I was introduced to Venezuelan Arepas by my husband in 2014 and they quickly became one of my favourite things to eat, especially for breakfast with fried eggs. Traditionally, they are cooked with a budare, a type of metal griddle, round and flat. When I first saw my father-in-law preparing them while on a family holiday in Venezuela, I was curious as in Europe, it is not something we are accustomed to. They are made with pre-cooked white corn flour and although there are different brands available, the most popular one is called Harina P.A.N (not to be confused with any other type of cornmeal flour). There is also the brown corn flour of the same brand which is my favourite. However, for the fried version (they are delicious!), I prefer the white flour. And when it comes to the filling… well, you can rest assured you will love them with pretty much any type of veggies, meat, cheese or the three of them together. You only need to eat arepas once to fall in love! 😋

It makes 6 or 8 arepas

Ingredients:

320 gr of arepa flour

625 ml water

1 tsp salt

Method:

To make the arepas dough, take a medium-sized bowl and add the arepa flour.

Add salt and water to it and mix well for a couple of minutes.

Divide the dough into 6 or 8 portions (depending on how thin you want the arepas).

Form small balls about 10cm in diameter and flatten them with your hands into a disc (not too thin as once cooked, you need to be able to slice them lengthwise to add any filling of your choice). 

Cook them on a pancake pan on medium heat for about 5 minutes on each side. 

When ready, slice them to create a pocket and add some butter.

Fill them up with your favourite meat, veggies, or cheese, and enjoy them while hot.