I never thought I could hear a smile, instead of seeing a smile, but when Chef John says, "as always enjoy", at the end, you can hear, the smile on his face, I can anyways.
+Carol Napolitano I hear a tormented soul, suffering from a bad cayenne addiction, who longs to be loved, cries himself to sleep, and has nightmares of processed food chasing him through his herb garden. I hear a man who wakes up in a cold sweat, and screams "why!", while clutching a picture of his childhood pet iguana. I visualize a man who stands naked in front of his bathroom mirror and verbal assualts himself in the voice of his mother.......... . but I could be wrong.
I am from Venezuela and I personally think it's really cool that people from other countries enjoy our cooking, and that they make their own version of the recipes :)
Hey chef Jhon! A tip from a Venezuelan. With the arepa maker you don't have to bother making the shape of the Arepa just make a rounded shape and when you close it, it will make the perfect shape for you. Just don't make it as thick and it will get crunchier. To know the right consistency you have to make sure it doesn't crack and it's nice and smooth. If you put the right amount you won have to turn it over. Do no open it until more than half circle has gone trough. I hope this makes your life easier :) also. Search for the reina pepiada recipe I'm sure you are gonna love it
UPDATE! As viewer AFB just brilliantly pointed out on my blog, you can certainly just place your dough balls in the maker and let it press them down into patties for you. I like the smoother edges hand-shaping provides, and I did make sure they were thicker than the press is deep, so that both sides are in contact. I may do an updated test to see how this faster and more traditional use of the press works.
I love how every once in a while, I feel like I must have seen every foodwishes video there is, then I find one more, which leads to like thirty new ones.
This is really interesting and looks delicious. When I make arepas in the traditional way, once cooked, I cut them in half and fill them with cheese, ham, and scrambled eggs with veggies. It's so full of stuff that only one fills me up! They are such an easy and delicious meal that's comforting.
I love when you test IMUSA products!! My mom used to work at the Imusa factory in Colombia before she moved to the U.S. And on that note... COLOMBIAN AREPAS RULE!!!! WOOT!!!
I think it's really cool to see so many people commenting on how they make or enjoy arepas. I mean, some are a little strongly worded, but it's cool all the same! It's like having a little community
Hey Chef John. It's GREAT that you are making Arepas. The dough on this one was indeed too dry as was the one from your former Arepa video. You need to let the dough rest a while so it can absorb all the moisture before you start adding more P.A.N. to the mix. And if you think this is good try making empanadas with the P.A.N. flour. They are GREAT and all you need to do is for the dough to be softer (so less dry) and maybe add some oil or even an egg. Then fry the empanada in hot oil. Try it!!!
interesting twist on the arepas! as a multicultural, I am totally ok with mixing recipes from different cultures. hey thats the beauty of variety, mixing it up! I suggest you try them with avocado (or guasacaca sauce: mayo, avocado, lime juice, garlic, onion, olive oil, parsley and cilantro, and salt) and queso fresco
My roommate is Catalonian and he makes these often, this really appeared special once you started putting the butter and honey in the toasty warm arepas.
I'm honored to know that foreigners also enjoy our Venezuelan arepas. It's not the 1st time I see someone adding milk and/or cheese to the dough, but never creamcheese, that was a nice twist. I was shocked when u started pouring honey on it. In Venezuela (& in the minds of Venezuelans) arepas are NOT sweet so they're usually filled with cheese, ham, eggs, meat, chicken, etc. But I'm sure they taste great with honey after adding that creamcheese to the recipe. GREAT JOB and thank you for sharing!
I'm from Colombia and I feel so amazingly proud to see the Harina Pan that my grandma used to make breakfast arepas 60 year ago, and I still use to make my own ;w;
I like how you are humble enough to say your dough was to dry and to tell us what the cracks mean. I can't imagine what these taste like cause I've never heard of them. Look good though !
Hi, I a big fan of your videos and is a pleasure that you tried a venezuelan traditional dish like arepas. Just a comment, you need to add more liquid, either water or milk to the mixture as the arepas are not supposed to crack when cooked, this means that you need to have a softer dough before using the arepa´s maker. Also, you mentioned that traditionally the P.A.N. mix is prepared with water but this is not true, milk is also very popular and even chicken or beef stock. Thanks for your video-recipe, big fan!
For those who do not know about: An arepa is a latin american dish (more specifically Venezuelan), that is really common in our culture. It is made from flour (traditionally P.A.N. as he showed in the video) and you can have it with butter, ham&cheese, beans, even fish. It is really delicious and you can combine them with many things. Try it and enjoy a little bit of our culture. Blessings
I'm venezuelan, and it's funny to see you're eating the arepa like a pancake, pretty nice! Since it's a national food, it's actually salty, not sweet, but it's good to see you enjoying the famous arepas :)
I'm from venezuela, and arepas are always more of a salty food.They're awesome for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Actually they're cut in half and they're eaten with many different things like white cheese, ham, stuffed chicken, scrambled eggs, pork... AREPAS ARE AWESOME, TRY TEM!
Wow looks yummy... i love your version : Arepas are from Venezuela and Colombia , both regions share similar ethnic background and geographical location also they can be sweet or salty... it depends on the region and personal taste. So no need to argue ...
the arepas are from my country (venezuela) PAN is a products from polar entreprises from venezuela too. they are delicious you can make empanadas sooo good
Joshi Style Hi! I'm from Trinidad, entonced somos vecinas! ^_^ siempre me encanta las arepas pero ni mi madre ni yo pueden cocinarlas. tal vez es porque no tenemos la farina de p. a. n. pero tenemos otro tipo de farina de maiz. í hope my Spanish isn't too awful 😅
Joshi Style si, yo se que eso es con las vueltas. espero que Maduro no haga las cosas demasiado terrible para las festividades de navidad allí :( es a causa de él mi tía (la hermana de mi padre) no quiere que regreso a caracas para las vacaciones. pero me extrañan mucho el pan de jamón y chicha :(
Hi Snowblo.Cast iron is the traditional way to prepare arepas so that's the one I recommend, not the arepa machine 'cause it doesn't taste the same. The original recipe it's in the PAN package: PAN fluor and water in the same measures and a teaspoon of salt per half a cup of flour.Add butter/corn oil to improve texture.Add milk instead of water if you want a more gourmet taste.Add eggs if you want it to change color and get more toasted on the outside. But the original recipe is flourwatersalt.
hey!!! i'm from Venezuela and the arepas are a national dish here! you even have the harina P.A.N with the lady in the bandana!!! thats a Venezuelan product as well! thats it! im subscribing!, one tip, you dont have to make a form with the arepa, just put a ball of the dough and close the lid! cool show Cheff!
......awesome results! It gave me a delicious toasted crust. Since then I realize that if you add oil/butter to the dough you get even better results and since the F Grill will work on both side at the time (just like a panini grill) they get toasted really quickly. I'm not into meat too much neither so a soy meat that works great with the arepa is the morning star breaded chicken pattie. Finally, Don't you have a walmart nearby? They have the PAN flour there in the latin section.
Hi, Zen Fox! You know I think that I will try to fry a batch of the Arepas, and then I will do a batch in the cast iron skillet. That's a great idea. And I just found a vegan cream cheese, so I think I will use that in mine. My Mom & Aunt will love the addition of ham, so I will make some that way as well. Oh yeah, I placed an order for the P.A.N. on Amazon, so I expect it shortly. I've had troubles with my order from them in the past, so I hope there won't be any delays. Thanks so much, dear!!!
PAN is the national Venezuelan brand for precooked corn flour for arepas. I liked the cream cheese version, not very Venezuelan but really worth a try. Thank you for showing these south american recipes. Only one suggestion, the cracks on the side, totally true, you needed more milk/water in the dough. If you fitted the receptacle of the electric pan completely adding more dough you would have got perfect shape arepas! Also, arepas are salty and you eat them with eggs, cheese, ham, meat, chicken
that's not a good done arepa but I feel very proud to see the most important food of every venezuelan guy in this video, because our gastronomy is being appreciated out of the country. That's not the original arepa, the arepa that I eat every morning but is original to use milk and cream cheese, good done.
Im a BIG BIG BIG FAN , im glad you made arepas, you should knead more time so it doesnt cracks on the edges...And if you feel it hard its because you have to add more water or milk ;) and also try making a big ball and put it into the arepas maker because it most fill all the space when you close it.
i have so much crap in the one bedroom apt i've lived in for 35 years that i just found my imusa arepamaker that id forgotten i had. i think i made arepa when i got it and it didnt come out right. so luckily i found your video but instead of arepas i made pancakes and they were great. thanks very much
@crimsontraitor I live in Germany too. You can find Harina P.A.N. here very easy in the Indian or Asian food stores. I've never had trouble finding it, the yellow packing is unmistakable and easy to spot!!!
Hola Mary Angeles. La verdad me impresiono bastante saber que en Colombia tambien comian arepas. No se si hay algun pais que las invento originalmente (me imagino alguna comunidad indigena de algun pais) pero me intriga saber cual es la diferencia en la preparacion. Colombia y Venezuela son paises hermanos y nosotros los venezolanos respetamos los valores colombianos. De hecho hay regiones en Venezuela que comparten la misma cultura y hasta la forma de hablar. Saludos!
Chef John, I have a sandwich toaster, just like yours (I make grilled cheese sandwiches in it, awesome!), and also a waffle maker with the same ready light. My machines indicate "READY" when the machine is sufficiently hot to use. Notice as you open it, or add cool batter into it, the light might switch off, or when you open it and take the baked ones out, that might just cool it off, the light goes out, and comes back when it's back to heat. But ultimately, it's for when you first plug it in.
I don't usually have honey around but I just bought some because I had a sore throat and mixed it with whiskey and lemon to help that. Think it was destiny that I make this too. ^ ^
I just found your channel & love all the recipes I have viewed so far!! I love your vid format - very easy visuals to follow & fun, easy explanation in the background. Love it! I cannot wait try this & other recipes. I'm a new fan. :)
the real latino deal is just cooking them in a pan! or the hardcore version, in a grill on the street like here in colombia :) oh oh oh, you can deep fry them too, but they have to be thinner! possibilities are endless......
@Cubeclarei Agreed! Work/school... think picnic meals! hiking meals! Things that are not necessarily easy or quick to cook, but very portable, and easy to serve/unpack/prepare, maybe heat on camp fire, etc... I think you'd make an awesome show with that!
@smamatis no, the corn meal used for arepas is very specific. It does not contains additives like baking powder or baking soda, not even salt. The harinaPAN used is a very refined white corn meal, it is not yellow like the american corn meal.
Excellent video as always. I would love to try and make these but I don't have access to that PAN flour. I do have a flour mill and I could easily mill some dry popcorn into a nice fine flour. Do you think that flour would work?
One of the things I like living here in Upper Darby is that it's multi-culture.I like shopping and sampling things in the different ethnic sections of my Save-A-Lot supermarket, that's where I found my first package of P.A.N. if chef John can do it then I should try it my first batch of arepas came out fine sometime later my second batch was almost a disaster because I tried using a food processor. I ended up with a overload. My ice cream scoop is on the little side so with a bigger scoop I should be able to make better size arepas.
I love the video it is a diferent view of regulars arepas .... to be sincere mixing the dow with with the spatula is a sin but it turned out well.. congratulations....
I did just notice the nice organization trays in the background. And from watching your video for years, I feel like you probably have great organization skills with your attention to detail. It would be cool to see your take on an organized kitchen. Also, curious if you have a good system around keeping spices fresh by having some reference for their individual keep dates. I definitely have some spices in my cabinet that I've had for 6 years... is it okay? is it bad? is it just less than optimal? ;/
This dish looks DELICIOUS Chef! Can you use masa harina either by itself of mixed with regular flour instead of that pre-cooked corn flower? Also, can these arepas be cooked on a flat top or in a griddle instead of what is essentially a uni-tasker that is represented by that arepa cooker? When I grew up on the Island of Trinidad we made something called a fried bake made with regular flower and deep fried it in vegetable. It was great as well, but not as dense as an arepa.
Nice !... I'm from venezuela and arepas are our traditional national dish .!.. I'll try your version .. I don't like to use the arepas maker. I do it the tradicionanal way .. Thanks !..
Anytime Snowblo, I'm glad that people here in the states get interested in south american culture. Let me know if you have anymore questions. Fried arepas are delicious, just deep fried them until the turn from white to golden and crisp. There still another version that I came up with that I want to share with just if you have fun with it. Where I work I have a Foreman grill and arepas demand to be eaten fresh. So I took the dough and spreaded on the grill to make a thin dough layer........
Hello, thank you for sharing this, I'm really looking forward to make these arepas. Do you think is a good idea to use pancake flour instead of all popuse flour? Thank you!
He's not using all-purpose flour, he's using a Venezuelan corn meal flour called Harina P.A.N. If you use a different type of flour you'll get something more like flat wheat bread or something more like a pancake, not to mention the ratio of liquid to flour will probably not work.
Oh yes, Zen Fox, I have a very well seasoned cast iron pan that has been handed down to me. You know I still can't believe that I'm not familiar with this Venezuelan treat. I'm actually going Vegan as well. So I will use the cream cheese when preparing these for my family, but leave it out & just add vegan margarine when their done, for myself. You've been a great help already. I'm going to keep your post on hand, so that I can refer to it. I will let you know how they turn out. Hope that's okay
Wow, Zen Fox, this board needs you & your expertise on this dish, LOL. I wish I can bring you to my house, LOL. And you know I think I may be the only woman in the world that has yet to own a Foreman grill....Oh yeah, I did order both the white & yellow P.A.N flour, I didn't know which would be tastier. I'll just do some of both...I'm most familiar with "soul food," & I can remember my Grandma mixing both yellow/white cornmeal to make her cornbread, and that always turned out good! Thx again!
I use hot water when I am mixing the corn meal... that make the mixing a little pre-cooked and at the end the whole arepa will test much better with any sensation of unevenly cooked areas.
Sure.Yesterday I prepared the cream cheese version and I agree it improves the texture a lot.But I couldn't even feel the slight taste of cheese. Try different ways, it's fun. I propose that if you like the cream cheese taste to it, combine shreded cheddar with cream cheese and spread it after you cook the traditional recipe.I think that will work better. And if you add vegan bacon you'll get a better recipe.Finally,a traditional filling for this: scrambled eggs and ham (substitute ham>cheese)
Ditto! I love making them. My gramma was the best at it or so I think so ;-) I liked when she topped or stuffed it with the white cheese (don't know the name though, lol) She sometimes would give me a side dish of fried pork skin aka chicharrones or skirt-steak, scrambled eggs. I mean you named them. Salty food for sure but deff not sweet. I need to get me that pan seems a lot more efficient :)
Ok so, just a little clarification. The ready light is actually when the machine is preheated and ready to use. Same for the panini thing. Great videos man, definately going to bake some of your recipes anytime soon.
