Hispanic Heritage · Colombia

La Costa

Barranquilla · Soledad · Cartagena · Santa Marta · Luruaco · Sabanalarga

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Arepa de huevo combinada

An arepa de huevo cut open; egg-only variation. Presentation may differ from this recipe. Jdvillalobos · CC BY 3.0. Resized source thumbnail; display may crop to fit.

Descubre

Colombia’s Caribbean coast introduces the arepa de huevo, a fried corn pocket with an egg cooked inside. This combined version adds a savory filling, making the familiar corn dough the starting point for a more substantial bite.

La Gente

The technique happens in stages: fry the dough, open a pocket, add the filling, and return it to the oil. Careful sealing makes a difference. Serve promptly so the exterior keeps the crispness that defines the dish.

Sabor

The coast seasons with cumin, garlic, onion, and color, the achiote-based powder every Colombian kitchen keeps beside the salt. Fresh cilantro at the end of everything. Coconut and sugar where the interior would never use them. Little heat. A lot of frying.

Spice DNA · Sweet medium · Herb medium · Smoke low · Heat low · Acid low

Seasonings to explore

Cumin, ground. In the beef, in the sancocho, in everything with a lid.
Sazón with Coriander and Annatto. The closest jar to Colombian color. It is what turns the picadillo orange.
Minced Garlic in Olive Oil. In the beef. Adds a savory garlic base.
Garlic Powder. In the arepa masa, where a wet garlic would break the dough.
Onion Powder. With the garlic.
Black Pepper, ground. In the beef and in the house sauce.
Cilantro flakes. Fresh is better, and the coast would say so. This is for the morning you have none.

From your market: precooked white corn flour (masarepa), eggs, ground beef, a tomato, a small onion, vinegar, ketchup, oil for deep frying. Badia does not sell the masarepa. Every Latin market does, and most Colombians can tell the brands apart by the bag.

Cocina

Arepa de huevo combinada

Fried corn arepa filled with beef and a raw egg, then fried again until the egg sets inside. The Luruaco way. Read it through once before you start; the second fry goes fast.

Makes 8

The beef

½ lb ground beef
1 tbsp oil
½ small onion, minced
1 small tomato, grated
1 tsp Badia Minced Garlic in Olive Oil, or 1 garlic clove minced
½ tsp Badia Cumin, ground
½ tsp Badia Sazón with Coriander and Annatto
¼ tsp Badia Black Pepper, ground
Salt

The arepas

2 cups masarepa (precooked white corn flour)
2½ cups warm water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp Badia Garlic Powder, optional, some matronas use it
8 eggs
Oil for deep frying, at least 3 inches deep

The house sauce

2 tbsp ketchup
1 tbsp white vinegar
¼ tsp Badia Black Pepper, ground
Pinch of salt

The beef first. Warm the oil. Cook the onion until soft, add the garlic, then the beef, breaking it up. Add the tomato, cumin, sazón, pepper, and salt. Cook until dry. Cool it completely. Stir the house sauce together and set it aside.
The masa. Mix the masarepa, salt, sugar, and garlic powder if using. Add the warm water and knead 3 minutes until smooth and soft, with no cracks when you press it. Let it rest 5 minutes covered. Divide into 8 balls.
Shape. Flatten each ball between two sheets of plastic into a disc about 4 inches across and a bit less than ¼ inch thick. Smooth the edges with a wet finger. Cracked edges will not seal.
First fry. Heat the oil to 375°F. Fry the arepas two at a time, 2 to 3 minutes, until they puff and turn pale gold. They must puff; if they do not, the oil is not hot enough. Drain on a rack. Keep the oil hot.
Open and fill. While an arepa is still hot, cut a 2-inch slit along one edge with a knife to open the pocket the puffing made. Push a teaspoon of beef inside. Crack an egg into a small cup and pour it in. Add three drops of house sauce. Pinch the slit closed with a little extra masa pressed over it.
Second fry. Lower the filled arepa into the oil slit side up, and spoon hot oil over the top for the first 30 seconds so the seam sets. Fry 3 to 4 minutes, turning once, until deep gold and the egg has set. Drain.
Eat hot, with the extra house sauce and a cup of very sweet coffee. On the coast this is breakfast. In Luruaco it is also lunch and dinner during festival week.

Pueblos de la Costa

Barranquilla · Soledad · Cartagena · Santa Marta · Luruaco · Sabanalarga · Baranoa · Puerto Colombia · Ciénaga · Valledupar · Riohacha · Montería · Sincelejo · Lorica · Corozal · Tolú · Mompox · Magangué · San Andrés