HOW TO PREPARE NIGERIAN AKARA(with health benefits)

  

HOW TO PREPARE NIGERIAN AKARA

Akara is a deep fried Nigerian Snack and breakfast meal made with grounded peeled brown or black-eyed beans and spices.

 It is a very popular snack that can be eaten anytime of the day. Although Akara is popular as a breakfast meal, it can also be eaten as a snack or taken with Pap, custard as a light dinner.
    There are several varieties, but the Nigerian Akara is usually made with peeled blended beans and spices and then deep fried in vegetable oil. Palm oil can also be used for deep frying of Akara.

           

       INGREDIENTS USED IN PREPARING AKARA

- 1 cup of brown or black-eyed Beans (use beans flour as an alternative)
- 1-2 scotch bonnet or habanero peppers(atarodo)
- 1 small onion bulb
-  1 tablespoonful ground crayfish(optional)
-  1 stock cubes(knorr or maggi)
- Salt to taste
- Vegetable Oil/palm oil for frying 

      DIRECTIONS AND PREPARATIONS FOR FRYING AKARA

**First, peel the beans using this easy blender method. 
But if you'll rather peel beans the traditional method, then you need to soak the beans in water for 1  hour(or overnight);wash the beans and peel of the coat by rubbing in between your palms.

TIP; Always wash your beans in advance and store in the fridge; this helps to save a lot of time and makes the Akara preparation very easy.
**Pour the beans into a powerful blender; add crayfish, stock cube, onions and pepper. Blend the mixture, until you get a smooth but thick consistency.
   You can add just a little water to the blender, to help it blend easily. Make sure to blend in batches, so that you won't get granules and bean lumps.
   Note that the consistency of the blended beans is very important, so aim for a thicker consistency.
  If you are using beans flour, simply dilute in water and form a thick paste, then add ground crayfish, peppers , minced onions , seasoning and salt to taste.

TIP; After adding water to the first batch, you can pour a little of the already ground beans into the next batch, to help move the blades...instead of using more water.
  This is a very important step in making Akara, because this is where the consistency of the mixture is determined.

 

PREPARATION OF AKARA

*Pour the blended mixture into a bowl, taste for salt and add a little if needed. Mix thoroughly and set aside
*Pour the vegetable oil into a deep pot or frying pan; the oil should be deep enough to cover an egg, that's like 3 inches deep.
 *Heat up the oil until hot, but not extremely hot, so that the Akara does not just cook on the outside without cooking on the inside.

 TIP: Do a heat test, by dropping a little of the blended beans into the hot oil; If it browns instantly, then the oil is too hot, but if it sizzles and still has a white color , then it is at the right temperature.
* Using a tablespoon, Scoop the blended beans and drop it gently into the hot oil.

*Akara tends to soak up a lot of oil if the temperature of the oil drops, so be careful not to overcrowd the pot/frying pan, so that the temperature of the oil doesn't go down.

*Fry the Akara until brown and make sure you flip it over so that both sides brown at the same time. 

   HEALTH BENEFITS OF AKARA

1.   Akara contains vitamin B1 which provides the body with protein.

2.   Akara is essential for human development because of its protein content.

3.   The groundnut oil used in frying Akara contains fat that the body burns during exercise.

4.   The oil in Akara contains polyunsaturated fat that helps decrease the risk of type2 diabetes.

5.   It also reduces belly fat.