Black-Eyed Pea Fritters
Updated Dec. 8, 2022
- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1cup dried black-eyed peas
- 2tablespoons chopped white onion, plus sliced onion for garnish
- ½teaspoon baking soda
- 1teaspoon kosher salt
- ½teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper (optional)
- Pinch of crushed red pepper (optional)
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- Fresh baguette or pita breads
- Spicy pickled carrots, for serving (see recipe)
- Lettuce leaves, for garnish
- Sliced tomatoes, for garnish
- Cilantro sprigs, for garnish
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Preparation
- Step 1
Place the black-eyed peas in a large bowl with enough hot water to cover. Soak for at least 15 minutes (longer, even overnight, is fine), until the skins easily peel off when rubbed between the palms of your hands. Rub the skins off the peas, letting the skins float to the top. Slowly pour out the water and the skins with it, leaving the peas in the bowl. Repeat until all the peas are cleaned.
- Step 2
Drain the peas and place in a food processor along with the onion, baking soda, salt, a splash of water and the black and red pepper, if using. Process until a smooth batter forms, adding a little more water if necessary. The batter should be smoothly blended, similar to the consistency of light hummus.
- Step 3
Pour oil into a large cast-iron skillet or other heavy, straight-sided pan to a depth of 1 inch. Heat oil to 365 degrees over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and, using a spoon, carefully drop 1 tablespoon of batter into the oil. Repeat until there are several dollops in the pan, being careful not to overcrowd. Fry until golden brown, about 2 minutes, turning the fritters once. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain on paper towel and keep warm. Repeat until all batter is used.
- Step 4
To serve, split ¼ baguette or a pita bread and fill with 3 or 4 fritters, a generous spoonful of pickled carrots, and some lettuce, tomato, onion and cilantro. (Alternatively, arrange accara, without the bread, on a platter and serve with drinks.) Serve immediately.
Private Notes
Comments
Step 1 is exceptionally tedious if you try to do it with whole black-eyed peas. It will take dozens of soakings and rubbings to remove the skins and you still won't get them all.
Instead you should purchase shelled and broken dried black-eyed peas from a store that carries West African foods. If these cannot be located, first put the whole dried black-eyed peas in a food processor and process very briefly until the peas are very coarsely crushed, then soak them to remove the skins.
These are also a staple of street food in Bahia, Brazil, where they are known as acarajé, and cooked in red palm oil (dendé). On the street they're made rather large, sliced and spread inside with a sauce made from dried shrimp, ginger, onion, hot peppers and more dendé.
To help you guys out, you can soak the black eyed beans in cold water for 2-3 hrs. Use the pulse function on your blender to peel it. Trust me it works effectively. Then wash out the skins with running water. This is a very popular Nigerian meal called Akara. I have a link to it http://sisijemimah.com/2015/11/26/akara-bean-fritters/
This is one of the most IRRESPONSIBLE recipes I have ever encountered! Do not bother making this one. Despite soaking peas ALL DAY, with numerous hot water changes- it is simply impossible to peel each pea by “ rubbing between hands”. No- that is ineffective- you have to peel them one by one. I then read the comments about various techniques to peel the beans- but it is a ridiculous waste of time to attempt this recipe. Shame on the author for so non-chalantly suggesting this is possible!
Disaster. The fritters
Disaster the fritters disintegrated in the oil. I’m pretty good at following directions…
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