Venezuelan Arepas

Подготовка

1. 🥄Preheat oven to 410° F.
2. 🔥Pour the water into a large bowl.

Шаги

1. 🔥Make sure it is room temperature.
2. 🧂Add the salt.

Подготовка

1. 🧂Blend well with a mixer, fork or spatula to make sure it dissolves well.
2. 🍳While you continue to beat the mixture, slowly add the corn meal—a little bit at a time.
3. 🫇Once all the flour is added, keep mixing until the corn meal, water and salt are thoroughly blended and dissolved.

Шаги

1. 🍳Set aside the masa in its bowl.
2. 🫇Let it rest for 5 minutes so that the flour is thoroughly hydrated.
3. 🍽️This type of corn flour does not have any gluten, so it doesn’t need to be kneaded.
4. 🌿The masa should be smooth, firm yet malleable.
5. ✨While waiting for the 5 minutes’ rest, heat your budare (or comal, griddle, cast-iron pan or non-stick pan) over medium heat.
6. 🥄Coat with a little bit of the oil.
7. 🔥Fill a small bowl with water to wet your hands to make the arepas.
8. 🧂Take about 2 Tbsp of the masa in your damp hands.
9. 🍳The masa should fit easily in your palm so that it is easy to shape into a small ball.
10. 🫇Cross your hands, so that one is on top of the other, with the masa ball between them.
11. 🍽️Rotate your right hand in a circle, so that you are at the same time both pressing the masa into a flat disc and keeping its round shape.
12. 🌿arepa making
13. ✨The last step in shaping your arepa is to quickly pass and lightly press the masa disc from one hand to the other until it is about ¾ of an inch thick and 4 inches wide.
14. 🥄Smooth the edges with your fingertips (quickly dip them into the water bowl first) so that they stay as round as possible and without cracks.
15. 🔥arepa making

Подготовка

1. 🫇Place your arepas in batches on the preheated surface of your budare griddle or nonstick pan.

Шаги

1. 🍽️Let each side turn golden, about 4 to 5 minutes per side.
2. 🌿Check them often so that they don’t burn.

Подготовка

1. 🌿Once they are nicely browned on both sides, place the arepas on a baking sheet in your preheated oven for 10 minutes.

Шаги

1. ✨They should be somewhat puffy, so that if you tap an arepa lightly on top, it will sound like you are tapping an empty box.

Подача

1. 🥄Serve arepas hot, whether you stuff with them with your choice of fillings or serve solo to accompany your favorite Venezuelan guiso or stew.