Meals with MICA: Arepas

Arepas, native to South America , specifically Colombia and Venezuela , are small corn cakes made ​​from corn flour cooked on a hot plate/griddle (Colombia) or lightly fried and baked (Venezuela) . They can be eaten with and without fillings.

Ingredients

• 2 cups ( 235 g ) corn flour*
• 2 cups ( 235 ml ) of hot water
• A pinch of salt
• Oil

* You can buy already prepared corn flour, such as P.A.N., this brand is widely used in Venezuela. This flour does not contain gluten or preservatives. If you cannot find corn flour, you can replace it with whole wheat flour or regular flour.


Steps

1. First, mix the ingredients. Place 2 cups of corn flour and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Use your fingers or a wooden paddle to stir both ingredients together well. Measure 2 cups of hot water slowly and mix with flour.
2. Knead the mixture. Use your hands to knead flour and water to make a soft but firm dough. Knead until it is smooth and can spin without sticking to your hands or the bowl. If dough is too wet, add flour gradually and continue kneading. If the dough becomes brittle or if it falls apart add a little bit of water. Do it very slowly until the dough has the correct texture.
3. Shape the Arepas. Take a handful of dough and make a ball with it. Then, press with both hands to shape it as if it was a hamburger patty. It must be about an inch thick and about 4 1/2" in diameter. Once they have the desired shape, put them on the tray and repeat the same process until you are finished. If you want to save Arepas to cook for later, you can cover them with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for 3 or 4 days. You can also freeze them before cooking. You should wrap them in plastic one by one and place them in a sealed container. This way you can cook them until several months later.
4. Cook the Arepas. Use a hot plate or griddle to cook them Colombian-style. To fry the Arepas Venezuelan-style, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. When the oil is hot enough, add several Arepas in the pan, and let it fry until one side is browned, for about 3 or 4 minutes. Flip them when you see a dark golden crust. Then put them on a tray and continue the same process.
5. After frying the Arepas and put them on a tray in a preheated oven and bake for about 15 minutes. When you think they are ready, take them out of the oven and hit them gently. If they sound as if they are empty, as if making an echo, they are ready.

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