Another delicious Nigerian recipe.

Can be eaten alone or with a sweet custard

These ones were made by my Jamaican and Hungarian friends. Turned out very nice.

Ingredients

200g of dried black-eyed beans

80 -120 ml water

75g onion, finel chopped

1/4 tsp of black pepper

1/2 tsp of salt

1/2 tsp of chopped and deseeded chilli or 1/4 tsp of ground red chilli

1 egg

50 – 100g of finely chopped cooked prawns (optional)

vegetable oil

Preparation time: A few hours or overnight; then 30 minutes

Serves 6

Instructions

1. Place the beans in a large, deep pan and cover them with water. Leave them to soak for a few hours or overnight.

2. With your hands under water in the pan, rub the beans together to remove the skins. The skins will float to the top and can be skimmed off. Drain the beans in a colander and place them into a blender or food processor with 80 ml of water. Blend them for about 20 seconds or until they become smooth.

3. Place the ground beans into a bowl. If the mixture is dry, stir in water, little by little, until it is a paste.

4. Add the remaining ingredients except for the oil. Beat the mixture until it is light and airy. If, after adding the egg, the mixture is too runny, add 1 tbsp of flour.

5. In a large frying pan, heat a 2.5-cm depth of oil a medium heat, until the temperature reaches 190oC. Use a cooking thermometer to monitor the oil’s heat. Drop teaspoons of dough into the oil and fry for about 5 minutes or until they are golden brown. Remove the akara from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain them on pieces of kitchen towel. Serve immediately.

Reference: Cooking the West African Way