Arepas
Crisp-outside, tender-inside corn cakes split and stuffed to order: the reina pepiada filling of chicken and avocado made these famous, and the dough takes five minutes.
The whole recipe in 60 seconds
Arepas, in 5 ideas
- Masarepa is pre-cooked corn flour, and it is the only flour that works. Regular cornmeal makes gritty, raw-tasting cakes.
- The dough should feel like soft play dough. Too dry and the edges crack, too wet and the arepas slump.
- A hard sear sets the crust, then the oven finishes the center. Arepas griddled the whole way stay doughy inside.
- Split them while hot with a thin. Knife and scoop out a little of the soft center if you like a crispier pocket.
- Fillings are a free-for-all. Black beans and cheese, perico eggs, pulled beef. Reina pepiada is just the queen of them.
What you need
Ingredients
- 2 cups masarepa (pre-cooked white corn flour)
- 2 1/2 cups warm water
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tbsp oil
- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
- 1 ripe avocado
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
- 1/2 small red onion, finely diced
- Lime juice, to taste
How to make it
Method
Stir the masarepa, warm water, salt and oil together. Rest 10 minutes, until the dough is soft and holds together without cracking.
Divide into 6 balls and flatten between your palms into discs about 4 inches across and 3/4 inch thick, smoothing any cracked edges with wet fingers.
Sear in a lightly oiled heavy pan over medium heat for 5 minutes per side, until golden with dark spots.
Move to a 350 °F (175 °C) oven for 10 minutes, until the arepas sound hollow when tapped.
Meanwhile mash the avocado with the mayonnaise, lime juice and salt, and fold in the chicken, cilantro and onion.
Split the hot arepas three-quarters open, fill generously with the chicken and avocado, and eat at once.
Arepas reheat beautifully in a dry pan or toaster oven; make a double batch and tomorrow's lunch is halfway done.