I am often asked the same question, “what is your favorite Colombian dish?” My answer is always the same, Arepas... I love arepas! When I’m craving Colombian food or missing home, I usually make an arepa with butter and cheese. It’s comfort food at its best!
Arepas de Plátano Verde (Green Plantain Arepas)
Ingredients
- 3 green plantains peeled and diced
- ½ cup of masarepa
- 4 tablespoons of water
- 5 tablespoons of melted butter
- ½ cup of grated mozzarella cheese or queso blanco
- Salt to taste
- Butter or oil spray to cook the arepas
Instructions
- Boil the plantains in a pot with water for about 30 minutes. Let them cool for about 5 minutes, then peel the cooked ripe plantains.
- Place the plantains, masarepa, water, melted butter, cheese and salt to your taste. Let mixture stand for five minutes.
- Make small balls with the mixture. Shape the dough into thick cakes.
- Add the butter or oil spray to a nonstick pan over medium heat. Place the arepas in the pan and cook about 3 minutes on each side, until a crust forms or they are golden brown. Serve them warm with butter and cheese or as a side dish.
The arepa is a versatile dish and the topping or filling options are endless. It really comes down to what you’ve got in the fridge and pantry at the time. Today I want to share another arepa option, Arepas de Plátano Verde (Green Plantain Arepas). They are delicious and can be served for breakfast with cheese and hogao, or as a side dish for lunch or dinner. You can also serve them as an appetizer with shrimp ceviche or guacamole, perfect for a cocktail party. I served mine with fresh cheese and hogao on top. It was difficult to resist a second helping! These arepas are crispy on the outside, soft on the inside and absolutely delicious!
TIP: The green plantains are challenging to mash by hand, so I used my food processor, which did a beautiful job making a smooth masa.
Buen provecho!
grace
it's not surprising that these are favorites for you--what's not to love?!
Evelyne@cheapethniceatz
Totally need a food processor lol but wow they are worth it, these arepas look so tempting.
Anonymous
There is no need for a food processor. use a fork for plantain when is still warm, make it like the mashed potato, do the masa, mix them and move them with your hands for a while, like making dough . Hope this helps.
Em
Can you make this with ripe plaintains?
Erica Dinho
Here is the recipe for ripe plantain arepas: https://www.mycolombianrecipes.com/arepas-de-platano-maduro-ripe-plantain-arepas/
Viveca Croes
Wow I am impressed, love eating arepas, since I have a tendency for cysts in my body I have to cut on flour, so i think this is a great idea. Since where I live our masa arepa are imported, and every imported product mostly are modified. This is a great recipe to eat arepa a healthier way.
Thank you
Emily Newman
Can you refrigerate these and reheat them for days?
Erica Dinho
I usually eat them the same day.