HOW TO MAKE AKARA FROM UNPEELED BEANS

[Gimbiya]

HOW TO MAKE AKARA FROM UNPEELED BEANS


To make akara balls from unpeeled beans, use brown beans. Do not try it with black eyed peas (white beans) unless you like the black dots that will show on the akara balls. Aside the black stains on the 
akara, the taste is great, so if you don't mind the colour, you can cook with black eyed peas.  

Brown beans for unpeeled beans akara and moi moi

Akara recipe doesn't require many ingredients but you can add as many as you like. This akara was made with just Four ingredients; Beans, onion, salt and pepper. You can make akara spicy with as much pepper as you want. Both Fresh Scotch bonnet peppers and dried chilli powder can be used if you love spicy foods. This akara recipe has many variations shared on the blog already. If you check older posts, you'll find recipes for akara made with eggs added, akara with crayfish and other akara recipes. I love to add twists to my recipes each time I cook and that doesn't mean we are not preserving original recipes. They are all on the blog and still being used weekly especially on weekends. 

These two cups of beans produced about 40 small and medium sized Akara balls and we think that the skin did not only provide fiber but also helped increase the quantity of the akara. 
The akara is so much compared to the ones we make with skinned (dehulled) beans.

TIP S FOR GOOD AKARA:
Aside the type of scooping spoon us as explained, on this old akara balls recipe, there are other tips for good akara balls...
 The thickness of the akara batter matters a lot. While moi moi needs runny batter to be fluff and soft, akara 
needs thick batter to give you that real akara sold by roadside akara sellers. If you make your batter watery or runny, the akara will turn out flat.

2. Soak beans in warm water before blending. That helps the blender run smoothly and gives you very smooth blended beans. Beans for akara and even moi moi can be soaked overnight but this was soaked for 30 minutes and by that 30 minutes, the beans had already risen to the top of the water and felt soft enough for blending. If you make akara for sale, there is no need for eggs and crayfish as that will affect profit made. To make good profit in akara business, use just beans, salt and pepper. The akara will still taste great/nutritious and you will maximise profits. For homemade akara lovers, you can add as many ingredients as your taste buds can carry. Chopping fresh peppers into the batter before frying is good too.

3. Blend beans starting with very small quantity and continue to gradually add as you blend. Do not add too much water but just enough to help the food blender run smoothly, when it starts to thicken, just shake the blender a bit and keep shaking instead of adding water. Only add water when the blades can't move at all.  After blending first batch, do not empty all the batter from blender into a bowl, pour out a bit and leave some batter in the blender to help with next batch and so you don't have to add water.

4. After blending, whisk well to incorporate air. You can whisk using  your egg whisk or 
hand mixer. Even a food processor can do the mixing 
work. You need air incorporated so the akara balls can rise while frying.

INGREDIENTS FOR HOW TO MAKE  AKARA WITH UNPEELED BEANS:
I Used...
2 cups beans
1 medium sized onion
Yaji (Dried chilli powder)
Salt to taste
Vegetable oil for deep frying.I used Grand soya oil to fry this akara.

PROCEDURE;

1. Soak brown beans in warm water for 30 minutes.
2. Rinse and blend with onion till smooth and light. You can add peppers while blending even though I did not.



3. Whisk in a bowl with an egg whisk or spoon or mixer.

4. Deep fry by dropping tiny balls of beans batter to hot oil and fry till brown before flipping. Once both sides are brown enough to your taste. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels or a colander.

Akara served with akiamu (Maize starch pap, ogi)
5. Serve hot akara balls sandwiched in bread or with akamu (Maize pap).

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