thin layer of oil (about 1/4 inch deep) in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the arepas and fry for about 6 minutes on both sides. The arepas should get a dry fried exterior without getting overly brown. Set on paper towels to drain and cool.
- Cut the arepas in half and stuff with your fillings!
NOTES
Precooked cornmeal is also called arepa flour or harina precocida or masarepa. I buy this kind on Amazon. This is not the same as masa harina which is uncooked. This version is COOKED which means you don’t need to bake it all the way through in the same way as you would with masa harina. I am not sure how substitutions would work – but from what I’ve read, the arepa flour really does get a better texture both inside and outside. #worthit
The texture of these is a little corn-cakey, so if the insides are a little sticky that’s okay and good.
