
Akara – Nigerian Black-eyed pea fritters are tiny scoops of mildly flavoured bean dough, fried to perfection! It is a popular Senegal snack, usually served with Red Kosayi – the local chilli sauce made with red bell peppers, long red chillies, vinegar, olive oil, sugar and salt.
You know the feeling, when you’re in a foreign land and you chance upon a street food vendor or a restaurant that carries a delicacy from back home? That’s the feeling I get when I’m watching international food shows on TV and there’s a recipe from the other side of the world that is so similar to something from India! Languages and cultures fascinate me. We’re all like seeds, scattered by the wind. We took root in different places, but deep down, there’s something that connects us all, and I love finding that connection through food and language!
I was watching Food Safari on the Fox Traveller yesterday afternoon, and there was this particular episode on African food being aired. So many wonderful recipes were being showcased and along comes something that was so similar to the South Indian Vada!
So here you go. I hope you try this, it’s pretty amazing to eat something that is popular in another continent, but tastes so close to home!
You begin by soaking black-eyed peas overnight. This will soften both the skin and the bean, making it easier to skin on the morrow.
De-skin the Black-eyed peas by rubbing them between the palm of your hands vigorously. This is truly the hardest part of this recipe, simply because it is time consuming. So I suggest you do the de-skining during the afternoon, after a nice lunch, and serve these up at tea-time. Every now and then, wash the skins out and start again. I recommend watching this video to know how.
Some say it takes just 20 minutes, but it took me about 2 hours to de-skin the soaked beans. I’d probably get better with practice, but if I were you, I’d factor in the time.
Drain the skinned black-eyed peas and grind them to a thick, smooth paste, adding as little water as necessary.
You can refrigerate this batter for a couple of days if you want, but once you add the flavours and salt, it’s best fried immediately.
Sit the ground batter for 30 minutes. You’ll notice that the batter gets somehow ‘fluffy’ in this time.
Stir in the chopped vegetables – I added onion, jalapenos, grated ginger, curry leaves, chilli and salt to taste.
Deep fry on medium heat until golden brown! If it’s too hot, the outside will brown before the insides cook. If it’s not hot enough, then the fritter drinks too much oil. Drain on paper towels and serve hot!
Enjoy the gorgeous, crisp exterior and the incredibly soft, mildly spiced inside.
Holly says
Years late to the party here! I followed your recipe to the letter and these were SO DELICIOUS! Thanks! I’ll be making them again for sure. x
Tina Dawson says
Thank you so very much, Holly! I’m glad you liked it!
Pongodhall says
I don’t do deep fried so I tend to use appe/paniyaram – I find lightly fry greasy too and Oven dries it out but my cast iron appe pan seems to do a lot of things just right. What do you think?
Tina Dawson says
I say go for it! I don’t see why it shouldn’t work!
Rox says
For the peeling of the beans, you can put a handful at a time on a chopping board and use a large wooden spoon or pot to crush the beans. The skin will come off more easily and your hands won’t get so pruny. Using this method, I am able to peel the beans in about 20 minutes. When I used to rub them with my hands, it would take 2 hours like you.
Tina Dawson says
Really! That’s brilliant! Thanks for sharing! <3
Willie says
Thanks you for your Cameroon Ankara recipes
Tina Dawson says
I’m so glad you liked it, Willie!
Alice says
I’m delighted! Here in Brazil we have the Acarajé that is made with the same beans and the same way, but the dough becomes more dense and we use grated onion instead. To fill the fritters, we used Vatapá, okra, dried and fresh prawns and a very spicy pepper. I love!
Tina Dawson says
That sounds absolutely delicious, Alice! I am so glad I now have another variation to look forward to.
Diana Johnson says
These look delicious! I love all the vegetables you added.
Tina Dawson says
Thanks a lot Diana! It was delicious!
Vicky @ Avocado Pesto says
These sound delicious! Also looove discovering new street foods or any kind of food to try and I absolutely must watch that Food Safari show — had never heard of it : )) Who knew food from Senegal could be similar to food from India?!
Tina Dawson says
Right! I was so surprised too! Food never ceases to amaze me!
Mica @ Let's Taco Bout It Blog says
Oh my gosh! Fritters! Are my favorite! I love the color and brightness of these fritters. Ginger is a great flavor to add to fritters. My other half would love this!
Tina Dawson says
Then you should make this immediately! It’s incredibly delicious!
Christine | Vermilion Roots says
Hey Tina, I love this recipe. Never thought of using black-eyed peas in fritters before. Can’t wait to try! 🙂
Tina Dawson says
You’ll love this Christine. If you’ve had South Indian Vadas in Malaysia, these are just like that!
Bintu - Recipes From A Pantry says
I love the flavours you have added to the fritters, bet they are so tasty
Tina Dawson says
They really are Bintu!