Akara (Kosai, Bean cake, Acaraje or Beanballs)
Akara is a deep-fried fritter made from beans paste or beans powder.
Ingredients
- 2 cups Beans
- ½ small onions
- 1 scotch bonnet
- salt
- Vegetable oil for deep frying
Instructions
- Pick through the beans.
- Wash and remove the beans coat by hand, using a blender or a food processor. (Click on the links).
- Grind beans to a very smooth paste using a blender or commercial mill, adding just enough water to get the blender blades moving. (If using a blender, soak beans for about 10 minutes to soften it).
- Pour beans into a bowl and using a wooden spoon, stir vigorously until light, fluffy and doubled in size. You can also use a mortar and pestle, an electric whisk or food processor. This is a very important step.
- Very Finely chop onions and scotch bonnet, set aside.
- Place a frying pan over medium heat and add enough vegetable oil for deep frying.
- Line a plate with kitchen napkins, set aside.
- Add onions, pepper and some salt to your beans paste, stir very well and if you can, taste a tiny bit for salt.
- When the oil is hot, use a tablespoon or your hand and spoon your batter into the hot oil.
- Fry on one side then flip your Akara to fry the other side.
- Drain into the lined plate.
Notes
- Serve Akara with Pap, Custard, as a sandwich filler or plain as a snack.
- Make sure to grind the beans into a very smooth paste. Rub between your fingers to check if it's still grainy. You will need a powerful blender to achieve this. It will still taste good even if it's not really smooth.
- Whip the batter long enough to achieve an airy paste. If it is not airy enough, the Akara will turn out flat and might scatter in the oil.
- Oil needs to be hot enough to give your Akara a slightly crunchy exterior with a soft and tender inside.
- If the oil is too hot, your Akara will not cook through, oil not hot enough, it will soak up a lot of oil.
