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Delicious childhood memories with Lerato’s pan fried Akara

By Lerato Umah-Shaylor
08 July 2016   |   2:03 am
One of the joys of cooking is cooking for others. Knowing that someone will be happily fed and nourished by eating something created with such love and attention is ever so rewarding.

One of the joys of cooking is cooking for others. Knowing that someone will be happily fed and nourished by eating something created with such love and attention is ever so rewarding. Passing food around a table, with guests sighing until that brave person reaches out for more only to realize it’s all gone, these and much more are great memories I cherish of sharing food with family and friends.

As a child I did more eating and sharing than cooking, but now I enjoy the best from those childhood days combined with hosting duties as an adult, and no ordinary one, but one who cooks for a living. Much is expected of me and I always look forward to such moments when I can make people happy by feeding them well. I often cook treats that take me back to wondrous childhood days, happy days of innocence and joy.

One such memorable treat that is great for sharing is, Akara, not only because it is easy to share and tastes divine, but because of the delicious nostalgia of Sunday mornings after church; the aroma of wonderful deep fried bean batter wafting around the house. Many of us remember running to the kitchen as children, asking, “hmm…where is the Akara?” But after years of over-indulgence I have become increasingly concerned about the amount of oil soaked into the batter. Even the best of these deep fried balls are still far too oily for me. During the just concluded Sallah period, I was stuffed with lots of Akara for breaking fast.

Beans are a great source of fibre and protein that keeps one fuller for longer. As I was never going to give up on this delicious treat I started cooking them like pancakes; flatter, thinner and with a lot less oil. This recipe works a treat, a hearty pancake alternative that even while updated for my healthier adult self, still pulls at those heart strings, bringing back wonderful memories of a colourful and delicious childhood in Nigeria.

Pan Fried Akara with Stir Fried Plantain, Spinach & Peppers
Preparation: 2hrs 20minutes
Cooking time: 30 mins
Feeds 8 hungry tummies

Ingredients
For the Akara/ Bean cake
400g / 2cups brown beans or black eyed beans

1 medium onion
2 scotch bonnets
1 large tatashe bell pepper
1 tsp. dry red pepper
1 tbsp. ground cray fish
1 large egg
¼ tsp. of salt
2 chicken or vegetable stock cubes
120ml / ½ cup of vegetable oil

For the Plantain, Spinach & Peppers Stir-fry
1 stick of ripe plantain
2 red bell peppers
1 yellow pepper
Spring onions
I tsp. cray fish
1 tsp. dry red pepper
Salt
Let’s get cooking!

Pour the beans onto a tray and carefully remove any stones or beans with holes. Wash thoroughly and soak in a large bowl of water for two hours. You will find the beans noticeably expanded after soaking up all the water. If using brown beans, sometimes I take the skin off, but I always do with the black eyed beans to get rid of the rough black bits. Leaving the skin may be too much fibre for some and affect the tummy, especially if you don’t have a fibre rich diet. The texture of the akara is also rough with the skin and smoother without. Skip step two is you prefer to leave the skin on the beans.

Wash the beans by rubbing a hand-full vigorously with both palms. When all the skin is finally off, fill the bowl with more water and carefully get rid of the skin, most of which will rise to the top of the bowl. Pour out the water, refill the bowl with freshwater and scoop out the skin as they rise to the top. Repeat this process until the beans are free of skin.

Pour the soaked and washed beans into a blender. For most household blenders, it is best to divide the beans into two portions in order to blend it all properly and smoothly. Pour two – four tablespoons of water to begin and add more if the consistency of the beans is too thick. Be careful not to add too much water because we do not want a runny batter. Repeat this process for both batches and pour the blended beans into a large bowl.

Don’t bother washing the blender, use it immediately afterwards to blend the chopped onions, peppers and crayfish. Add the dry red pepper, stock cubes and blend together with tablespoons of water, two at a time, to loosen the mixture.

Use a whisk or a wooden spoon if you have not got one to beat the beans mixture, as this will aerate it. This is just as you would do with pancake batter in order to achieve light and fluffy pancakes.

Now add the blended pepper mixture to the beans and stir gently. Whisk an egg and carefully stir into the batter. It is important not to loosen all the air that you have beaten into the batter. Taste the batter and add salt if needed.

Prepare a large frying pan by heating it with a tablespoon of oil, well spread around the entire surface of the pan. Scoop a ladle spoon or two of the bean batter into the pan (thicker than pancakes but no more than a regular slice of bread). Tip and swirl the pan around to evenly cover the surface and cook on low – medium heat for 3 – 4 minutes. Cover the pan as the trapped heat will ensure the top of the batter starts to cook as well.

Use a flat frying spatula to loosen the sides and bottom of the batter in order to flip it easily and successfully. The akara batter is far denser compared to eggs or pancakes so do not try flipping it in the air. Using one hand, tightly hold a round flat plate on top of the frying pan, ensuring it covers the entire surface of the pan. With the second hand, hold the frying pan and carefully turn the batter into the plate. Using a kitchen napkin, clean any sticky batter left in the frying pan, quickly return it to heat and add a tablespoon of oil to cover the surface. Carefully slide the batter (uncooked side down) back into the frying pan and cook with the lid on for another 3 – 4 minutes. Slide a toothpick into the batter to check for doneness. If it is very wet with sticky bits on the toothpick, the akara needs more time.

If you have an oven and an oven safe frying pan, repeat the above steps and after step 7 preheat the oven and bake at 200 degrees centigrade for 10 minutes. This way you can make more than one pan at a time and avoid staring at the akara for over 7 minutes each time. I really do not enjoy watching and waiting for food for a long period of time, as I’d rather be eating it.

For the topping, cut plantain into cubes and deep fry. In a large frying pan or wok, add a tablespoon of oil, cook the chopped peppers, onions and spinach for 3 minutes. Finally, add the fried plantain and seasoning. Stir and take off the heat. You can be as creative as want to with the toppings each time by adding your favourite foods like fish, boiled eggs, and make this the most wonderful meal to remember.

Serve the bean pancake aka pan fried akara on a flat plate, spread the topping onto it and cut into 8 pieces just like you would a pizza. Grab a piece quickly because treat won’t last. Not ever in my house and I bet it won’t in yours!

Make this recipe yours and share them with me on Instagram @lerato_tomato and twitter @leratotomato

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