COLOMBIAN AREPAS WITH REAL CORN

Carolina Caicedo
Jul 14
2 min read

Street Flavor at Home

I’ve lived in Berlin for 11 years now, and making arepas with real corn at home seemed almost impossible a decade ago. But things have changed! Today, you can easily find trillado corn (peeled dried corn) online or at Latin American and even some Asian stores.

These arepas are special because they carry the full fiber of the corn and that unmistakable authentic street flavor, like the ones grilled on the sidewalks in Cali at 5 in the morning.

After many tries, this is the version I love the most. And no need for strict measurements – it’s all about getting the right texture and taste.

Ingredients

Trillado corn (or whole dried corn – just know it takes longer to cook)
Water
Salt to taste

Look online for “maíz trillado” or check your local Latin or Asian market.

Zubereitung:

Preparation
The night before: Rinse the corn and soak it in plenty of water. Make sure the water level is about 4 fingers above the corn.
Next day: Transfer the soaked corn and water to a pot. I use a pressure cooker (Instant Pot on High) and cook it for about 25 minutes. In a regular pot, it takes an hour or more – just make sure the grain is tender and that it doesn’t dry out.
Grind the corn:
- Old-school, with a manual grinder (fun but heavy-duty!)
- In a food processor, in small batches if it’s not very big
- Or, my go-to: with the KitchenAid grinder attachment, using the medium plate. Super practical and easy to clean!
Add salt to taste and knead by hand. For 500 g of corn, I usually add 1½ tbsp of salt – adjust as needed.
Shape the arepas. I place the dough between two plastic sheets and flatten it with a cutting board. Mine are usually 3 to 6 cm thick, depending on what I’m craving. You can also stuff them with cheese or spread some butter on top.
Grill or pan-sear the arepas over high heat. If you have an arepa grill, even better – just make sure it’s hot enough so the dough doesn’t stick.