👨‍🍳 Kitchen items I love:
👉👉👉 P.A.N. White Corn Meal: https://amzn.to/36zJeB4
👉👉👉 Yellow Corn Masarepa GOYA: https://amzn.to/3r3Fb7Q
👉👉👉 8 Inch Cast Iron Tortilla Press: https://amzn.to/2NV3lTM
👉👉👉 IMUSA USA Arepa Grill 9.5-Inch: https://amzn.to/3an3ert

If you have traveled through Colombia or Venezuela, this video is for you. And if you haven’t, this video is  also for you. Learn how to do arepas con queso step by step. 

The arepa is a grilled cornmeal cake served in Latin American cuisine. This delicious, yet simple dish, is associated with the national cuisines of Colombia and Venezuela. Did you know that it received its name from from the Indigenous word for Corn “erepa” used by the Caribs? We should not forget that the use of corn its key in understanding the identity and gastronomy of the Americas.

shhhh Can you hear that?  what if I told you that this music has been specifically composed for this video. Pretty cool ¿eh? (point and show lower label)

In this video I am going to show you how to do arepas con queso. And no, no, no… I am not going to do it by myself. I am going to have an expert help us through the recipe. Once in a while,  we will have Alexx, our mystery chef, show us very simple recipes from around the world 

Hola Kike! Today we are going to make Arepas de Queso Colombianas! For this recipe, it is best if you can use masarepa or cooked corn flour. You can usually find the flour in white and yellow corn and the PAN brand is the best. It can be found at many mercados around the world. If you cannot find this, you can use finely ground grits or polenta. We are going to use the white corn flour for our recipe today! 

Welcome to the Explorers Cookbook. My name is Kike Calvo, photographer and entrepreneur. In this video you will learn, step by step, how to prepare arepas colombianas con queso. You will no longer have the excuse to say ¨I don’t know how to make arepas¨. All the recipes by our mystery chef will be so simple to cook, that even the  most uninspired chefs in every household will be able to excel.  So lets explore the world of arepas
con queso. To prepare 4 arepas, you will need:

Alexx, can you please show us how to prepare arepas con queso?  Mixing Bowl, Plate or Pan to Flatten Dough, Parchment Paper or Plastic Wrap, Frying Pan, Spatula

To start, we are going to add warm water Then, slowly add the masarepa and combine with your hand as you pour to get any lumps out  You want to gently combine and knead as you go so that the dough does not get overworked 

If you knead the dough too much, it may become dry and crumbly and hard to form balls . Once all of your masarepa is combined, add half of your butter and mix well into the dough. Mix until the butter is combined, then add the shredded cheese I like to use mozzarella because it gets melty but isn’t too wet 

Now, Take the rest of your butter and set it aside Add the salt and knead until everything is combined I like to use parchment paper for this next step but you can use plastic wrap or a ziploc bag too.

The parchment paper is nice because it is a smooth surface for stretching the dough and also, can be reused  Now we are going to take our dough and split it into 4 pieces. 

Take 1 piece and start to form a tight ball by rolling and molding it between your palms. Once you have a nice smooth ball, place it on your surface and fold the paper (or plastic) over the top .

Now comes the fun! We get to smoosh our balls into arepas! Grab a sauce pot, lid or a rolling pin.  Whatever you have on hand that you will be able to get a nice flat surface with. 

We are going to flatten the dough all the way around evenly until it is about 1/3 – 1/4 inch thick. Set aside your prepared arepa and continue to roll and shape the rest of your dough balls .

Once you have the balls nice and flattened and round, it is time to cook!  We are going to take half of the remaining butter and spread it across a very hot pan 

Then, gently lay your arepas on the surface, feel free to spin them around so they get a nice coating of the butter. 

We are going to cook the first side for 3-5 minutes depending on when they get a nice golden brown, crispy outside.  Flip them and cook the other side for 2-3 minutes until it is also golden brown  Once they are ready, set them aside and top with more shredded cheese if you would like to. I also like to keep  the oven on very hot and put my prepared arepas on a sheet tray in the hot oven so that they stay warm and the  cheese on top gets melty 

Cook the rest of your arepas, but this time it may go a little bit faster as the pan is already hot. I like to spin them  around as they cook and check the first side after 3 minutes just to make sure they don’t burn 

And now we eat! This simple, delicious recipe is a classic of Colombia and can be eaten so many ways. We like to  layer slices of cheese and salsa picante between them but you can also top them with eggs, avocado, beans  or sweet toppings.

Thanks for cooking Arepas de Queso Colombianas with me Kike! See you next time…Ciao! 

Thank you Alexx. We hope to see you soon. Thats all dreamers. Thank you for watching this channel, and please don’t forget to subscribe. We truly appreciate your likes and comments. And please, above all, do Never Stop Dreaming!