PURPLE CORN AREPAS – CHICHIGUARE AREPAS

Carolina Caicedo
Sep 18
2 min read

Updated: 12 hours ago

Arepa de maíz morado - chichiguare — Adaptation of corn cariaco arepas

This recipe is very special to me because it’s inspired by an arepa I have never tried in its original version: the purple corn arepa, also known as Arepa de Chichiguare, typical of La Guajira in Colombia.

For many years, cariaco corn has been a staple food for Guajira communities, and these arepas are part of the region’s culinary tradition. The traditional version is prepared with cariaco corn, milk, and costeño cheese.

Since I live in Germany and don’t have access to all of those ingredients, I adapted the recipe using Peruvian purple corn, which I find in some Latin stores and online, and cheeses like feta, kashkaval, or köpfkäse, which work really well as substitutes.

Here’s my version – try it, adapt it, and find your own way of enjoying these arepas.

Arepas con maíz morado — Arepas made with feta cheese

Ingredients for the purple corn arepas:

400 g purple corn
2 cups cheese of your choice (feta, kashkaval, or köpfkäse are good options; add more if you like it cheesier)
Water as needed, or milk
Salt to taste

Preparation:

Wash and soak the corn. Place the corn in a large bowl, cover with plenty of water, and soak for at least 10 hours or overnight.
Cook the corn. Transfer the soaked corn to a pressure cooker with enough water to cover it. In my cooker, it takes about 35 minutes for the kernels to open and soften, but this may vary depending on your pot.
Drain and cool. Drain the cooked corn. You can save the cooking water to prepare a refreshing chicha morada. Let the corn cool slightly so it’s easier to handle.
Grind the purple corn. Pass the corn through a mill or a food processor until you get a somewhat uniform texture.
Prepare the dough. In a large bowl, mix the ground corn with grated cheese (or in chunks, as done traditionally) and salt. Add a little water or milk and knead until you can form a ball that doesn’t crack when pressed – that’s the perfect hydration point.
You can use banana leaves when you make the arepas, so they will have a very particular but delicious flavor.
Shape and cook the arepas. Divide the dough into portions and flatten them into arepa shapes. Cook on a hot skillet or grill. If you have banana leaves, place the arepas on them for a more authentic flavor.
Enjoy hot. Once the arepas are golden on both sides, remove and serve.