These crispy-on-the outside-soft-on-the-inside english muffin-like discs deftly transition from breakfast to lunch any day of the week. Shown here with a white bean and avocado filling (recipe included), you can load these up with your favorite sweet or savory filling, instead.
Arepas originated in the region that now spans Columbia and Venezuela and are traditionally made from corn. Today there are dozens (upon dozens) of distinct ways to prepare this naturally gluten free bread. Each one of the techniques involve transforming a handful of simple ingredients into irresistible deliciousness. This recipe was inspired by America’s Test Kitchen. The challenge is that my son doesn’t tolerate the corn-based masarepa that is the foundation of most recipes. To get around this, I used cream of rice to develop this alternate approach that is yeast free, corn free, soy free, xanthan gum free, nightshade free, Low FODMAP, gluten free, plant-based and vegan.
Working through this recipe made me realize why our ancestors did not document measurements. Sometimes you just need a little time and experience to get it right. At times I need 1.5 cups of water in the batter to get the right arepa texture, at other times I need a 2 full cups. It’s possible this may take a trial or two to figure out what works best for you. With that thought in mind…
let’s begin! Jump to Recipe
Dry Roast the Cream of Rice
Preheat a heavy bottom skillet at medium heat. Add dry cream of rice to the heated skillet and stir frequently using a flat wooden or metal spatula. Cook until the granules are evenly roasted, about 10 minutes. The batch should be fragrant and golden in color.
Prepare the Arepa Batter
Combine the olive oil, baking soda, cream of tarter, salt, water and dry, roasted cream of rice in a high speed blender. Start with only 1.5 cups of water. Run for about 30 seconds to a minute. Add more water, as needed, up to 2 cups, to get a consistency that is somewhere between that of wet cookie batter and thick cake batter and sticky. Transfer to a bowl.
Note: The batter will be a bit grainy but the smoother the batter, the more pliable the arepa.
Cook the Arepas
Preheat a heavy bottom skillet or fry pan at medium heat.
Scoop out the batter in about 1/3 cup increments. Shape into roughly half-inch thick patties and begin to place onto the preheated skillet. Pan fry until golden on the first side, about 5 minutes. Flip and cook until golden on the second side, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack. Repeat with the remaining batter.
Rest for about 5 minutes, or cool enough to handle. Slice in half with a knife or pry open with a fork, and fill with your favorite sweet or savory filling. For best results, serve immediately.
Prepare the Filling
Rinse and strain a 15oz can of white beans (I used great northern beans here). Place half the beans in a food processor with the oil, lemon juice, cumin, salt and fresh cilantro. Pulse or process until it achieves the desired consistency.
Recombine the processed/pureed mixture with the whole beans. Cube 1 or 2 avocados and add to the mixture. Add chopped celery or fennel for added crunch. Combine with salt and lemon juice to taste, as shown above. I kept things simple this time around but feel free to get creative here and add vegan cheese, mayonnaise, chili pepper powder (if eating nightshades) etc, to make these flavors pop for you.
Fill the arepas and serve!
Arepas
Ingredients
Arepas
- 2 cups cream of rice idli rava
- 1.5 cups warm water Up to 2 cups
- 1/4 cup olive oil For the batter
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp cream of tarter
- 1/3 cup frying oil for frying; 1 tbsp per arepa
White Bean and Avocado Filling
- 1 can white beans, any variety 1.75 cups
- 1 tbsp chopped / minced cilantro to taste
- 1 tbsp lemon juice to taste
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt to taste
- 1 tsp cumin
- 2 avocados, peeled and cubed
Instructions
Dry Roast the Cream of Rice
- Stove top: Preheat a heavy bottom skillet at medium heat. Add the dry cream of rice. Use a flat wooden or metal spatula to stir frequently to allow the granules to heat evenly. After a few minutes the cream of rice granules should start to become golden brown on the bottom layer. Keep stirring to evenly roast the cream of rice until it is fragrant and golden in color, about 10 minutes. Oven: A more hands free option would be to bake the dry cream of rice on a parchment-lined baking sheet at 250 F in an oven until fragrant, about 20-30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. This step can be done a week or more in advance. To store the roasted cream of rice, cool to room temperature and transfer to a sealed container. Stored in a dry, cool location and use within a month.
Prepare the Arepa Batter
- Combine the olive oil, baking soda, cream of tarter, salt, water and dry, room temperature roasted cream of rice in a high speed blender. Run for about 30 seconds to a minute. The consistency will be somewhere between thick cake batter and wet cookie batter.
Cook the Arepas
- Preheat a heavy bottom skillet at medium heat.
- Scoop the batter in ~1/3 cup increments. Shape into roughly half-inch thick patties and place onto the preheated skillet. I usually cook 2-3 at a time. Add 1 tbsp of oil per arepa (or more) and pan fry until golden on one side, about 5 minutes. Flip and cook until golden on the second side, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack. Repeat with the remaining batter.
- Let the arepas rest until cool enough to handle. Serve as-is, sliced in half like an english muffin, or pried open like a pocket. However you do it, these taste great topped or stuffed with a sweet or savory filling. For best results, serve immediately.
Prepare the Filling
- Rinse and strain a 15 oz can of white beans (navy, cannelini, great northern, etc.), about 1.75 cups.
- Place 1/2 the rinsed beans in a food processor with cumin, chopped cilantro, lemon juice, oil and salt to taste. Process until the mixture is as smooth and creamy as possible.
- Combine the creamy bean mixture with the whole beans in a mixing bowl. Slice/cube an avocado into 1/2" pieces and add to the mixing bowl. Combine. Add any additional salt, lemon juice or black pepper to taste and set to the side.
Notes
Updated Recipe Notes on 5/23/19.
Tried this recipe or just have something fun to share? I’d love to hear about it. 🙂
