While this dish, conceived in Cartagena- Colombia was originally named "Empanada con Huevo", it is most commonly known as "Arepa de Huevo" in other Colombian cities and abroad.
Total Time: 60 min
Servings: 10
Ingredients for the dough
2 cups yellow corn meal
1 tsp salt
vegetable oil
Ingredients for the stuffing
8 oz lean ground beef
1 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp vegetable oil
10 eggs
salt to taste
Other ingredients
3 cups vegetable oil
Steps
1. In a pot pan, heat 2.5 cups of water. Bring to a boil
2. Add the corn meal to a large bowl and slowly pour in the boiling water and 1 tsp salt while carefully mixing with a spoon
3. Mix thoroughly with the spoon. As soon as it cools off, start kneading with your hands. Use extra water if it is too dry or extra corn meal if it is too moist
4. Let the dough rest and set aside
5. In the meantime, heat a frying pan over highe heat. Add oil and beef, stirring constantly
6. Add onions and tomatoes as soon as the beef is cooked. Keep stirring until onions have changed color and the tomato water has been absorbed
7. Add 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Mix well and set aside
8. Divide the dough into 10 equal size portions and form each portion into a ball by rolling between the palms of your hands
9. Pour a little bit of oil on a chopping boar. Place a ball on the board and flatten gently with your hands. Round the edges with the palms of your hands, trying to get a circular shaped and flatten dough of about 1/4 inch thick. Repeat this same procedure with the other 9 balls
10. Heat about 2-3 cups of vegetable oil in a pot pan (enough to deep fry the arepas, one by one)
11. Add the arepa to the oil and fry until it floats and inflates. This should take about 3-5 minutes. Turn it over for about 30 seconds and carefully remove from oil using a slotted spoon
12. Drain on a paper towel. When it is cool enough to handle, with a sharp knife, make an opening about 1.5 inches long, on the edge side of the arepa. This should look like a mouth or a pocket
13. Crack an egg and divide the yolk and the white. Add a pinch of salt to both yolk and white
14. Add about 1 tbsp cooked beef into the arepa through its "mouth". Pour in the yolk and next the white
15. Quickly place the arepa again in the hot oil with the opening up, it will start to slowly fall into the oil. You can close the opening with some dough before placing it in the oil, but if you like the egg white crispy, leave its "mouth" open. It is ok if some of the white comes out, it will remain sticked to the arepa in a crunchy browned form. Leave it in the oil for about 3-5 minutes to cook the egg
16. With a slotted spoon, remove the arepa from the oil. Drain on paper towel and serve immediately. Repeat this procedure with the other 9 arepas
17. Accompany with hot sauce, suero (a typical colombian sour cream,) hogao (a typical colombian tomato and onion sauce) or ketchup
