Venezuelan Arepas, Easy 1-Ingredient Recipe
How to make Venezuelan arepas, which are easy to make with just one main ingredient, corn flour. Learn the right ratio for the arepa dough, how to shape them and how to cook them in a pan.
Servings: 5
Calories: 208kcal
Cost: 0.50
Ingredients
- 2 cups PAN masarepa harina pan 285g
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt 2.5g
- 2 cups water 457g
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, mix PAN masarepa flour and the salt with your fingers.2 cups PAN masarepa harina pan, ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- Pour water into mixing bowl and mix the dough together with your hands until it is well mixed and no dry flour is visible.2 cups water
- Knead the dough for 3 minutes with your hands to fully incorporate the water and allow the masarepa to absorb the water. Check to see if the dough is good by rolling a handful of dough into a ball and then make an impression with a finger. The dough should be soft, moldable and doesn't crack where you made the impression. If it cracks, then the dough needs a little more water. Knead in a few tablespoons of water at a time until it is soft.
- Prepare a plate or flat surface where you can place your prepared arepa patties.
- Make your arepa patties by rolling a portion of dough into a ball about the size of a tennis ball in your hands. (See notes for precise weight measurements per arepa.) Then, gently press the ball a few times to flatten it. We want both sides of the arepa to be as flat as they can be so they come in contact with the pan to cook evenly. Then, lightly smooth the edges all the way around. If your arepa dough is cracking or not staying together when you try to shape your patty, it's too dry. Add the dough back to the bowl, add a little water and knead it all again to incorporate the water.
- Place shaped arepa patty on the plate and continue shaping the rest, until the dough is gone.
- Preheat your flat skillet over medium-low heat for 2 minutes. Place arepas in the pan, gently pressing them so they make contact with the bottom of the pan, leaving plenty of room to flip them. Don't crowd the pan. You may have to do this in more than one batch, depending on the width of your skillet.
- Cook arepas for about 5 minutes without moving them. Then, with a spatula, carefully lift the first arepa you added to see if its browning. If not, continue cooking and possibly increase the heat slightly. If it is golden brown on the bottom, flip the arepas, gently pressing them into the pan so they make contact with the surface of the hot pan.
- Cook another 5 minutes on this side. The arepas are done when they have golden brown to dark brown streaks, the outer layer of dough is crispy and they are very firm to the touch. They should be hot inside but still soft and doughy in the middle.
- If you are making a large batch of arepas and want to keep them warm while you prepare the rest, then heat your oven to 200℉ and place the arepas on a baking sheet in the oven while you finish cooking.
- To fill the arepas, use a clean kitchen towel or pot holder to hold the hot arepa. Then, with a long, sharp knife, cut the arepa ⅔ of the way through to form an open pocket. Stuff with your favorite filling and serve immediately!
Notes
This recipe makes 4-5 large arepas or 8 small ones.
For 4 extra large arepas, make each arepa about 185g
For 5 large arepas, make each arepa 145g
For 8 small arepas, make each arepa 90g
Nutrition
Serving: 145grams | Calories: 208kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 445mg | Potassium: 150mg | Fiber: 4g | Vitamin A: 122IU | Calcium: 81mg | Iron: 4mg
