I am happy to say that through the movie “Encanto” finally people are learning about Colombian arepa con queso, a gluten-free flatbread made from corn and filled with lots of cheese. So today I am going to present my version of this Colombian staple to you. Arepas are a popular dish in Colombia, you will find many different versions, thick, thin, crispy, with fillings (such as cheese or egg) and at any time of the year. It can be served for breakfast, as a snack, as a side, or even as the main dish. I already introduced the basic recipe for arepas previously. Filled arepas are more common in Venezuela, I also have a recipe on my blog of filled arepas with chicken and guacamole. But today I am presenting arepas with cheese, because Colombians love anything with cheese. I may be mistaken, but arepas with cheese are probably the most popular kind of arepa and will usually be received with excitement.
This coconut cake from Venezuela is called “bienmesabe” (this tastes delicious) for a good reason. If you are a coconut lover, this cake is for you. Coconut sponge is filled with a coconut cream and then covered in meringue and toasted coconut flakes. Not really sure if you can corporate even more coconut flavor into a cake.
Heute gibt es Arepas mit Hähnchen- und Guacamolefüllung. Arepas sind kolumbianische Maisfladen ohne Gluten und werden ähnlich wie ein Döner oder Sandwich als Grundlage für leckere Füllungen verwendet. Eine Arepa-Variante, die mit Käse gefüllt wird, habe ich bereits an anderer Stelle vorgestellt. Heute nehmen wir Arepas her, um sie als Hauptmahlzeit mit Hähnchen und der berühmten Avocado-Creme namens Guacamole zu füllen. Die meisten Leute glauben Guacamole wäre sehr mexikanisch. Dabei sind es die Kolumbianer, die pro Kopf deutlich mehr Guacamole pro Jahr konsumieren. Live erleben konnte ich das in jedem Kolumbienurlaub, Avocados werden überall auf der Straße verkauft, bei jedem Grillfest wird Guacamole serviert. Grund also nun auch hier ein Rezept vorzustellen. Wohlgemerkt, kolumbianisch und deshalb deutlich milder als die mexikanische Variante.
Finally I am introducing the basic recipe for arepas on my blog! Arepas are a flatbread made from cornmeal. They are most popular in Colombia and Venezuela. As a German I have to say that these countries offer the same kind of varieties of arepas as breads are offered here. I already introduced arepas boyacenses, however, so far the basic recipe was missing. The reason being simple, I just felt I still didn’t know how to make perfect arepas even though it only consists of three ingredients, cornmeal, water, and salt. But now the waiting is finally over, below I am offering many tips. Hopefully they will make you confident enough so that your first arepas turn out great from the start. If making the very basic recipe, arepas are naturally gluten-free and vegan.