Arepas with Re fried beans and Guacomole

So the first question comes in mind is what is Arepas? Arepas is a flat, round, unleavened patty of soaked, ground kernels of maize or corn but nowadays its maize meal or flour and you can grilled, baked, fried.

Traditionally, arepas are made by soaking and pounding dried corn in a large mortar and pestle. The moist pounded dough would then be shaped into cakes and cooked. These days, people buy pre-cooked, dehydrated masarepa - Arepa four, which just needs to be mixed with water and salt to form a dough.

Arepas are Latin American food, Mostly Columbia and Venezuela have this one while Columbian areas are made with sweet corn and thin and mostly with cheese as studding, while Venezuelan is more like sandwiches, anything you can fill it up.

Here I am showing you basic stuffing, you can go crazy with your ideas from chicken to pork to lamb to all vegetables. Instead of cover with half of the arepa, you can make it as open sandwich also.

Ingredients for Arepas 

2 cups Flour, I have used this one
1 tsp Salt
2 1/2 cup water

 Ingredients Refried beans : 

1 can refried beans
1 tsp taco seasoning
2 cloves chopped garlic
1 seedless Jalapeno chopped
few drops of Tabasco
1 tsp oil

For the Pico De Gallo 

1 Diced tomato
1/4 cup diced red onion
1 tsp diced jalapenos
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
salt as per taste

Guacamole 

Method : 

Pico de gallo

Chop all the vegetables and add together in a small container, mix well and place the container in the fridge until ready to use. 

Refried beans : 

In a small pan, add oil.
Add garlic and jalapenos and saute till you get a nice aroma, for a minute or so.
Add refried beans, seasoning and little water to lose the mixture.
Stir it nicely and cover it and cook for 5 minutes on slow flame.

Arepas : 

Take the flour in a big bowl, add salt and water and then mixing with your hand and kneading until you have a soft dough. 

Roll the arepas into 2 inch balls, and flatten to cook.

In a pan, add a bit of oil and cook the arepas on medium heat until they are golden brown, about 5 minutes on each side. 

Don't rush the process by putting on high flame, you need it to cook from inside also.

Once the arepas are done the cooking, it’s time for plating!

Half-open each arepa, and add a layer of refried beans, guacamole, pico de gallo, and top with queso fresco if you are using it.

Server together with the rest of the guacamole and arepa, and enjoy!

I had it with the side of leftover Mexican rice. 

You can have this for snack, meal or appetizer or snack. Make it with your favorite ingredients and top it with cheese, gauc, beans but not too much, its tiny to hold lot of things and you have to use it warm once its get cold , it become hard and you have reheat it.