Akara Recipe – West African Black-Eyed Pea Fritters
Akara are crispy West African black-eyed pea fritters made with onion and hot peppers. Whipping the batter creates a light, fluffy center while frying gives them a crisp, golden exterior.
Ingredients
- 2 cups black eyed peas
- 2 habanero peppers seeded and cored (substitute ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper)
- 1 onion large, roughly chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt to taste
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper optional
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder optional
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika optional
- ¾ cup water
- oil for frying
Instructions
Preparing the black eyed peas:
- Soak the peas for 1-2 hours in a large bowl and cover them with water, longer is better for a softer smoother batter.
- Rub the peas together in the palms of your hands with a good amount of force to break up and remove their skins.
- The skins will float on the water and you can pour them off and add more water as you go. Repeat until all the skins have been removed from the peas.
Prepare the batter:
- Drain and rinse the peas then add to a food processor. Heat up the oil to 350°F while preparing the batter.
- Add the onion, habanero, salt, pepper and any optional flavors like garlic powder, smoked paprika etc to the food processor. Add just enough water to bring the batter together.
- Blend until smooth then add to the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Whisk the batter on high until it is fluffy for 3-5 minutes.
Frying the Akara
- Drop ¼ cup scoops of the batter into the oil. A standard half sphere type ice cream scoop works well for this.
- Flip them and fry them to a golden brown exterior.
Nutrition
Calories: 68kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 5gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 3mgPotassium: 172mgFiber: 4gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 61IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 15mgIron: 1mg
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