Arepas con Queso | Disney's Encanto
Crispy and fluffy magically healing Arepas con Queso with mozzarella cheese and a dash of milk, celebrating Disney's Encanto.
Ingredients
Arepas con Queso:
- 570 g [20 oz] pre-cooked cornmeal see Top Tips for alternatives
- 560 ml [20 oz] lukewarm water warm to the touch but not hot
- 55 g [2 oz] unsalted butter
- Splash of whole milk
- 2 tsp or to taste sea salt
- Grated/shredded mozzarella cheese
- Extra cheese sliced or grated to stuff optional
- Olive oil to fry
Instructions
Arepas con Queso dough:
- Preheat your oven to 220°C [350°F] or 200°C. Line two or three baking sheets with greaseproof paper/baking parchment, depending on how big you are looking to make your Arepas con Queso. If confident that your Arepas will cook through in the frying pan, skip this step.
- Pour the lukewarm water into a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle in the salt and stir in with your hand until dissolved. If using maize meal, leave ⅓ water to add gradually later if needed.
- Pour the cornmeal gradually into the water. Using your hand, knead the cornmeal into the water until combined and lump free.
- Add the butter, milk and cheese then mix. These ingredients should melt into the mix. If you need to add more water, do so now.
- Leave to rest for up to 10 minutes, until the cornmeal has dried and is more dough-like. If you are averse to using your hand, feel free to use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to mix the dough.
Cooking:
- After your dough has rested, use wet hands to scoop and ball the dough. Gently squeeze into a pattie shape with your hand until around ½ inch in thickness. Place on the baking trays for now.
- Add a generous amount of olive oil to a frying pan and allow it to heat up on a medium to high heat. Once it has started rippling, it’s ready to be cooked with.
- Fry as many Arepas con Queso as you can at one time, until golden and crisp on each side. Feel free to use a spatula to move them around a little so that they don’t stick.
- Once fried, place back on the baking trays.
- If you are finishing your Arepas con Queso in the oven, place the trays in your preheated oven and allow them to continue cooking for 10 minutes.
- Once finished, leave for a few moments on the trays as they will continue cooking.
- If you want to stuff them with extra cheese, wait until you are able to handle your Arepas, slice into the centre of them via the edge to create a pocket, fill each one with cheese and then pinch it closed.
- Spray with edible glitter for a little extra magic if desired.
- Serve immediately. Top with more options if desired i.e. butter, beans, tomatoes, salsa, sauces etc. If freezing, allow them to cool completely before doing so.
Notes
Arepas con Queso really are delicious bites of cheesy goodness. These can be frozen once cooked in an airtight container with greaseproof paper/baking parchment in between (to avoid them sticking together) for up to 1 month. If you happen to have a little injury that heals up after eating one of these, well… magic is real. Enjoy!