Arepas rellenas recipe

Venezuelan corn cakes made only with precooked corn flour, griddled until hollow-sounding and split open to be stuffed.

50 minutesmedium11 ingredients

Ingredients

• 360 g masarepa
• 500 ml warm water
• 1 tsp salt
• 300 g chicken breast
• 1 avocado
• 3 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 lime
• 400 g black beans
• 150 g white cheese
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 bunch cilantro

How to make Arepas rellenas

1. Dissolve 1 tsp salt in 500 ml warm water, then rain in 360 g masarepa. It must be precooked corn flour such as Harina P.A.N.; polenta, cornmeal or masa harina will not hydrate into an arepa dough.
2. Knead 2 minutes, then rest the dough 5 minutes. It should feel like soft play dough and not crack at the edges when you press it flat.
3. Divide into 5 balls and pat each into a disc 10 cm wide and 2 cm thick, smoothing any cracks with wet fingers.
4. Cook on a lightly oiled griddle over medium heat, 5 to 7 minutes a side, until a tap on the crust sounds hollow.
5. Finish them 10 minutes in a 180°C oven so the inside steams through while the shell stays crisp.
6. For reina pepiada, shred 300 g poached chicken breast and fold it with 1 mashed avocado, 3 tbsp mayonnaise, the juice of half a lime, chopped cilantro and salt.
7. For dominó, warm 150 g black beans and crumble 150 g white cheese over them.
8. Split each hot arepa along one side without cutting through, pull out a little of the soft crumb, and pack the filling in.
9. Eat them at once, while the shell still crackles.

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