Make the dishes from the movie Encanto at home
Encanto's food shows the typical foods of Colombia, which are very delicious and simple to prepare. These are the famous arepas with cheese and Colombian fritters.
These are perfect to be made at home and eaten at dinner, for a snack, or enjoying the movie again, while you eat them as a snack. Therefore, below we will explain how to make them in a simple way and using very few ingredients.
Encanto Food: Arepas with cheese
It is one of the meals presented in the film and is made with pre-cooked cornmeal and butter. In addition, it differs from Venezuelan arepas for being thinner and for its dough that is made with grated cheese.
Ingredients
A cup of warm water.
150 grams of pre-cooked corn flour, or a cup.
One tablespoon of unsalted butter, at room temperature.
Half a teaspoon of salt.
A cup of grated mozzarella cheese.
30 grams of grated coastal cheese.
Slices of mozzarella cheese into small pieces.
Steps to follow for the elaboration
Pour the pre-cooked cornmeal into a bowl, followed by a little salt to taste.
Start incorporating the warm water little by little into the bowl with the flour while progressively kneading with the other hand. It is very important that the water is lukewarm, as this makes it easier for the flour to integrate.
You'll know the dough is ready when it's pliable, manageable, and slightly moist. At this point add the butter at room temperature and continue kneading until it is integrated.
Once the butter is integrated, add the grated mozzarella cheese and continue kneading until completely integrated.
Next, add the 30 grams of grated coastal cheese and knead so that it is also integrated into the dough.
If while you knead you notice that the dough is a bit hard, you can add a little more warm water while you knead.
If you are not an expert in making arepas, take a little of the dough, shape it into a ball and place it inside a plastic bag. Then flatten it out a bit with a plate. Ideally, the arepas are one centimeter thick.
Smooth out the edges of the dough, flattening it a bit more in the process.
When you have a smooth and round arepa, let it rest on a plate while you do the rest.
Repeat steps 7 to 9 until you finish with the elaborated dough.
Place a flat, non-stick frying pan on the stove over medium heat and brush it with a little butter.
When the pan is hot, place the arepas and let them brown on one side. Once they are golden brown on one side, flip them over and let them cook on the other side. Regulate the fire so they don't burn.
Once they are ready, remove the arepas from the pan, open them in half and place the pieces of mozzarella cheese inside.
Place the arepas back in the pan and over medium heat so that the cheese melts.
Finally, serve the arepas while they are still hot.
Colombian fritters
Colombian fritters are one of the most delicious, thanks to the fact that they are crispy on the outside and very soft on the inside. In addition, it is not necessary to give them a completely circular shape, because when they are fried they become circular, due to the effect of hot oil.
Colombian fritters. Ingredients
Half a cup or 125 grams of finely grated fresh cheese.
75 grams of finely grated feta cheese.
Half a cup plus a tablespoon or 140 grams of cornstarch.
Half a cup plus 1 tablespoon or 80 grams of cassava or tapioca starch.
A quarter cup or 50 grams of sugar.
2 eggs.
1 teaspoon salt.
1 tablespoon butter.
One eighth teaspoon of baking powder.
Vegetable oil for frying.
Steps for the elaboration
To get started, the first thing you will need is to prepare a smooth, clean surface.
Pour the grated feta cheese and the fresh grated cheese on the surface, combine them and proceed to add the cornstarch and cassava starch flours.
Mix everything and integrate them very well.
Add a little salt and sugar to taste on top of the mixture. Continue mixing.
When everything is well integrated, open a hole in the center of the mountain of mixture and add the eggs.
Begin to integrate everything little by little with your hands until you form a dough. If you notice that the dough is a bit dry, you can add a little water or milk.
When you notice that the dough is soft, add a little butter at room temperature and continue kneading to integrate it. Finally, add the baking powder.
Knead a couple more minutes until you manage to smooth the dough.
When you notice that the dough is soft and smooth, it will be time to take small portions of the dough and make balls. Then, let them rest on a plate while you finish making the rest of the fritters.
Repeat the process of step 9 until the dough is finished.
Place a pot on the heat and add enough oil, letting it heat over medium heat to 325 °F. It is best to let the oil stay at this temperature while you fry the fritters.
When the oil is hot, add the fritters, preferably 5 at a time, and cook until golden brown. You will notice that while they are cooking these will turn on their own. The process of frying them can take 15 to 20 minutes.
When they are well browned, remove them from the heat and transfer them to a plate with absorbent cake.
Repeat the cooking process until all the fritters are finished.
Serve the fritters while they are still hot. If you like, you can sprinkle a little powdered sugar, but without sugar they are simply perfect.
As you may have noticed, it is very easy to prepare the dishes from the movie Encanto, which are typical Colombian dishes. Therefore, we urge you to try to make this recipe at home and enjoy them while you watch the movie again. We assure you that the experience is much better.