Cheesy yuca arepas

My favourite kind of arepas!

Arepas are one of my favourite recipes and while they are typically made with corn flour in Colombia it is also common to make them with yuca or cassava! I am making a super easy version with just yuca

.

🌱Vegetarian

🍽️ 4 arepas

🧀Ingredients

• 1 yuca/cassava root

• 150g mozzarella cheese

• Olive oil to cook

🧀Method

• Peel the yuca by cutting off the tips and then longitudinally along the skin. Cut into quarters and then remove the fibrous inner core. Make sure the yuca doesn’t have any black spots as this usually means it is spoiled and it won’t taste good. Alternatively you can use frozen pre-cut yuca.

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook yuca until it starts to turn translucent and can be pierced easily with a fork, about 30 minutes. Drain off water and leave the yuca to cool down for 15min.

• Mash the cooked yuca with a potato masher or by grating it and season to taste with salt. Knead with your hands (you can oil them first so the dough doesn’t stick to your hands) until it forms a dough that it is not sticky. Season with salt to taste.

• Make small balls (about 4) with the yuca mixture and shape the dough into flat discs using your hands. Add the mozzarella in the middle and then fold the dough around to form a ball. Flatten this ball again with the palms of your hands to form a disc, this is your arepa.

• Add the oil to a frying pan over medium heat. Place the arepas in the pan, and cook about 3-5 minutes on each side, until they are golden brown. Transfer to some kitchen paper to remove excess heat and consume while hot!

FAQS and Tips

• Do NOT use a blender to mash the yuca as it will become very sticky and difficult to handle

• If the yuca becomes very sticky and you struggle to form a dough, add cornstarch while kneading it until it forms a dough

• I served my arepas with some homemade guacamole!