AI-generated image
Arepa de choclo
Sweet corn griddle cakes with cheese
Arepa de choclo: sweet fresh-corn griddle cakes from Antioquia and Boyacá with melting cheese
Along the mountain roads of Antioquia and Boyacá, roadside stalls cook arepas de choclo on wide griddles all day: thick, sweet cakes of blended fresh corn, golden outside and soft inside, folded or topped with a slab of fresh white cheese and a smear of butter. Colombians eat them for breakfast, as a mid-afternoon snack with hot chocolate, or as a quick supper. The usual mistake is a batter that is too wet, so the cakes tear when flipped; it should hold its shape on a spoon, and a little precooked cornmeal fixes a runny batch. Queso campesino and mozzarella are often made with animal rennet, so look for a vegetarian cheese if needed; check the cornmeal pack is gluten free if that matters. Chef's tip: cook them over a medium-low heat; the sugar in the corn burns before the middle sets if the pan is too hot.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 14 oz sweetcorn kernelsfresh, or frozen and thawed
- 2 ⅛ oz precooked white cornmealmasarepa; gluten-free brand if needed
- 1 tbsp sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 oz buttermelted, plus extra for the pan
- 2 tbsp milkonly if needed
To serve
- 5 ½ oz fresh white cheesequeso campesino or mozzarella, sliced; vegetarian if needed
- ⅔ oz butter (optional)to spread
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (4)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Blend 14 oz sweetcorn kernels in a food processor to a thick, slightly coarse purée, scraping down the sides once.
2 minStep 2: Tip into a bowl and stir in 2 ⅛ oz precooked white cornmeal, 1 tbsp sugar, ½ tsp salt and 1 oz butter. Leave for 5 minutes so the cornmeal absorbs the liquid. It should be a thick batter that holds a mound on a spoon; add 2 tbsp milk a spoonful at a time only if it is stiff, or a little more cornmeal if it is runny.
5 minStep 3: Heat a large non-stick frying pan or griddle over a medium-low heat and brush it lightly with butter.
2 minStep 4: Spoon in a quarter of the batter per arepa and spread into rounds about 12 cm across and 1 cm thick.
Step 5: Cook until the underside is deep golden and the edges look set, then flip carefully with a wide spatula.
5 minStep 6: Lay a slice of 5 ½ oz fresh white cheese on each and cook for 4–5 minutes more, until the second side is golden, the middle feels firm when pressed and the cheese has softened.
5 minStep 7: Serve hot, with a little ⅔ oz butter spread over the top.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 340 kcal
- Protein
- 13 g
- Carbs
- 36 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does arepa de choclo take?
- About 25 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Sabudana khichdiSago with peanuts and potato
Sabudana khichdi is the dish that sees Maharashtra through every vrat (fast), from Navratri to Ekadashi, but it's so good that people eat it any day of the week. Soaked sago pearls are tossed in a pan with crushed roasted peanuts, cubes of potato, cumin and green chilli until each pearl turns glassy and separate, then finished with lemon and coriander. It's soft, chewy, nutty and gently hot. Fasting rules vary from family to family, so check yours; this version uses rock salt and no asafoetida, onion or garlic. Traditionally it's cooked in ghee; use ghee instead of oil if you aren't keeping it vegan. Chef's tip: soak the sago in just enough water to cover by the height of the pearls themselves, no more; too much water is the reason khichdi turns into one sticky lump.
Indian
Doi chiraFlattened rice with curd
Nothing is cooked for doi chira, which is why it has been the breakfast of farmers and fishermen in Barisal for generations: flattened rice is rinsed, softened in thick, slightly sour curd and sweetened with jaggery or sugar, then mashed together with a ripe banana. The texture is soft and creamy with a little chew from the rice flakes, and the taste is cool, sweet and tangy. It is eaten on hot summer mornings, at village fairs and as part of the Pohela Boishakh spread, and it is a favourite of children and of anyone fasting who wants something gentle. The usual misstep is soaking the chira for too long, which turns it to paste; a quick rinse is all it needs before the curd does the rest. Chef's tip: use thick-cut chira, not the thin kind for frying, so the flakes hold their shape.
Bangladeshi
BsissaRoasted barley flour with olive oil
A tin of bsissa sits in many Tunisian kitchen cupboards, from Tunis flats to farmhouses in the south: a finely ground flour of roasted barley, roasted chickpeas and spices such as coriander, fennel and aniseed. In the morning a few spoonfuls are worked with olive oil and something sweet into a nutty, crumbly paste, or stirred with water into a thick drink, and it keeps you going until lunch. Travellers and pilgrims once carried it for the road. Roasting your own flour takes 15 minutes and makes a jar that lasts weeks. Sugar and dates keep it vegan; some families use honey. Chef's tip: roast the flours separately over a low heat and stir constantly; the moment they smell like toasted biscuits and turn light tan, tip them out of the pan.
Tunisian