Delicious, traditional Venezuelan arepas recipe. A round bread made from corn flour that are perfect alone or stuff them with your favorite fillings. A delicious gluten-free alternative for bread.
Place water and salt in a mixing bowl. Stir to dissolve the salt.
Add 1 cup of masa to the water and stir with a spoon. Add the remaining masa and mix it well. As the dough thickens, you will need to begin working the dough with your hands.
The dough is ready to shape into arepas when it is firm and no longer sticky. To begin shaping the arepas, wet your hands with clean water and take a ball of dough (about ¼-⅓ cup) and begin to roll it in the palm of your hands.
Once you get to a round ball, you can begin flattening the dough ball as you move it around using just the palm of your hands. The finished arepa should be about the size of your palm and around ¼” thick with smooth, round edges.
Cooking the arepas
Wipe the skillet (preferably non-stick) with a bit of oil and put it over medium heat.
Allow the pan to fully heat up before adding the arepas.
Once the pan is hot, add the arepas to the pan and cook without moving them in the pan for 5-7 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium low and cover the pan with a lid to help the arepas cook a bit faster.
Flip the arepas over when lightly brown and allow them to cook on the other side for about the same amount of time.
You may need to turn them several times cooking for an additional few minutes until the are done. The best way to tell if the arepa is done inside is to tap it, it will make a hollow, thumping sound.
Notes
Expert Tips for Making Venezuelan Arepas:Mix together the water and salt so the salt to dissolve in the water and is more evenly dispersed throughout the dough.If the dough feels sticky after mixed together let it sit to absorb more of the water. If it still feels sticky after sitting, add more masa.To shape the arepas use only the palm of your hand and lightly dampen the palm to keep the dough from sticking.Don't worry if your arepas aren't perfectly shaped, it's most important that they taste great. It takes practice making them to get the perfect round shape.Heat the pan up before cooking the arepas and don’t start cooking until the pan is hot. You can test the pan by adding a drop of water. If it sizzles and evaporates almost immediately it’s time to start.Once you add the arepas to the pan and allow them to cook for 5-7 minutes before turning them the first time. Use a non-stick pan to cook the arepas.The size of the pan matters. The larger the pan, the more arepas you can cook at one time, thus cutting down on the length of time it takes to prepare the arepas.Covering the pan with a lid helps the arepas cook a little bit faster.