Sometimes the summertime chaos just needs to be accepted and you need to ride along with it to the end into a hot, mouthwatering bite of saucy goodness. All’s well that ends well.
Prep Time: 25 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Makes: 10-14 | Difficulty Level: ♦♦ – Beginner
Arepa
- 3 cups Masa Harina
- 3 cups Water – lukewarm
- 1½ tsp Salt
Jackfruit “vegan chicken”
- 1 package 10 oz Jackfruit
- 1 Orange Bell Pepper
- 1 Yellow Onion
- 1 Avocado – ripe
- 1 tbsp Cilantro – fresh
- 2 tsp Cumin
- 1 tsp Chili Powder
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp Salt
- Shredded lettuce – optional
Sauce
- 4 tbsp Vegan Mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp Ketchup;
- 1 tbsp red Cholula Sauce – or equivalent
- 1 tsp Black Pepper
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
For the Arepa dough
Place masa flour in a large bowl, add in the salt, and slowly pour in lukewarm water. Mix with a wooden spoon to form a lumpy mixture. In the bowl, bring the mixture together using your hands to form a smooth, malleable dough. You don’t need to knead it, as that would make your arepa dough too tough and chewy.
Cover with a damp tea towel and set aside until ready to assemble the dish.
To make the sauce
Simply mix all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl until fully-blended.
Refrigerate until assembly.
And the Jackfruit
On a hot griddle or cast iron pan, grill the sliced bell pepper and yellow onion. While on the grill, season with salt, chili powder, oregano, and cumin. Cook until they start to become tender and blackened, depending on how hot your griddle is, it should take between 5 and 8 minutes.
At this stage, add the jackfruit to the griddle and, as it starts to warm up, press down on the larger chunks, with a flat fork or spatula, to form shreds.
Remove from heat.
Ready to eat?
Divide the dough into 10 to 14 pieces, depending on what size arepas you wish to make.
On a clean and dry wooden surface, (e.g., a large cutting or kneading board), shape the pieces into spheres, then flatten to form a thick tortilla (¼ inch thickness) using the palm of your hand. Do not worry if the edges are thicker than the center of the arepa, that is preferable, in my opinion (find out why in the TIPS).
On a lightly greased, very hot cast iron pan, cook the arepas form 3 to 4 minutes each side. The cook time is dependent on the consistency you are looking to obtain; for example, if you want a doughier arepa, cook it less than you would if you were after a partially-burned crusty surface.
Some assembly required
Serve hot off the grill and build to your liking.
Extras and Tips
Why wait until ready to assemble the dish? Arepas are best when served hot right off the grill, when their flavor is at its peak and since they harden as they cool.
I am personally very fond of the thick-edged arepa because the outer perimeter stays doughier than the center, which being thinner cooks faster and dries out more than the rest.
There are several kinds of pre-packaged and seasoned jackfruit meals that you can find in stores these days, as it has become a popular and quite versatile meat alternative for many vegan dishes. I prefer to use the unseasoned, or mildly-seasoned, jackfruit bits because I like to give it my own twist, depending on what type of cuisine I am drawing inspiration from for the meal.
For the sauce, feel free to add in 1 tbsp of water or plant-based milk if you want a runnier sauce that blends more easily.
