Cheesy Arepas

Yes, I've made arepas before but that was the Venezuelan way! Instead of corn patties filled with an assortment of fillings, this Colombian version is stuffed with cheese. Although delicious on their own, I thought I'd accompany them with a spicy roasted pepper sauce made with Dibble Sour Cream! Perfect as a snack or for your next party, it's an easy recipe to take on. Happy cooking!

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 16 minutes

Serves 1-4

Difficulty Easy

Ingredients 

Arepas

• 2 1/2 Cups Hot Water (hottest setting from tap)
• 2 Cups Precooked Cornmeal 
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 Tbsp Vegan Butter, melted
• 1 1/2 Cup Vegan Cheese, Shredded
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil

• 1 Medium Red Capsicum
• 1 Medium Tomato
• 1 Teardrop Chilli 
• 4 Tbsp Dibble Sour Cream
• 1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 Garlic Cloves
• 1/4 Lime, Juiced
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Smoked Paprika

Method 

Roasted Pepper Sauce

1. Carefully char the capsicum, tomato and chilli on an open fire or gas stove. 
2. Peel or scrape away the charred skin and roughly chop the vegetables.
3. Add the vegetables into a high-speed blender along with Dibble Sour Cream, olive oil, lime juice, garlic, salt and paprika. 
4. Blend on high for 30 seconds, scrape down the sides and blend for a further 2 minutes or until smooth.
5. Strain the sauce through a sieve and set aside. 

Arepas

1. In a large mixing bowl, add the water, butter 1/2 cup cheese and salt.
2. Slowly add the cornmeal into the bowl, bit by bit, while using your other hand to thoroughly mix the flour with the rest of the ingredients. 
3. Knead the dough for 5 minutes or until the dough is smooth. The dough will be slightly wet but not sticky. If it's sticky, add a little bit of precooked cornmeal and knead until smooth.  
4. Cover and let it rest for 5 minutes.
5. Rub about 1 tsp of olive oil onto the palm of your hands and pull off a piece of dough about the size of your palm. 
6. Using both your palms, roll the dough into a smooth ball then flatten it into a large circle about 12-13cm wide. 
7. Add 1 heaped Tbsp of cheese to the centre of the dough and fold the outer edge over the cheese. Pinch the edges onto each other to enclose the cheese.
8. Carefully flatten the dough onto your palm into a circle about 9-10cm wide and 2cm thick. Set aside and repeat this for the remainder of the dough. 
9. On a medium pan on medium heat, add 1 Tbsp olive oil and fry both sides of the arepas for 5 minutes each or until golden brown.
10. Place the arepas on a wire rack and bake for a further 6 minutes. 
11. Serve with the roasted pepper sauce.
12. Enjoy!