Black Eyed Peas Fritters- Spicy ,Crispy and crunchy, irresistibly Fritters made with fresh black eyed peas , onions, hot pepper and salt .
What name you call these light, crispy, Black-eyed peas fritters, that is so hard to resist, depends on what part of the world you live. In Nigeria and Cameroon; they’re called akara, accra or kosai, In Sierra Leone and Ghana ;akla or koosé.
Transported to Brazil you have…. Acarajé big and large, split in the middle and filled with fried shrimps, tomatoes and hot pepper sauce or some sort of spicy mixture.
In some parts of West Africa, like Nigeria it is often eaten at breakfast . Served with Custard or Pap . While Countries like Cameroon enjoy it as a snack .
They are for the most part, sold by women in market places and around street corners and are a delight with every crunchy bite.
Yes ! they are just not black eyed peas fritters without the crunch.
There are Tip and Tricks to making THE perfect Crunchy Akara
- Although store- bought peeled black eyed peas works for this recipe . I prefer using shelled( black eyed peas with skin on ). It delivers that perfect crunchy bite. It might be tedious but SO worthy it.
- One key essential step is whipping the batter just like you would a cake , in fast circles to get as much air in the mixture as possible making it light and airy. Usually takes about 4-5 minutes. You can’t omit this step. And in between frying you have to continue beating the batter before frying the next batch.
- Here , I used eggs to add more flavor and texture to it- 1-2 Large eggs does it. Just substitute with water (about 1/4 cup of water ) if want to make this completely vegan.
- let it cook an extra 1-2 minutes for a more golden brown exterior and an even better crunch.
If you want a traditional african recipe for fritters then go with the basic ingredients .
However, you can fuse the African recipe with the Brazilian one, by adding shrimp to the to the mixture to produce a neat and crisp outside and a fluffy inside – with a surprise shrimp awaiting . Another alternative for those who want something different.
In other to make this less grueling ,you can peel your beans ahead of time and freeze them till the day of cooking.
Enjoy!!!!
Watch How to Make It
Black-eyed peas fritters(Akara)
Ingredients
- 2 cups black-eyed peas
- 1/2 Medium Onion
- 1-2 Hot Pepper Scotch Bonnet or habenero Pepper
- Salt to taste about 1 3/4 teaspoons or more adjust to taste
- 2 Large eggs optional see tips
- optional spices 1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika)
- Oil for deep frying
Instructions
- Instructions
- Soak them for about 15 minutes, pulse in the blender or food processor to break the peas (about 5- 10 times or about 10 to 15 seconds) you should do this in small quantities. In a large bowl soak the beans with warm water for about 2 hours or up to 24hours, cover with water until tender.
- Rub the peas between your hands to take the skin off. The skins will float to the top. Pour off the skins, into a colander; you may have to do this process several times. Most of the skin will come off the peas; Sort through the remaining peas to remove all the skin. You can do this ahead of time and freeze it, to save time
- In a food processor, puree onions, black-eyed peas and habanero pepper with no or very little water until completely smooth. You might have to do this in two batches. It is important to note that ,using water will cause the mixture to be very light and will not hold together.
- In a medium bowl mix together, blended black eyed peas , salt,and eggs.
- Heat up a large skillet or cast iron with oil up to ½ inch- medium-high heat (375) until hot but not smoking.
- Gently place batter by spoonfuls in hot oil and fry until golden brown, about 4-5 minutes turning once. Fry in batches and do not over crowd pan - it may lead to soggy akara. Remove from hot oil with a slotted spoon, drain well, and serve.,
Nutrition Information:
Irfan says
Hi Imma – came across this when I was researching how to better my recipe of “bhajia” from Tanzania. It is the same and eaten as a snack with a coconut and chili chutney. The secret that I learnt from my mother was not to throw away the water that the peas were soaking in and use it to dilute the paste. The starch from the water holds it together so you don’t need the egg. A little baking soda or baking powder also fluff them up.
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Irfan! That is nice to know! 🙂
Diane Branch-Thompson says
Re: “DAISY Posted on 5/15 at 12:46PM
U can buy deskined or split black eyed peas from indian grocery
It’s called CHORA DAL SPLIT BLACK EYED removing skin is lot of work
Just soak for few hrs and grind to mk steamed dumplings
REPLY
IMMACULATEBITES Posted on 5/15 at 2:03PM
Daisy, you are a life saver! There is an indian store 5 minutes from my house . I am so heading there. Thanks for sharing”
What, if any, is the difference between BEPs that Daisy referenced and those without skins that can be found in markets that you say will work but you prefer to get them with the skin on and remove the skin yourself? Is the difference that you use FRESH BEPs and those found in markets ate are dried peas? Are the one Daisy mentions also dried? If so, why the exuberance in learning of the availability of fried BEPs at Indian stores when you stated your preference for fresh skins on peas?
Immaculate Bites says
Thanks for sharing, Diane! 🙂
KimKim says
Hello. Are you using dried peas or canned? And will it make a difference which one you use? Thank you
ImmaculateBites says
Hello! Yes it would a Huge difference . Dried peas works best in this recipe.
Nagaina says
Hi in curaçao we call this CALA and it’s verry delicious
Elvine says
I just try this recipe and is so yummy.
M’y daughter was all over it.
Thank you
frankie says
Hi ImmaculateBites
It was nice seeing all your recipes for Akara. I was wondering if I could learn a little more from you about trying it with dried powdered beans. I have tried using it for a while but it never comes out as the peeled ones. it spatters in the oil and sinks to the bottom too, making it absorb oil. have you tried it, is there a better way.
I also will like to know of more recipes you could try with beans paste, google hasn’t left me many options.
Thanks.
ImmaculateBites says
Sorry , I haven’t really tried it with powdered beans before. I have heard they don’t taste as good or have the same texture, so I stay clear of it.
janice mcgrory says
Hi there,
I was wondering if I make a large batch can I freeze either the bran batter or the actual finished Akara.
imma africanbites says
Hi, Janice. As for me, akara are best enjoyed on the day they’re made. But what you can do is freeze the peeled peas to make it less grueling. Please see step # 3. Hope this helps.
Ety Croes says
Delicious
In Aruba we call it CALA
Brittany A. says
Hello, I am wondering what sauce do you serve these with? Do you have a recipe for it somewhere? I’m American but my husband is Ghanian and I would love to surprise him with some of these.
imma africanbites says
Hi, Brittany. You can pair it with this African Pepper Sauce here >>> https://www.africanbites.com/african-pepper-sauce/
Aduke says
Brazilian acaraje is an evolution of a yoruba recipe (short for akara ounje) I don’t think there is any need to add the shrimp or even meat bullion seasoning or the egg. Just a personal pet peeve. Just like how people meatify moimoi these days. It is nice to have a break from all the meat products. We can modify with non meat options. Although I’d probably complain about that too. 😀
Sagar sanjay devatwal says
I want Vdapav and rice plate
Alena says
Can you used tinned black eye peas?
ImmaculateBites says
Hi Alexa. This works best with uncooked blacked eye peas. Haven’t tried it with cooked peas.
Z says
Do not try this with canned peas.
Asad says
The skin is easier to take off with hard peas. Tinned peas are already cooked and harder to remove skin
Frances Cowan says
Hi,
I’m trying this for Thanksgiving hor d’ouevres. Can you please suggest the optimum oil for frying?
Thank you
ImmaculateBites says
Hello , at least 2 inch deep.
Eurodis says
Hi in curacao we called it kala same as in Aruba . We ad a little baking powder also that will help and prevent it to sunk in the oil. In this case it will keep it floating.
ImmaculateBites says
That’s great! Thanks for sharing this with us.
Kay says
So cool! In Sierra Leone we actually call this “Akara” as well, this is “binch akara” 🙂
donna says
I made the Southern Black Eyes Peas for New Years dinner -so delicious, some of us had a second helping.
ImmaculateBites says
Hahaha! Good to know ! So glad you enjoyed it .
Abigail Addo-Markin says
Hi Imma, hubby loves the Akara/Koose so much is there a way of preserving it because I can’t get to do it everyday. Thanks
Flora U says
You can freeze the finished accra but will need a toaster oven or or oven to heat up. So it rejuvenates Thales crispy crust. I do thus even with pufff puff.
Immaculate Bites says
Thank you for sharing, Flora!