Cheese Arepa (Venezuelan Griddled Cornmeal Cheese Pocket)
Quick answer
- Total time
- 30 min
- Level
- Easy
- Servings
- 4 servings
- Ingredients
- 6
About this dish
In Venezuela and Colombia, arepas play the role of everyday bread: griddled discs of pre-cooked cornmeal dough with a golden crust and a soft center.
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They trace back to pre-Columbian peoples who ground maize on stone, and street vendors in Caracas and Bogota still sell them around the clock. This version splits each one into a pocket and fills it with mozzarella that melts against the warm corn. The dough uses only masarepa, water, salt, and butter, with no yeast, so the flavor stays toasty and lightly sweet from the corn. Dough that cracks needs a little more water, and edges smoothed with wet hands are less likely to split on the griddle.
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1
Warm 320ml water to about 40C, then add 1 tsp salt and 20g butter in a bowl.
Stir until the butter melts completely and the salt is evenly dissolved before adding the cornmeal.
- 2
Add 240g precooked cornmeal all at once and mix with a spatula for about 3 minutes.
When no dry patches remain, let the dough rest for 5 minutes so the meal absorbs the liquid fully.
- 3
Press the rested dough with your hand to check that it feels soft and does not crack heavily.
If it splits at the edges, add water 1 tbsp at a time until it holds shape without sticking.
- 4
Divide the dough into 8 portions and shape each into a disc 8 to 9cm wide and about 1.5cm thick.
Smooth the edges with lightly wet hands so they are less likely to split during cooking.
- 5
Heat 1 tbsp cooking oil in a pan over medium heat until the surface looks glossy.
Add the arepas and cook 4 minutes without moving, then flip and cook 4 minutes more until both sides form a golden crust.
- 6
When the arepas are cool enough to handle, split each one without cutting all the way through to make a pocket.
Divide 160g mozzarella among them, return to medium-low heat, and warm 1 to 2 minutes until melted.
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