Akara (Beanball) is a deep fried meal made from ground beans (Black eyed peas either white or the brown species) mixed with other ingredients as you will find out in this recipe to make a sumptuous delicious breakfast. It’s one of the most common meals you’d find on the breakfast table in most Nigerian homes during the weekends.
It can be taken alone as a snack or served with Pap (akamu “Igbo”/ Ogi “Yoruba”/koko”Hausa”), Bread, Garri, peppered stew e.t.c.
Akara also known as bean balls, bean cakes, bean fritas or acarajé in Portuguese, its is a Nigerian breakfast recipe made with beans normally eaten during the weekend, precisely Saturday morning.
Akara balls reminds me so much of the weekends when I was in secondary school, my mum doesn’t miss any Saturday without preparing akara for our eating pleasure and we all loved it.
Akara balls reminds me so much of the weekends when I was in secondary school, my mum doesn’t miss any Saturday without preparing akara for our eating pleasure and we all loved it.
This recipe is also going to be the one of the softest, easiest, fluffiest akara you’d ever make.
Ingredients to make Akara
2 cup of Beans (black-eyed or brown beans)
2 habanero peppers (also chilli peppers)
1 big sized onion
Salt to taste
Vegetable Oil for frying/ palm oil (For deep frying)
3 Chilli pepper (Shombo)
3 Chilli pepper (Shombo)
2 Scotch bonnet pepper (Ata rodo)
Crayfish little quantity.
Crayfish little quantity.
Tools you will need
Blender
Mortar and Pestle
Sieve
Procedure
Sort the beans to separate the chaff of the beans, today, I used the white beans and it came out very nice. To remove the skin, there are three methods i.e The hand method, the blender method and the mortar and pestle method. The hand and the mortar and pestle method are the manual way of peeling beans while the blender method is easier and could take few minutes to complete.
I used the mortar and pestle method, just put your beans int the mortar and add water but not too much and pound it but not hard within 5 minutes the coat of the beans will pill off.Then remove it and put in a bowl for washing.
It is also important to know that you do not let salt come in contact with the beans you will use in making akara till you are ready to fry it. Salt is believed to destroy the leavening property of beans. This is what prevents spattering of the beans batter during frying. Also, do not blend onions with the beans while blending it else while frying it, your akara will come out scattered or it will even scatter and mess up your frying oil.
Then soak the beans in water to make it soft enough for your blender. If you will grind it using the heavy duty grinders in Nigerian markets like I did because I wanted it extra smooth, it will not be necessary to soak the beans for a long time.
Cut the pepper and onions into desirable sizes and blend them differently and then blend your beans and crayfish together.
Making Akara
When grinding the beans, don’t add to much water, thee less water you add at the grinding stage, the more the beans batter will stay together during frying thereby reducing spatter.
Set some vegetable oil on the cooker to heat up, I used vegetable oil, but if you want the native kind of taste you can also use red oil, trust me, it tastes delicious too. The oil should be at least 3 inches deep.
Put some of the ground beans into a mortar and stir the beans puree with the pestle in a continuous circular motion. You need to apply some pressure so that you can energise the particles of the beans puree and make it smooth.
This stirring technique releases the gas that will act as a leavening agent to the beans particles, making them rise and somehow stick together and rise.
Keep stirring till the ground beans appear whiter and you can perceive its peculiar aroma.
Add some of your ground pepper and onions till you get the consistency as shown below.
Check to make sure the oil is hot enough to sizzle but not too hot. If too hot, the akara will spatter as soon as the beans batter hits the oil.
Add salt to your taste and stir again. Salt should always be added just before scooping the beans mixture into the oil.
If salt stays in the mixture for extended periods of time, it will destroy the leavening property of the beans.
This property is what makes the akara float in the oil and prevent spatter during frying.
To fry the akara, scoop the mixture with a table spoon and slowly pour this into the oil and add onions in between the akara and also drop some into the oil for the special aroma and taste as shown below.
Fry the underside till its brown and flip to fry the top side too.
When the akara balls are brown all over, remove and place in a sieve lined with paper towels.
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Lots of love
I would love to hear your view on this topic, kindly use the comment box.Also, follow me on Twitter and Instagram
Lots of love
44 Comments
Tessy Onyia
August 27, 2016 at 4:09 pmThank you Carina, it sure is.
Tessy Onyia
August 27, 2016 at 4:11 pmThanks you dearie, sure I will.
Tessy Onyia
August 27, 2016 at 4:11 pmThanks dear, it sure is.
Tessy Onyia
August 27, 2016 at 7:26 pmThanks dear.
Andjela Dujovic
August 27, 2016 at 7:28 pmI like your blog, its really dope.
Do you want to follow each other?
If you want, than follow me, and let me know in comments, so I can follow you back with pleasure.
We can follow each other on Instagram @andjela.dujovic, let me know in the comments so I can follow you back.
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xoxo
Miki à la Mode
August 27, 2016 at 7:28 pmSounds and looks yummy! Thanks for sharing!
Xo,
Miki
http://mikialamode.com
Chanel From Je M'appelle
August 27, 2016 at 7:28 pmWhat a fun recipe! Thanks for sharing Tessy.
xo
Chanel | Je M'appelle Chanel
Marta
August 27, 2016 at 8:01 pmLooks delicious!
http://MartasFashionDiary.com/
Hanna Lei
August 27, 2016 at 8:48 pmThis looks so good! –Hanna Lei
Latest Post: Down by the River
Tessy Onyia
August 27, 2016 at 9:02 pmThanks dear.
Tessy Onyia
August 27, 2016 at 9:03 pmThanks dear.
Carina Vardie
August 28, 2016 at 10:53 amNever tried them, but they look appetising.
xo
http://www.carinavardie.com
BubblEsther
August 28, 2016 at 10:54 amThank you for sharing this recipe, these look delicious!
xo, Esther
http://bubblesther.com
fashion mews
August 28, 2016 at 10:54 amsuch a delicious recipe, thanks for sharing!
xx Melis
http://fashionmews.com
Tessy Onyia
August 28, 2016 at 10:55 amThanks dear.
Tessy Onyia
August 28, 2016 at 10:56 amThanks dearie.
Tessy Onyia
August 28, 2016 at 10:56 amThanks darling!
Style For Mankind
August 28, 2016 at 4:38 pmGreat post! Thank you for sharing.
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Gil Zetbase
August 28, 2016 at 4:39 pmLooks amazing!
Have a nice week-end!
Gil Zetbase
http://gilzetbase.com/
Gil Zetbase
August 28, 2016 at 4:39 pmGreat post!
Have a nice week-end!
Gil Zetbase
http://gilzetbase.com/
Andreea Birsan
August 28, 2016 at 6:35 pmThis looks like a must try! x
Have a nice week,
Andreea
http://couturezilla.com/
Marta
August 28, 2016 at 7:02 pmThese look delicious, gotta try the recipe!
xx
LA VEINE
Tessy Onyia
August 28, 2016 at 7:04 pmThank you for reading dear.
Tessy Onyia
August 28, 2016 at 7:05 pmAww! yes o my dear, please try it out.
Tessy Onyia
August 28, 2016 at 7:06 pmThanks dearie, you should seriously.
Straight A Style
August 28, 2016 at 8:26 pmI've never had one of these. They look yummy!
Amy Ann
Straight A Style
Sauniya
August 28, 2016 at 8:26 pmI've heard about these befre but never tried them.. Now I have the recipe Thank You, I'll give it a go. 🙂
xo
Sauniya | Find Your Bliss
Carolin Se
August 28, 2016 at 10:01 pmSuch a cool recipe! Thanks for sharing 🙂
What about following each other?
Caro x
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Ania Zarzycka
August 29, 2016 at 10:06 ammmm!! So tasty <33
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Maria On Point
August 29, 2016 at 6:46 pmThis looks so good, I need to try it. Thanks for sharing!
XO,
Maria
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Tessy Onyia
August 29, 2016 at 9:26 pmOh! Glad to hear this. Thanks for reading dear.
Tessy Onyia
August 29, 2016 at 9:27 pmThank you dear.
Tessy Onyia
August 29, 2016 at 9:28 pmThank you dear.
Tessy Onyia
August 29, 2016 at 9:29 pmThanks for reading dear.
Tessy Onyia
August 29, 2016 at 9:30 pmPlease do and give me your feedback, Thanks for reading dear.
skin-ny-cature
August 30, 2016 at 10:03 amHave to try out this Weekend!
lena
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Tessy Onyia
August 30, 2016 at 12:22 pmThank you dear.
Precious Nkeih
August 31, 2016 at 10:17 amThat looks so delicious, Tessy!
I can only imagine the taste of the onion rings inside. Yum!
PreciousCore.com
Hannah Will
September 1, 2016 at 5:23 pmYum! Love your recipes!
The Daily Delicacy
Brenda's Couch
September 2, 2016 at 7:31 pmThere is a lady that does hers for commercial purpose close to my home and for the past 12 years she had been the only source of patronage. We all queue for this and sometimes we spend almost 30-50 minutes queuing.
This year another lady came like two blocks away with a different style, goooosh, i never knew Akara could be this delicious.
The very first day i tasted the new lady's akara cake, that was the day i said bye bye to the other lady. The pepper, onions and crayfish could all be tasted and felt. You eat it and you will see the pepper and onions inside, something the other woman doesn't do.
Darlene Anderson
September 12, 2016 at 8:08 pmthis is something I have never tired! Looking forward on cooking this! So pinning the recipe!
Thenewgirl.me
Rostrose
October 3, 2016 at 5:48 pmMmmmmmmmmmmm, this sounds (and looks) delicious, dear Tessy!
Hugs from Austria & happy October, Traude
http://rostrose.blogspot.co.at/2016/10/eine-etwas-andere-dirndl-modenschau-und.html
how to plan a small wedding
January 31, 2017 at 5:33 amWhat’s up,I read your new stuff named “HOW TO MAKE DELICIOUS AKARA (BEAN BALL) | Tessy Onyia’s Blog” on a regular basis.Your humoristic style is witty, keep up the good work! And you can look our website about how to plan a small wedding http://www.wedding0venues.tk/.
Oyelowo Wemimo
January 24, 2020 at 5:51 amThank you so much, ma’am, it helps a lot. But please ,for how long can I keep my grounded bean and what are the rules that guide akara making, because I want to start the business.