Colombian Cheese Arepas (Arepas de Queso)
These crispy, chewy traditional breads from Colombia are loaded with cheese and take 20 minutes from imagination to table - plus, they're gluten-free.
Arepas are the daily bread for many Colombians and Venezuelans and are often the fuel for rivalry as both countries claim to the serve the best. The truth is, arepas actually predate the borders of these countries and originate in pre-colonial South America. They are a marvel of indigenous cookery, using a special flour called ‘masarepa’. This is a flour made from corn, but what sets it apart from other types of cornmeal around the world is that its cooked prior to grinding. It’s also different to ‘masa harina’ used to make tortillas or the cornmeal used in Asia. The process of making ‘masarepa’ gives the resulting bread a special flavour and texture. For this reason, I recommend sourcing the proper stuff which is fairly easy today given the internet [BEST BUY]. Once you have the ‘masarepa’ in stock, these breads are refreshingly easy and fast to prepare. There’s no kneading or stretching, in fact these breads contain no gluten so you can make the dough, shape it into arepas with your hands and cook them right away. What makes these particular arepas special is the addition of cheese, ‘arepas con queso’. The addition of cheese to the dough creates a richer, chewier texture and a savoury taste. The traditional cheese used for this is queso fresco, a fresh white cheese which is easily substituted with dried, pre-shredded mozzarella. They’re perfect eaten with salsa, scrambled eggs or even dipped into a Colombian hot chocolate for breakfast. Either way, you won’t regret trying them. Let’s go!
INGREDIENTS (makes 6-8x arepas)
300g of ‘masarepa’ cornmeal (P.A.N. brand is best) [BEST BUY] [can not be replaced with Indian-style cornmeal or grits]
1 tsp fine salt
20g melted butter or oil
350-400ml of warm water
250g pre-shredded mozzarella (do not use fresh mozzarella)
WALKTHROUGH
First, let’s make the dough. Into a mixing bowl add the 300g of masarepa flour and 1 tsp of salt. Add 350ml of warm water with the 20g of melted butter or oil. Mix the dough until it holds together as a tight ball. It’s still very dry after mixing for 30 seconds, add up to 50ml more water to help it hold together. Cover the dough and let it rest for 5 minutes.
Now we’ll add the cheese. Break up the dough into rubble. This should be very easy as the dough has no gluten or elasticity. Add the 250g grated mozzarella, mix it into the dough and bring it back together to make a large ball. Keep it loosely covered so it doesn’t dry out. Now we can prepare our pan and shape the arepas.
Now we’ll prepare the pan. Place a heavy-based frying pan or griddle pan onto a medium-high heat. Heat it for 5-6 minutes until evenly heated. Just before cooking, wipe over a small amount of vegetable oil with a paper towel to coat the surface.
Now we’ll shape the arepas. Tear out a piece of the dough that’ roughly size of a medium egg. Press to dough to a disc using back of hand, rotating it to press it as evenly as you can. The edges will have a cracked appearance, which will give you a crunchier result. If you prefer, you can gently smooth the edges with your thumb - this will give you a softer, more rounded arepa. If the arepa breaks apart when shaping - don’t worry - simply press it back to a ball and shape it again.
Place the arepa onto the pre-heated pan/griddle. Press it gently so it meets the hot surface. Cook it for approximately 3-4 minutes per side, adjusting the temperature to get a nice crisp without it burning too much. Some people prefer their arepas lighter or darker, so do experiment with temperatures and cooking times.
Serve your arepas straight away with a salsa, scrambled eggs or any savoury stew. Some Colombians enjoy cheese arepas with hot chocolate for breakfast too. Either way, enjoy and eat them the same day they are made. Any leftover dough and be covered, chilled and used within 2 days.
