How to Make Arepas: Food with Friends

Welcome to Food with Friends

I’m excited to share the very first segment of Food with Friends! Food is a universal language understood by everyone, and it truly has a way of uniting people. I think cooking and eating meals with others opens up doors to understanding. Whether it’s the conversations shared over food, the memories the tastes and smells of food brings us, or the methods and recipes passed down from family, there is just something about food that brings us closer. So, I’d like to introduce you all to this series called Food with Friends, where I cook and share a meal with a friend. Afterwards, I will share the recipe with you all so that you can give it a try. From this, I hope we can all learn a little more about each other and the ways we can connect through food. Let’s get started! We are going to learn how to make arepas!

How to make Arepas: Food with Friends

Today we are making arepas with my good friend Marwil. They are a staple in Mar’s home country Venezuela. Arepas are a corn flour patty typically filled with cheese, meats, and other ingredients. There are popular names for each type of filling such as Reina Pepiada, La Sifrina, La Pelúa, and many more.

A Brief History

Corn has a long and powerful history in all parts of the Americas, from Canada all the way to Peru. Indigenous groups such as Caribs, Arawaks, Timoto-Cuica, and others living in areas that are now Venezuela and Colombia used corn to make arepas. Back then, the process of making the dough for arepas was more laborious, requiring dry corn kernels to be boiled, soaked, and ground. The Harina P.A.N., pre-cooked corn flour, was invented in the 1950s to facilitate the process of making arepas, allowing people to be able to make arepas every day. Today, you’ll find that arepas are eaten for breakfast, lunch, or dinner in Venezuela, Colombia, and all over the world. My first time trying an arepa was back in 2018 from Sus Arepas food truck at Smorgasburg Los Angeles.

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These delicious arepas can be made at home with just a few ingredients. Although arepas are quick and easy to make, they leave a lot of room for creativity. Keep reading for a simple breakdown on how to make arepas and, be sure to scroll all the way down for the full and complete recipe!

This quick 15 minute arepa recipe requires just 3 ingredients: water, Harina P.A.N. (masarepa/pre-cooked cornmeal), salt, and butter. The key here, Mar says, is that you must use Harina P.A.N. Let’s listen to Mar.

You always want to add the water and salt first, and then add the P.A.N afterwards.

Mix the mixture with your hands or a spoon/whisk. What you want is to mix it in quickly in a circular motion so that you don’t form lumps. Initially, the dough will be very liquidy, but as you knead it, you’ll start to get the consistency of dough.

Once the dough is compact and formed, let it rest for about a minute or so to absorb the excess moisture. Afterwards, you can add a little bit more water (if needed) to make the dough smoother. You want to the dough to be smooth and homogenous so that it doesn’t crack when you cook it. While you are letting it rest, you can start heating up your pan. You’ll know the dough is ready when it stops sticking to your hands.

Once the dough is ready, go ahead and split the dough into equal parts and form a small ball by rolling it around in your hand.

Then you want to flatten the ball into a shape like this, similar to a patty, to you get your desired thickness. You can aim for around 1/2 inch in thickness, give or take.

You can heat the pan up with a little bit of oil if you want. Add the arepas into the pan and cook until it is golden on one side. Afterwards, flip it and repeat on the other side. Finish cooking the arepa in an oven for about five minutes.

Serving the Arepas

Now we are at the fun part: filling the arepas. As I mentioned before there are many different types of fillings you can add to the arepas. After the arepas are cooked, insert a knife into the arepa to open it. Then, butter the inside. Mar taught me to scrape off some of the dough on the inside of the arepa and add it to the side of the plate to eat for later. She says this is how the Venezuelans do it! Here are some ways Mar showed me how to fill the arepas.

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I now know I can’t go wrong with eating arepas. There is a place in Atlanta, Arepa Mia, that I have my sights set on visiting. I had so much fun making these with Mar and learning a little bit of the history behind this amazing dish. I can’t wait to make more of these to share with my friends and family back home.

Planning on making this recipe? If you do, tag #pursuitsandpalates on Instagram to share it with us!