AKARA (YORUBA SNACK FOOD)

SERVES 4 TO 6 PEOPLE

2-cups African Beans or Black Eyed Peas
One - egg
One - maggi cube
One - habanero pepper (very hot)
1-½ cups of vegetable oil
1/3 - cup of onions
½ - teaspoon of salt (optional)

First, soak beans in hot water for 20 minutes for (African Beans)or 3- hours for Black Eyed Peas.
Next, after beans have soaked, remove the shells by gathering a handful of beans in both hands and rubbing them together very briskly.Continue to rinse beans with water to remove the fallen off shells as you continue to rub off the shell of the beans. After you are done,the beans should be nice and white with all the shells removed.

This part is very time consuming and can take 30 to 45 minutes to
complete. But it’s well worth the wait.

Next, grind the beans 2-cups at a time very smoothly and creamy in blender using 1/2 - cup of water. Pour grounded mixture into medium size bowl. You should end up with 4-1/2 cups of beans total. When you reach the last portion of beans to grind (1/2) cup, still use the 1/2 cup of water to grind because the revious bean mixture shouldbe very thick and is still probably sticking to the sides of the blender. Mixture should look very white and thick in texture.

Next, add to bean mixture 1-crumbled maggi cube.
Next, cut 1/3 cup of chopped onions.
Next, remove the seeds and cut one habanero pepper very small.
Next, add the cut onions, salt and habanero pepper to bean mixture and stir well.
Next, add ½ an egg to mixture and stir well.
Next, heat 1-½ -cups of vegetable oil in a medium pan or skillet on medium high.
Next, when oil is hot, spoon or pour mixture like small pancakes into hot oil. Mixture should be ½ inch a part from each other. You should be able to spoon inat least four to six large spoons full of mixture at a time.

Finally, spooned mixture should cook for 5 minutes one each side or until goldenbrown. Before turning the mixture to brown on the other side, gently and lightlydab some of the remaining egg on top of the uncooked side before flipping to the other side.

Tip: Akara can be eaten at breakfast time or as an appetizer or snack.