Akara Nigerian Breakfast Recipe
Akara, also known as Bean Cakes, Bean Balls, Bean Fritas or Acarajé
in Portuguese is a Nigerian breakfast recipe made with beans.
To make
Akara, you need to first of all remove the beans coat. You should remove the
coat from the beans just before you make the Akara. This means that you can't
use coatless beans that have been stored in the fridge or freezer to make
Akara. I tried that and the Akara just spattered everywhere in the vegetable
oil.
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Ingredients
you need for Akara
You only need 5 ingredients to make Akara:
·
1 cup of Beans (black-eyed or brown beans)
·
2 habanero chili peppers
·
1 medium
Onion
·
Salt to
taste
·
Vegetable
Oil for frying
Tools you will need:
·
Blender
·
Mortar
and Pestle
Before
you fry Akara
1.
Remove
the beans coat. Read how to
remove beans coat for help
on how to do that. It is important that you do not let salt come in contact
with the beans you will use in making Akara till you are ready to fry it. Salt
is believed to destroy the leavening property of beans. This is what prevents spattering of the
beans batter during frying.
2.
Then soak
the beans in water for 2 hours to make it soft enough for your blender. If you
will grind it using the heavy duty grinders in Nigerian markets, it will not be
necessary to soak the beans for extended periods of time.
3.
Cut the
pepper and onions into desirable sizes.
Making
Akara
1.
Grind the
beans with your blender making sure you add as little water as possible. The
water should be just enough to move the blades of your blender.
The operators of the heavy duty grinders in Nigerian markets don't even add water when grinding beans for Akara. The less water you add at the grinding stage, the more the beans batter will stay together during frying thereby reducing spatter. Also, do not add any other ingredient when grinding the beans for Akara. It is believed that other ingredients, if added too early, reduce the ability of the ground beans particles to stick together.
The operators of the heavy duty grinders in Nigerian markets don't even add water when grinding beans for Akara. The less water you add at the grinding stage, the more the beans batter will stay together during frying thereby reducing spatter. Also, do not add any other ingredient when grinding the beans for Akara. It is believed that other ingredients, if added too early, reduce the ability of the ground beans particles to stick together.
2.
Set some
vegetable oil on the cooker to heat up. The oil should be at least 3 inches
deep.
3.
Put some
of the ground beans into a mortar. This should be the quantity you can fry in
one go.
4.
Stir the
beans puree with the pestle in a continuous circular motion. You need to apply
some pressure so that you can energize the particles of the beans puree.
This stirring technique releases the gas that will act like a leavening agent to the beans particles, making them rise and somehow stick together. This will be like the yeast making the dough rise in Puff Puff or what folding does to cake batter.
This stirring technique releases the gas that will act like a leavening agent to the beans particles, making them rise and somehow stick together. This will be like the yeast making the dough rise in Puff Puff or what folding does to cake batter.
5.
Keep
stirring till the ground beans appears whiter and you can perceive its peculiar
aroma.
6.
Add some
water till you get the consistency shown in the video below.
7.
Check to
make sure the oil is hot. The oil should be hot enough to sizzle but not too
hot. If too hot, the Akara will spatter as soon as the beans batter hits the
oil.
8.
Once the
oil is hot, add the onions and pepper to the beans puree in the mortar. Stir
well.
9.
Add salt
to your taste and stir again. Salt should always be added just before scooping
the beans mixture into the oil. If salt stays in the mixture for extended
periods of time, it will destroy the leavening property of the beans. This
property is what makes the Akara float in the oil and prevent spatter during
frying.
10.
To fry
the Akara, scoop the mixture with a table spoon and slowly pour this into the
oil. Dipping the spoon a little bit into the oil helps reduce spatter.
11.
Fry the
underside till brown and flip to fry the top side too.
12.
When the
Akara balls are brown all over, remove and place in a sieve lined with paper
towels.
13.
Serve
Akara with Custard/Ogi/Akamu, Agidi or
Bread. The best bread to eat Akara with is oven-fresh, hot and stretchy bread
like Agege Bread.!
14.
Making
Akara may seem like rocket science but with practice, you will perfect this
recipe. If you do not get it right the first time, try again. Everybody has the
same first time experience with making Akara.
Follow these and your Akara will turn out great.
1.
Use
freshly skinned beans.
2.
Use a
very small quantity of water when grinding.
3.
Smoothen
the mix with mortar and pestle before frying.
4.
Add salt
just before frying.
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