served with an authentic Venezuelan “Guasacaca”
Arepas are Venezuela’s most popular food staple. They may be enjoyed on their own or stuffed with a variety of fillings. I’m showing you how to make “Jackfruit Mechada”, the plant-based interpretation of one of the most widely used arepa fillings, along with a stunning avocado sauce which we call “Guasacaca.”
Travel to Venezuela, my home, from your own kitchen!
Yield: 4 servings
Basic Arepa Recipe (“The Widow”)
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups water
- Pinch of salt
- 1 cup Harina PAN
Method
Preheat oven at 400 degrees F
Combine water and salt in a medium bowl, add harina PAN slowly, mixing with your hands until dough is homogeneous (it will be runny.)
Allow to rest for 5 min, until dough has rehydrated. Gather with damp hands and make into one ball. Divide dough into 4 equal parts. Damp hands again, form a ball in between palms, then flatten each ball into a disk that is roughly 1/2” thick.
Heat large skilled over medium-high heat. Brush bottom on the skillet with a couple of drops of oil. Sear arepas for about 4 minutes on each side. Transfer to oven (straight on oven rack) and bake for 6-8 min until arepa have puffed up and is crusty on the outside. Serve alone or stuff with your favorite filling.
Jackfruit “Mechada”
Ingredients
- 1 20-oz can jackfruit (9.9 oz net weight)
- 1 ¼ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 pinches of coarse sea salt + more to taste
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ cup finely julienned onion
- 1/3 cup finely julienned green bell peppers
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbsp minced cilantro
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 2 tbsp diced canned fire-roasted onions
- 2 tbsp vegetable stock
Method
Drain can of jackfruit, place chunks on bowl and, using clean hands, squeeze until fruit has been ‘shredded’
Season with smoked paprika, cumin, turmeric, sea salt and black pepper. Mix with your hands until evenly coated. Set aside.
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil and coat the bottom of the pan. Cook onions for 2 minutes, until soft and translucent. Add bell pepper, garlic, and cilantro stems; then cook for 1-2 minutes. Add marinated jackfruit and tomato. Mix well, cover with lid, and cook for 6-7 minutes.
Add vegetable stock and mix well/deglaze the bottom of the pan. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.
Turn heat off, cover with lid, and allow to rest for 5 min.
Guasacasa (Venezuelan Avocado Sauce)
Ingredients
- 1 haas avocado
- Juice of 2 limes (3-4 tbsp)
- 1 clove of garlic
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- 1 scallion, cut into 4-5 pieces
- 1 tbsp diced green bell pepper
- Pinch of salt + more to taste
- Pinch of ground black pepper
Method
Place all ingredients in a blender and process for about 30 seconds, until sauce is rustic and all ingredients are well incorporated. For a smoother, more homogeneous sauce, process for another 30 sec – 1 min.
Cook Global. Eat at Home! 