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Arepas boyacenses
Cheese-stuffed sweet arepas
Arepas boyacenses: thick, sweet corn-and-wheat arepas from Boyacá stuffed with fresh cheese
ColombianRoadside stalls on the highway from Bogotá to Tunja sell these golden, puffed discs straight off the griddle. Unlike the plain arepas of Antioquia, the boyacense mixes yellow corn with wheat flour, butter and a little sugar, and it hides a layer of fresh cheese that melts as it cooks, so each bite is sweet, salty and buttery at once. Eat them warm with coffee, hot chocolate or a cup of aguapanela. Queso campesino or cuajada is traditionally set with animal rennet; choose a vegetarian mozzarella or other microbial-rennet fresh cheese. The trap is cooking them on a high heat: the sugar browns fast and the middle stays raw and doughy. Chef's tip: keep the griddle at low-medium and give them time; a slow cook gives a thin crisp crust and lets the cheese melt fully.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the dough
- 7 oz precooked yellow corn mealmasarepa amarilla
- 5 ½ oz plain flour
- 1 ¾ oz sugaror grated panela
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 ⅛ oz buttersoftened
- 1 ¼ cups whole milkwarm
For the filling and cooking
- 7 oz fresh cheesequeso campesino, cuajada or mozzarella, grated; traditionally made with animal rennet; use a vegetarian (microbial-rennet) cheese
- ½ oz butterfor the griddle
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Mix 7 oz precooked yellow corn meal, 5 ½ oz plain flour, 1 ¾ oz sugar and ½ tsp salt in a bowl. Rub in 2 ⅛ oz butter until it disappears.
Step 2: Pour in 1 ¼ cups whole milk and knead into a soft, smooth dough that doesn't crack at the edges when pressed. Cover and rest for 10 minutes.
10 minStep 3: Divide into 12 balls and press each between two sheets of baking paper into a 10 cm disc about 5 mm thick.
Step 4: Scatter 7 oz fresh cheese over 6 discs, leaving a 1 cm border. Cover with the other discs and press the edges firmly together to seal.
Step 5: Heat a heavy griddle or frying pan over a low-medium heat and grease it lightly with ½ oz butter.
Step 6: Cook the arepas, in batches, until the underside is golden with darker spots and the edge looks set.
6 minStep 7: Flip and cook the other side until golden and the arepas feel puffed and slightly springy when pressed in the middle. Serve hot.
6 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 430 kcal
- Protein
- 13 g
- Carbs
- 56 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does arepas boyacenses take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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