You would not believe how good these arepas taste just from the list of ingredients. They are not too sweet, they are just perfect. These are arepas from the Andean zones of Colombia, where most of the corn is grown. People stop along highways to buy and enjoy these wonderfully moist, slightly sweet and cheesy corn arepas. They are filled with cheese, baked in brick ovens, and served with butter.
Melado: 1/3 cup grated panela and ½ cup water. Place water and panela in a small pot over medium heat. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Set aside.
Place the corn kernels in a food processor and process for 1 minute. Set aside in a nonreactive bowl.
Grate a little less than ½ pound of the cheese (about 1 cup) and add to the bowl of corn together with the melado, sugar, and salt; mix with a fork.
Spray a 5-inch nonstick pan with cooking oil, or butter it. Heat over medium heat. Pour in ½ cup of the mixture; flatten it with the back of a spoon to form a pancake. Cover and cook for 4 minutes; uncover, cover with a dessert plate, flip over and slide back into the pan to finish cooking another 4 minutes. (The arepa will be very delicate.) Decrease the heat if the arepas are too dark when you turn them.
Slice the rest of the cheese and place ot top in the middle of each warm arepa.
Serve warm with butter on the side.
Chef Coach, Food Nutritionist and Cook in Love with Latin Food, Author of six cookbooks. 40+ years of Experience in the Food Industry & Nutrition
...& the Science of Food
Panderos
Pandeyuca
Pandebono
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