Arepas | Cachapas | Toqueras – Sweet Corn Pancakes

Arepas, Cachapas, or Toqueras are a rare treat for us because we can only make them with fresh sweet corn which only grows twice per year.  We (the Mexicans) call them toqueras and my Colombian friends call them arepas, while my Venezuelan people call them cachapas. If you know what they are, you LOVE them.

I enjoyed this arepa below in Bogotá at a public market, with a side of hot chocolate. 

This arepa was also enjoyed in Bogotá but I bought this from a street vendor; this one is stuffed with cheese. 

I have tried to make these with canned corned and corn meal but I have never been able to duplicate the great flavor of fresh corn. This is also the same mixture for making sweet corn tamales (or cachapas de hoja), instead of pouring on the griddle you would wrap them inside of the corn husk (or banana leaf) and steam. You can’t buy these made.

This is a straightforward recipe, you can’t really ruin it. You can add more or less of any of the ingredients and it will still taste good. 

My parents have been shucking and removing kernels from corn husk for about 50 years; this is the easiest way to do it but you have to be very careful. You need a heavy sharp knife to  cut and score at the same time; deep enough to get through the first layers of husks but not so deep that you cut the actual cob. The first few husks are compost, the following 4-6 husks work as tamale wrapping.

Removing the kernels works best if you use a great big container because kernels will fly everywhere. Watch your fingers. 

We have a molino which we purchased in downtown Los Angeles; the first molino we had were manual meaning we had to stand there and crank the handle in order for it to grind but we have upgraded  to a molino that is attached to a small motor. This makes things a lot easier. If you don’t have a molino you can also use a food processor but these tend to over puree and you end up with a more liquid consistency.

Once all of the corn is ground we add the sugar, baking powder, melted butter (or lard) and salt. We built these fogones below, or clay ovens, about 15 years ago and need to maintain them every so often by slathering clay/water over the cracks; this is where most of our cooking happens on the farm. 

Once you have your corn batter you can treat it like pancake batter; butter your griddle and  with a ladle pour your desired amount. Once it begins to brown flip to cook other side. 

We eat these with our hands, like a cookie, or we top it with sour cream. In Colombia and Venezuela they stuff them with melted cheese. These taste best as soon as they are made but you can also freeze them wrapped in plastic or aluminum. When you are ready to consume remove from the freezer and reheat in toaster, toaster oven, microwave or on the griddle. They will be much drier but still taste great.  

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