Arepas Puerto Rican Recipes

HOMEMADE AREPAS

Steps:

• Stir water and salt together in a bowl. Gradually stir corn meal into water with your fingers until mixture forms a soft, moist, malleable dough.
• Divide dough into 8 golf ball-size balls and pat each one into a patty about 3/8-inch thick.
• Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Working in batches, cook corn patties in hot oil until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer cooked arepas to a paper towel-lined plate to drain until cool enough to handle.
• Slice halfway through each cake horizontally with a thin serrated knife to form a pita-like pocket.

AREPAS DE COCO (PUERTO RICAN COCONUT FRY BREAD)

Steps:

• Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Wisk until well combined and add coconut milk. Mix until just combined. Flour your hands and work surface. Then knead dough until completely combined and tacky. Place in a bowl, cover with kitchen towel and let rest for 30 minutes.
• Divide the dough in half. On a floured work surface roll one-half about 1/8 inch thin. Using a glass or biscuit cutter cut rounds in the dough and repeat with remaining dough.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Test oil with a scrap of dough. It should puff and float. Once the oil is hot you can then carefully add dough rounds to the oil. Fry until dough puffs and then turn the rounds. Continue to fry until golden brown.
• Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain and cool. Serve warm and crisp.