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Akara
Crisp, fluffy black-eyed bean fritters with onion and scotch bonnet, a Nigerian breakfast
Akara is fried at dawn on street corners across south-west Nigeria, where it is bought hot in paper and eaten with soft agege bread, or dunked into a bowl of warm ogi (fermented corn porridge). It is made from nothing but peeled beans, onion, chilli and salt, whipped until airy, then dropped into hot oil, so the outside turns crisp and craggy while the inside stays soft and light. It is a weekend breakfast at home too, often with custard or pap. Chef's tip: beat the blended bean paste hard for a few minutes before frying; the trapped air is what makes akara puff instead of turning heavy and oily.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Rub 10 ½ oz dried black-eyed beans between your palms under their soaking water until the skins split, then float the skins off. Repeat until the beans are almost all white, then drain well.
Step 2: Blend the beans with the roughly chopped half of ½ onion and 1 scotch bonnet chilli, adding ¼ cup cold water a spoonful at a time, until you have a smooth, very thick paste. A common mistake is adding too much water: runny paste spreads in the oil and soaks it up.
Step 3: Tip into a bowl and beat with a wooden spoon or hand mixer until the paste turns paler, fluffy and roughly increases in volume, like whipped hummus.
4 minStep 4: Fold in the diced half of ½ onion and 1 tsp salt just before frying; salt added too early loosens the batter.
Step 5: Heat 1 litre vegetable or groundnut oil in a deep pan over a medium-high heat to 350°F, or until a drop of batter sizzles and rises at once.
6 minStep 6: Drop in heaped tablespoons of batter, a few at a time. Fry, turning once, until deep golden brown all over and the sizzling quietens.
4 minStep 7: Lift onto kitchen paper and fry the rest, giving the oil a minute to reheat between batches. Serve hot with bread or ogi.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 360 kcal
- Protein
- 16 g
- Carbs
- 36 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does akara take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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