Basic Grilled or Griddled Arepas
Traditionally, arepas are made by soaking and pounding dried corn in a pilón—a large mortar and pestle. The moist pounded dough would then be shaped into cakes and cooked. These days, most folks buy pre-cooked, dehydrated masarepa—arepa flour—that only needs to be mixed with water and salt to form a dough. Masarepa is pretty widely available in the United States (check the latin aisle of your supermarket: Goya, PAN, and Areparina are popular brands). It comes in both yellow and white varieties. I usually use the white masarepa.
Making arepa dough takes a bit of practice, but if you’ve ever made tortillas, you’re off to a good start. The key is to use only as much moisture as is necessary to get a dough that doesn’t crack when you shape it. Too much water and you’ll end up with dense, gummy arepas. The simplest arepas use only water and salt, but I find a bit of oil helps to keep them softer and moisture as they cook.
