Since posting my recipe for Arepa Boyacense, I’ve had several requests for a recipe for Homemade Arepa Santandereana. It took a few months, but I finally headed to the kitchen to give it a shot. The good news is, they are very easy to make.
This Arepa Santandereana is from El Santander department of Colombia, located in the central northern part of the country, and is made with dried yellow corn masa, crispy pork belly (chicharrón) and cassava.
Good homemade arepas with dried corn are a thing of beauty. If you’ve never tasted these arepas, well, lets just say you’re missing out! Very much like bread, these arepas are best when eaten fresh, straight out of the parrilla or the oven.
This recipe is really not complicated at all, although it does take a little bit of planning since the dried corn needs to be soaked the night before you plan to make the arepas.
If you’re like me, you’ll wonder what took so long to make this delicious and easy arepa recipe?
Buen provecho!
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried yellow hominy corn (Maiz)
- 1/4 cup water or more if needed
- Salt to taste
- 1 cup of diced crispy chicharrón (cooked pork belly recipe here)
- 1/2 cup peeled and grated cassava o yuca
Directions
- Place the dried corn in a large bowl with water and let it soak overnight.
- Rinse and drain. Place it a large pot with salted water and cook over medium heat until the corn is soft, about 2 to 3 hours, stir occasionally, adding additional water if needed.
- Drain and let it cool. Place the hominy corn with the rest of the ingredients in a food processor or food grinder and process until a dough is form. Transfer to a bowl and mix thoroughly. Let mixture stand for 10 minutes.
- Knead and form small balls with the dough. Place each ball between 2 plastic bags and with a flat pot cover, flatten to 1/2 inch or form small patties with your hands.
- Cook the arepas on a clay comal, the oven, or griddle until they are crispy, about 3 minutes on each side, until a crust forms or they are golden brown.
Mayito Castillo says
Deliciosas, tienen un sabor unico, me recuerdan a mi abuelita que las hacia casi todos los dias.
ela@GrayApron says
Oh yeah…I would like these arepas a lot. Pretty yellow and a touch of browning! I thought they had to be fried… 🙂 ela
grace says
what a versatile and delicious creation! i hope arepas find their way to north carolina. soon. 🙂
Lea Ann (Cooking On The Ranch) says
These look delicious. My experiments with pork belly have been a little flawed. Heading over to take a look at your cooked pork belly recipe.
isabel says
Hola. Podría sugerirle que pusiera las recetas de:
Pastel de Pollo
Sudao con albóndigas.
Excelente su blog.
Saludos
Belinda @zomppa says
You now have me trying all sorts of arepas!! Still haven’t quite got the grasp of your craftsmanship.
Platanos Mangoes and Me says
You know me and my areas. By the way I made these and they were a hit
J'Marinde Shephard says
1. there is no link for the pork belly as stated to be “here.” Can you please add this.
2. Isn’t cassava tapioca flour? What is the equivalent amount if I use that instead? I have carpal tunnel and arthritis and try not to grate things, as they pressure on my wrists is very painful.
3. Thank you for this LOVELY page!
Peggy says
Cassava is yuca. Can be found fresh in store or frozen in Spanish stores.
aracelly says
is the cassava or yuca cooked?
Erica Dinho says
Uncooked.
Anonymous says
gracias
aracelly says
por favor el chicharron el frito con piel {garra] o cocinado
gracias
Erica Dinho says
Frito.
aracelly says
gracias ya me pongo en esa tarea
Johana says
Una preguntita, No puedo encontrar el dried corn, me sale la opcion de comprar el que es para hacer pop-corn,O hay uno enlatado que se llama Horminy corn o la harina de maiz de Goya. Me podrías aconsejar cuál sería mejor?
Gracias por tus recetas, un pedacito de mi tierra.
María Garcia says
Me encanta tu receta, pero dime cómo puedo reemplazar el maíz amarillo.
No puedo conseguirlo aquí donde vivo.