Soak the beans Put the black-eyed peas in a large bowl, cover them with plenty of cold water, and leave them to soak for one hour so the skins loosen.
02
Rub off the skins Take handfuls of the soaked beans and rub them firmly between your palms under the water until the skins slip off.
03
Rinse away the skins Add more water to the bowl, let the loose skins float to the top, and tip them away, repeating until the beans are almost all white.
04
Drain the beans Tip the peeled beans into a colander and let them drain well for about five minutes.
05
Grind the paste Blend the beans with the onion and scotch bonnet peppers, adding the cold water one tablespoon at a time, until you have a smooth, thick paste.
06
Whip the paste Pour the paste into a bowl and beat it hard with a wooden spoon in one direction for about five minutes, until it turns paler, lighter and fluffy.
07
Heat the oil Pour the oil into a deep pot to a depth of about five centimetres and heat it over medium heat for about five minutes, until it reaches about one hundred and seventy five degrees Celsius.
08
Add the salt Stir the salt into the whipped paste just before you start frying.
09
Fry the akara Scoop tablespoons of paste into the hot oil without crowding the pot, and fry for about five minutes, turning once, until deep golden brown all over.
10
Drain and serve Lift the akara out with a slotted spoon onto a colander or paper to drain for a minute, fry the rest of the paste the same way, and serve hot with pap or soft bread.
Akara are light, crisp fritters made from peeled black-eyed peas ground with pepper and onion, then whipped and deep-fried. They are sold hot from roadside fryers across Nigeria and eaten for breakfast with pap (ogi) or soft bread.
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Method
1
Soak the beans
Put the black-eyed peas in a large bowl, cover them with plenty of cold water, and leave them to soak for one hour so the skins loosen.
Soak the beans · 60 min
2
Rub off the skins
Take handfuls of the soaked beans and rub them firmly between your palms under the water until the skins slip off.
If the skins are stubborn, pulse the beans in a blender with water for one or two seconds just to crack them, then rub again.
3
Rinse away the skins
Add more water to the bowl, let the loose skins float to the top, and tip them away, repeating until the beans are almost all white.
Leftover skins and dark eyes make the akara heavy and grey, so take the time to get most of them out.
4
Drain the beans
Tip the peeled beans into a colander and let them drain well for about five minutes.
Drain the beans · 5 min
5
Grind the paste
Blend the beans with the onion and scotch bonnet peppers, adding the cold water one tablespoon at a time, until you have a smooth, thick paste.
The paste should hold its shape on a spoon. Too much water makes the akara flatten and soak up oil. Home cooks often take the beans to a market grinding machine or use a grinding stone for the thickest paste.
6
Whip the paste
Pour the paste into a bowl and beat it hard with a wooden spoon in one direction for about five minutes, until it turns paler, lighter and fluffy.
This beating traps air and is what makes akara puffy and soft inside, so do not skip it.
Whip the paste · 5 min
7
Heat the oil
Pour the oil into a deep pot to a depth of about five centimetres and heat it over medium heat for about five minutes, until it reaches about one hundred and seventy five degrees Celsius.
Drop in a small bit of paste. If it sizzles and floats up straight away, the oil is ready.
Heat the oil · 5 min
8
Add the salt
Stir the salt into the whipped paste just before you start frying.
Salting too early draws water out and makes the paste runny.
9
Fry the akara
Scoop tablespoons of paste into the hot oil without crowding the pot, and fry for about five minutes, turning once, until deep golden brown all over.
If they brown in under three minutes the oil is too hot and the insides will stay raw, so lower the heat a little.
Fry the akara · 5 min
10
Drain and serve
Lift the akara out with a slotted spoon onto a colander or paper to drain for a minute, fry the rest of the paste the same way, and serve hot with pap or soft bread.