How To Make Akara (Bean Frittas/Acarajé)
graciie (25) in first • 2 days ago
Hello everyone, this is my very first post on steemit, yay me!!!.
I love cooking/eating and i felt like, what better way to introduce myself to this wonderful community than through cooking. I hope you stick with me and enjoy the ride!!
Today, I'm going to be writing on how to make Bean cakes or Bean Frittas.
Bean cakes also known as "-akara-" here in Nigeria where I'm from, is a breakfast delicacy that be eaten with bread, oats, custard and several other things. It can also be taken as a stand alone snack.
(Images gotten from google)
Ingredients For Making Bean Cakes
The major ingredient is of course beans.
You'll need like 2-4 cups of black eyed beans 640px-BlackEyedPeas.JPG
scotch bonnet peppers
1 big/medium size bulb of onion
Vegetable oil
Salt
Water
Crayfish
Equipments Needed
Electric blender
A deep bowl
Mixer or whisk
A long frying spoon
Paper towels
A frying pan
Steps in making Bean cakes
Soak your beans in water for a few hours to loosen/soften the skin.
The skins are then removed by hand or using a manual blender. (If i get enough feed backs i can talk more about this in another post)
Once the skins are removed, the beans is ground using your electric blender.
Now you have to be careful at this point. Cos if you add too much water, you'll be unable to fry your batter. Consistency of the paste matters a lot, so you should go for a thicker consistency.
Add your washed crayfish, a little bit of your washed and chopped pepper and onion to the blended bean paste and blend again.
Turn the bean paste into a bowl, using your mixer/whisk stir in a clockwise manner to incorporate air to your mix, keep stirring till you double or even tripple the volume of your paste, you should do this for 10 to 15 minutes.
Add the remaining chopped onion and pepper, salt or seasoning cubes fold carefully and set aside.
Add vegetable oil to your frying pan or a deep pot and heat. The oil should be able to cover an egg, that's like 3 inches deep.
-I always take a heat test by dropping a little of my bean paste into the hot oil, if it browns instantly then i know that the oil is too hot, but if it sizzles and still has its colour, then i know i have the right temperature.-
Using a serving spoon scoop your bean paste into your hot oil and fry. Leave enough space between to turn each piece. Remember that you've mixed your paste to incorporate oil, so don't turn too soon or too late or you'll end up with a flat bean cake. Very depressing.
9.Fry till it's puffy and golden brown. Sieve out of oil, then place on a bed of paper towels to soak the oil.
Your delicious bean cake is oh so ready to be eaten
Image gotten from google.
I really hope that you enjoyed reading this as much as i loved writing it. I'd really love to receive feed backs, tell me if you loved it and if you'd like to read more from me, ways you think i can improve or just about anything.
I look forward to hearing from y'all and i hope steemit loves me as much as i love you all!!