Fast Ed: Chef Ed Halmagyi recreates the South American staple arepas at home

IN the markets of Venezuela and Colombia, you’ll find endless stalls frying small discs of dough to a crisp golden brown. These are arepas. One bite and you’ll be hooked.

Arepas are served up at street stalls in Colombia and Venezuela.

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EVERY region of the world has its own street food. From the satay vendors of Indonesia, to the taco stands of Mexico. From pizza by the slice in Rome, to the spiced kefta of Lebanon.

In the markets and side streets of Venezuela and Colombia, you’ll find endless stalls frying small discs of dough to a crisp golden brown before filling them with all manner of delicious things. These are arepas, and you should be forewarned. One bite and you’ll be hooked.

Crunchy on the outside, cloying and rich in the middle. The dough is made from a traditional maize flour that has been cooked and re-dried, making it better able to absorb liquid. It’s also an unleavened recipe, and as such these little breads are unexpectedly dense.

Arepas made with plantains in Caracas in Venezuela. Picture: AFP Photo/Juan Barreto

The flour needed to make arepas is reasonably easy to come by – the most popular brand is PAN, whose bright yellow bags feature a decidedly pre-modern image of a housewife in a bright red headscarf.

Different formulas exist for arepas, but all come back to a fairly simple rule of thumb – you need just a little more liquid than flour. Add some salt for flavour, and just a little oil to give a smoother texture. The arepa dough should be allowed to sit, covered with a towel, for at least a half-hour before its cooked.

While there are different cooking techniques in different parts of South America (steaming, grilling, barbecuing), frying with a reasonable amount of oil will always give the best results.

Sure, it might not be as healthy, but the flavour is completely worth it. You can fill the arepas with anything you like, just think of it as an alternative to tacos. Slow-cooked pork, slaw, avocado, cheese, egg, hot sauce. All these will work.

Or go a little wild and add some of each. After all, that’s the Venezuelan way.

Fast Ed’s Arepas with pulled pork.

AREPAS WITH PULLED PORK

Ingredients: serves 4

■ 2 cups arepa flour

■ 1 tsp fine salt

■ 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

■ 2½ cups cold water

■ vegetable oil, to fry

■ pulled pork, black beans and slaw, to serve

Method

1. Mix the arepa flour and salt in a large bowl, then stir in the olive oil. Add the water and mix thoroughly until smooth.

2. Form into ½ cup pieces and flatten into discs.

3. Fry in hot vegetable oil for 5 minutes, turning several times, until golden.

4. Drain, then split and serve with pulled pork, black beans and dry slaw.