Akara
Overview
Akara is a Nigerian bean fritter, often called bean cake in English. To make akara, you soak black eyed or brown beans and rub off the skins, then grind them with as little water as you can. Whip the paste until it's light, season it with onion, pepper and salt, and fry spoonfuls in hot oil until they're brown on both sides. There's no flour, egg or baking powder in this version. The lightness comes from air beaten into the paste, traditionally with a pestle in a mortar. A wet paste won't hold that air, and that's how you end up with flat, heavy akara. Akara started in Yorubaland and is now a common breakfast across West Africa; Hausa speakers call it kosai and in Ghana it's koose. It crossed the Atlantic too, carried by enslaved Yoruba people to Bahia in Brazil, where it became acarajé. There it's sold as street food and also made as an offering in the Candomblé religion. Serve it hot with pap, agidi, bread, custard or garri.
AFN Heritage Note
Akara is a bean fritter thought to have originated with the Yoruba of Nigeria and eaten across West Africa, known as kosai in Hausa. It was carried to Brazil by enslaved West Africans, where it is known as acarajé and holds a sacred role in Candomblé.
Ingredients
Dietary tags are provided by contributors as a guide, not verified by AFN, and they depend on the products you buy. If you have a serious allergy, check every ingredient yourself. Cooking, allergies and your own judgement
Directions
- 1
Soak the beans and remove the coat by rubbing them between your hands, then rinse away the skins.
- 2
Grind the beans in a blender or grinding mill, adding as little water as possible, until they form a paste.
- 3
Pour the paste into a mortar and whisk it with the pestle until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- 4
Add the salt, onions and pepper. You can also blend the onion and pepper and mix them in.
- 5
Set the vegetable oil on the heat.
- 6
Scoop spoonfuls of the paste into the hot oil and fry until brown on both sides.
- 7
Drain and serve with pap, agidi, bread, custard or garri.
Africook’s Notes
Personal notes from Beatrice Ige- Use as little water as possible when grinding. A wet paste will not hold air and gives dense, flat akara rather than light ones.
- Whip the paste hard and long. That aeration is the entire difference between good akara and heavy fritters, and a mortar and pestle does it better than a blender.
- Peel the beans properly. Any remaining skins give a speckled, slightly bitter fritter.
- Season the paste just before frying rather than in advance. Salt draws water out and slackens the mixture.
- Test one first. If it spreads flat in the oil the paste is too wet and needs more whipping or a rest.
- Palm oil can be used for frying instead of vegetable oil and gives a different colour and flavour.
Questions cooks ask
What is akara in English?
Akara is usually called bean cake in English. It's a deep fried ball of peeled black eyed or brown beans that have been ground and whipped until light. Hausa speakers call it kosai, Ghanaians call it koose, and in Brazil the same dish is acarajé.
What are the ingredients for akara?
You only need peeled black eyed or brown beans, onion, fresh pepper, salt and vegetable oil for frying. This recipe has no flour, egg or baking powder, and no spice mix either; the lightness comes from whipping the paste. Some cooks blend the onion and pepper into the paste instead of chopping them.
Is akara Nigerian?
Yes. Akara started in Yorubaland, the home of the Yoruba people, which covers parts of Nigeria, Benin and Togo. It's now eaten right across West Africa, and it travelled to the Caribbean and Brazil as well.
Can you make akara with egg?
Some cooks do add egg to the batter, and it's a known variation. This recipe doesn't use any, because bean paste that's been whipped properly holds enough air on its own. If your akara keeps coming out flat, sort out the water and the whipping before reaching for an egg.
What do you eat akara with?
Pap, also called ogi or eko, is the classic partner, and akara with bread is common in Nigeria too. It also goes with agidi, custard or garri. Eat it hot, while the outside is still crisp.
Can akara be fried with palm oil?
Yes. Akara fried in palm oil is called akara elepo or akara kengbe, and it has a different colour and taste from the usual kind. Vegetable oil is more common, especially for street akara, and it's what this recipe uses.
Reviews
5 reviews
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Peeling those black eyed beans by hand in my small Atlanta apartment brought back memories, but abeg it took almost two hours. Next time I will just go to the African store on Jimmy Carter Blvd and look for the pre-peeled ones. But the whisking step is key o! I used my kitchenaid whisk attachment instead of mortar and pestle and the akara came out so light and fluffy, just like back home.
found black eyed peas at H-E-B easily but getting the right pepper was tricky so i used scotch bonnet. the main mistake people make is adding too much water when blending! if the paste is watery it will just soak up all the oil and go flat. mine fried up rounded and crunchy on the outside. ate it with pap this morning, e sweet sharp.
Herh, this is just our Ghanaian koose oo! But in Tema here we usually blend the onion, fresh red pepper, and a small piece of ginger together with the beans before whisking. You don't need mortar and pestle if you beat it well with a wooden spoon. Very good with hausa koko in the morning, chale.
I made these for my family last night and they were delicious, but rubbing the skins off the beans took me way longer than two hours. Is there a trick to getting the skins to float off faster? Also, I couldn't find fresh habaneros so I used a jalapeño. Still came out golden and airy inside.
We usually make mandazi or mahamri for breakfast here in Nairobi, so using black eyed beans like this was very different for me. The whisking part requires real muscle! It turned out nicely crispy, very nice with milk tea in the morning. Sawa kabisa.