Akara Osu, Akara kemgbe, whatever you choose to call it, akara will always be on every Nigerian menu.

I recently made a post on how to peel soaked beans by using a blender. I made some akara and even preserved some left over peeled beans for later in the freezer. Akara is a very popular meal and street food in Nigeria. In fact akara is readily available almost everywhere you turn to, it is also served on special occasions too. People love to make akara but find the peeling process tedious. Life is now so good and easy as with some kitchen hacks, you can make akara without having to peel it and if you decide to peel, the blender method makes life in the kitchen fun.

What you will need

1-2 cups of peeled beans (depending on the size of people you are proving for)

1-2 onions

2 scotch bonnet chillies

salt

Little water to blend

Vegetable oil for frying

Fluffy and yummy

Method

Kitchen note: you don’t blend akara with much water, you need to achieve a thick batter not a loose one.

Blend peeled beans with onions, scotch bonnet and water to form a thick batter

To achieve a very fluffy akara, you need to beat it to incorporate air into it. This can be achieved by using a wooden ladle and turning it clock wise till you achieve a lighter batter. If you have a hand mixer, feel free to use it as this was what I used and it cuts down the amount of time you have to spend in the kitchen. Cooking is fun

add salt to taste. Some people like seasoning in their akara but I don’t use it

Place a frying pan on a medium heat, add about 2 cups of oil and heat for few minutes. Test the oil by putting a tiny bit of batter in it. The oil should sizzle and batter should float on top, the oil is ready to use

Scoop batter in bits to the ready hot oil, reduce the heat and cook on each side till golden brown

Reduce process till you exhaust the whole batter

Serve akara with pap, garri or bread.

Why not try your akara with coconut-semolina. Simply cook semolina flour with coconut milk/coconut shavings on medium heat, add milk and sugar to taste. I can authoritatively tell you that ‘It makes mega-sense’.