Arepa pelua

1. Cook the meat: Place the flank steak in a pot with broth or water and salt. Cook over low heat for about 2 hours, until tender and easy to shred.
   2 hours
2. Shred the meat: Once cooked, drain and shred the meat using two forks.
3. Prepare the vegetables: Sauté chopped onion, bell pepper, and garlic in a little oil. Add cumin, oregano, paprika, and salt. Stir in the meat and cook for a few minutes until the flavors are well combined.
4. Make the dough: In a bowl, mix the cornmeal with warm water and salt until a soft dough forms. Let it rest for 5 minutes.
   5 minutes
5. Form the arepas: Divide the dough into 6 portions, shape into balls, and flatten into thick discs.
6. Cook: Cook the arepas on a griddle or skillet over medium heat for 2–3 minutes on each side until golden. You can then bake them for a few minutes if you prefer them crispier.
   2–3 minutes
7. Fill: Slice the arepas open on one side, fill with the hot shredded beef, and top with grated cheese.

Cooking notes

When scaling protein-led dishes, weigh the meat rather than counting pieces, and remember that the pan size limits how much you can sear at once.

For volume-to-weight conversions of any ingredient — flour, sugar, butter, salts — use the ingredient converter. To translate the recipe's oven temperature between °C, °F and gas mark, see the temperature converter.

When you scale this recipe up or down, remember that cooking time does not scale linearly. A doubled cake takes longer, but not twice as long; a doubled soup takes roughly twice as long. The cooking-time guide gives sensible starting estimates by dish geometry.