Akara (Crispy Bean Fritters)

Name: Akara (Crispy Bean Fritters)
Prep time: 1 h 5 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h 35 min
Yield: 6 to 8 servings (20 pieces)
Ingredients: 2 cups èwà olóyin or black-eyed peas, soaked and peeled, or 1½ cups bean powder (see Tip); ¼ cup finely diced yellow onion; 2 garlic cloves; 1 Scotch bonnet pepper, stemmed; 1¼ teaspoons fine salt, plus more to taste; 4 cups peanut oil or red palm oil

By Yewande Komolafe

Updated Oct. 23, 2023

Akara (Crispy Bean Fritters) — Kelly Marshall for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Roscoe Betsill. Prop Stylist: Paige Hicks.

Total Time: 35 minutes, plus 1 hour’s soaking
Prep Time: 5 minutes, plus 1 hour’s soaking
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Rating: 3(45)
Comments: Read comments

Traditionally, àkàrà is a celebration food. The plump rounds should be cakelike and fluffy on the inside with a golden exterior, as they are in this recipe from “My Everyday Lagos: Nigerian Cooking at Home and in the Diaspora” by Yewande Komolafe (Ten Speed Press, 2023). Popular in Yorùbá cuisine, it’s a simple dish that requires a careful hand when prepared. Each step from puréeing the ingredients, mixing the batter and frying is critical to developing layers of flavor and texture. Àkàrà is best served warm as a meal when paired with ògi (a fermented cornstarch paste), as a small chop enjoyed by itself or as a sandwich filling between pillowy soft slices of agége bread.

Featured in: The Flavor of Lagos, in 3 Recipes

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Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings (20 pieces)

2cups èwà olóyin or black-eyed peas, soaked and peeled, or 1½ cups bean powder (see Tip)
¼ cup finely diced yellow onion
2garlic cloves
1Scotch bonnet pepper, stemmed
1¼ teaspoons fine salt, plus more to taste
4cups peanut oil or red palm oil

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Working in batches, transfer the peeled beans to a food processor and purée with up to 1 cup water until smooth. Stir in the diced onion, garlic and Scotch bonnet chile.
Step 2
Add the 1¼ teaspoons salt and purée to the consistency of lightly coarse whipped hummus.
Step 3
Heat the oil to 350 degrees over medium-high. Working in batches to avoid crowding and adjusting heat as necessary, use a spoon to transfer tablespoon-size portions of the batter into the oil. Fry each batch until golden brown, turning repeatedly until evenly browned on all sides and cooked through, about 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Repeat the frying process for the remaining batter, making sure to return the oil to temperature between batches. Serve the àkàrà while still warm, alone or along with a warm bowl of eko or as a sandwich between slices of agége.

Tips

If using bean powder, finely dice the onion, garlic and pepper. Add the bean powder to a medium bowl and stir in only ½ cup water, adding a tablespoon at a time for the batter to be thick enough to softly hold its own shape. Skip adding any salt if using bean powder.
Honey beans, also known as èwà olóyin in Yoruba, can be found at any West African market. To get the peels off honey beans, soak in room temperature water for at least 45 minutes and no longer than 1 hour and follow the directions given in Step 3. For convenience, peeled beans (usually black-eyed peas) are also available in West African markets. If using peeled black-eyed peas, soak the beans in room temperature water to rehydrate for 1 hour and up to 4 hours.

Ratings

3 out of 5

45 user ratings

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Comments

Jan1 year ago

I loved these growing up in Northern Nigeria. The beans were hulled by soaking until they could be lightly crushed. Then they were put in a container that could hold twice or more as much water. Swirling and rubbing the beans, the hulls floated to the top where they could be extracted kind of like gold panning. More water, more rubbing and swirling. You don't have to get every last one.

Brooklynite1 year ago

I haven't tried this recipe yet but I have made two kinds of bean fritters from the diaspora - clearly "children" of this dish, and the names betray the Yoruba origins: Brazilian acarajé, a favorite food in Bahia, and Haitian akra, very popular in my Brooklyn neighborhood of Flatbush. Can't wait to try this one .

Karen NBvW1 year ago

Wondering is easily avaliable chickpea/garbonzo flour would work in this! I

Spencer5 months ago

Tried to make it, they disintegrated while frying. Maybe requires less water, not sure. Bought canned black eyed peas, so figured it saved the rehydration time but maybe I was wrong.

Brooklynite2 weeks ago

The BEPs in this recipe are not cooked, so that would be a huge difference in texture and taste. The rehydrated beans are akin to raw fresh beans. I'm sure you could make something tasty with cooked BEPs but it wouldn't be akara, and you'd need flour or something to hold it together.

Amy1 year ago

Is bean powder the same as bean flour? I can find bean flour in the grocery store here.

Wisco1 year ago

Why do the beans need to be peeled??

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