Arepas are the typical and traditional food of the region of Venezuela and Colombia. With the immigration of Venezuelans to other Latin American countries, this traditional dish became popular in the rest of the countries. That is why it is very common to walk the streets of Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Santiago de Chile, and Lima and find food trucks selling delicious Venezuelan arepas. Regarding the preparation, we want to point out that PAN flour is a recognized and typical brand in Venezuela, it is marketed in the rest of the Latin American countries, that is why I recommend buying it, it is of good quality and easy to get. And the important thing is that it is precooked flour, since there are corn flours that are not precooked and when making the arepas they are shelled.
Ingredients to make Vegetarian Arepas:
For the mass:
- 2 cups of flour (280 grams)
- 2½ cups of water (600 milliliters)
- 1 dessert spoon of oil
For the filling:
- 10 basil leaves
- 1 zucchini
- 1 garlic
- 1 onion
- 1 bell pepper
- 2 eggs
- 2 tomatoes
How to make Vegetarian Arepas:
To start with the recipe for vegetarian arepas, you must first prepare the dough. To do this, add two cups of cornmeal, oil and salt to a container. Also add water and stir with a spoon at a time, thus trying not to form lumps. The dough should be consistent and with a certain elasticity. In the photo you can see how the dough should look. You must let it rest for 10 minutes so that the flour absorbs the remaining water.
Tip: if the dough does not have the desired shape and is more liquid, you can add more flour to make it stick. Once the dough has the necessary consistency, proceed to distribute it approximately in ten equal parts forming ten buns. Choose a bun and flatten it, you must take into account that it should be circular in shape and 1.5cm thick. Add it to the pan over medium-low heat and leave it between 5-8 minutes. You should not move the arepa until approximately 5 minutes have passed. When you see that one of the parts is cooked, you should turn it over. Repeat the process with the other part and remove them. Let them rest for 10 minutes to be able to open them. For the filling of the vegetarian arepas, you must chop in brunoises, that is, in small cubes, the onion, the bell pepper and the garlic clove. Heat the oil in the pan over high heat and add the garlic, as soon as it browns, also add the bell pepper and onion.
After approximately 5 minutes, add the zucchini and onion. The latter should be quite golden. After seasoning and the zucchini has cooked, lower the heat and add the two eggs. Start stirring with a spoon. The healthy vegetarian arepas recipe is almost here! Cut the tomato and chop the basil. Add these two ingredients to the rest of the filling.
Open the arepa in the middle with a knife and add the filling to it. Now you can enjoy these delicious vegetarian arepas!
Other fillings for vegetarian arepas
In addition to this filling that we have proposed, you can fill the vegetarian arepas with other ingredients, such as: mushrooms, spinach, tofu, dehydrated tomato, cheese, among others. This recipe is ideal to accompany with different sauces, beans, vegetables, cheeses, among other preparations.
