As a child, I didn’t care much for Akara. There were not many foods I cared for and Akara was one. One thing I really liked though was the crunchy bits from Akara. You know how as you scoop Akara paste into hot oil and some drops fall into the oil, those bits are so very crunchy and I scrambled with my brother for those bits.
I’m not sure my memory serves me correctly I want to believe I’ve seen Akara bits sold on the streets somewhere. I remembered this when making Akara yesterday for breakfast and I was nibbling on the bits once again.
I had guests over, twin little girls and they cleared out their serving of Akara crunchy bits in a few minutes of their arrival.
I had two serving types. The Akara bits only and another that was mixed with shrimps and diced fried plantains. My son loves shrimps so he was totally won over and he called the Akara, “Akara Chinchin”
I kept with my tips for making great akara balls and only switched things up when it was time to fry. I filled the paste into a piping bag and imitated dropping the Akara into the oil.
Here is how to make crunchy Akara bits (aka Akara Chinchin)
Recipe
- 1 cup Beans (i used honey Beans)
- 2 small jalapeños (-bawa/sombo/long tatashe-)
- 1 small onion
- Salt (to taste )
- ½ cup of water (a little more if your beans isn’t blending well but not more than ¼ cup but it could be less)
- Vegetable oil for frying (You could use palm oil if making akara elepo)
- *You will need a piping bag or a freezer bag to snip the tip with scissors.*
Procedure
- Soak beans and peel the skins off the beans till your beans reveal the white inside.
- In a blender, blend the beans with pepper and onions till smooth. *Don’t blend with too much water, ½ cup of water should be enough, blend the beans in small parts. If you are taking it out to a public mill, take a separate bowl to collect the water*
- Now mix the paste till it is very fluffy. You can use a ladle, an egg whisk or a mixer to mix the paste. Mixing is to incorporate as much air as possible into the paste.
- Mix the blended paste till air is well incorporated and the paste has doubled (or nearly doubled) in size.
- Add salt to taste while mixing when the paste has risen, stop mixing after adding the salt.
- Fill the piping bag with the paste
- Squeeze into hot vegetable oil in drips and drops
- Deep fry till golden brown.
- Scoop into a sieve or a bowl lined with a paper towel.
- Serve hot or warm.
Enjoy
This should be served as finger food, a snack, a little more regularly though.
Drink Suggestion!
Ounje Aladun 