When I first came to the United States just about two decades ago, it was hard for me to explain to most people I ran into how to make arepas and what they were. In many of my attempts to explain to friends what an arepa was and its shape, I recalled friends from Mexico saying they are like a “fat tortilla” or, in many cases, a “big white cornmeal cookie” that was about a half-inch thick.
Now, fast forward all of these years later, I’m happy to see more Latino and Venezuela restaurants offering arepas, which gives me more time to explain what you can fill them with. In Venezuela, you can eat arepas at any time—for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Let’s make my favorite arepas with ham and cheese to keep things a bit simple.
What You Need to Buy
- You need to buy precooked cornmeal, better known as Harina PAN. You can find the yellow bag of flour in many Latino or International Supermarkets.
- Oil (any kind of oil is fine).
- A good cheese that easily melts. I recommend Chihuahua Mexican cheese.
- Butter – I like good, all-natural butter, so I suggest Irish butter or an Amish butter roll.
- Ham – any ham works!
Ingredients
- 1 pound of Harina PAN (other brands like Maseca or Masarepa)
- 1 tablespoon of salt
- 1 tablespoon of oil
- 4 cups of warm water
Preparation
- Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.
- Slowly start adding the flour, start mixing all ingredients with your hand to avoid lumps.
- Start making balls about the size of your hand and then flatten to about ½” thick.
- In a hot pan, place the arepas and let them cook on each side for about 6 to 9 minutes (just don’t let them burn!).
- Once both sides are cooked, make sure you tap them in the middle, and if the sound is hollow, they are ready to eat.
- With a knife, slice through the middle, remove the excess of cooked cornmeal, and create a pocket.
- Place your ham and cheese inside the arepa and eat!
Side note: You can also fry arepas (arepas fritas) or make sweet arepas (arepas dulces – just add sugar to step 2!)
Enjoy!
