Accara are crispy black-eyed pea fritters that are a popular street food in West Africa. This recipe comes courtesy of Marie-Claude Mendy, Chopped champion and owner of Teranga, the fabulous Senegalese restaurant in Boston. Best served with kanni, a zesty tomato sauce, also by Chef Mendy.
1 pound dried black-eyed peas
4 cups water, or enough to cover the beans to soak overnight
¾ cup chopped shallots or onion
2 tablespoons chopped garlic (optional)
Salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons unrefined coconut oil
Recipe by Marie Claude-Mendy, Chef and Owner of Teranga. Thanks to WGBH and Teranga for photo.
Ian says: Delicious and easy, made a smaller quinelle shaped fritter. Added a little chilli flakes as I served it with a tomato relish that wasn’t spicy
Donna Byers says: Full disclosure: I haven’t made these but I’m thrilled to find this recipe because I used to buy these from a truck vendor in Key West, FL 40 years ago. I have such fond memories of eating them. Can’t wait to try.
Fluffy says: Question: How would NOT removing skins of peas affect this recipe?
Katherine-Oldways says: Hi there, it would change the texture of the paste and overall texture of the fritters! Feel free to try it and let us know how it goes.
Cici says: The very best. Who knew such a simple recipe could taste so divine
Ak says: Tried them ….. love it omg where was I all this time
Cemmie says: I grew up in D.C. eating these!!! My neighbors were from Ghana!! They were my favorite and can’t wait to try the recipe
pat zachary says: the ones in the pic look like they are breaded?
Grace ABC says: That’s what I’m trying to say did they miss flour in the recipe? Or can this work without flour.
Katherine-Oldways says: Hi Grace, this recipe works without flour!
K C says: Raised on Akara. True delicacy. Add your choice of beneficial herbs and spices to the paste.
Pair it with lighly toasted sourdough bread. Yummm..
K C says: Great work as always and thanks for sharing this item. For genuineness the correct spelling is AKARA. It is Yoruba. The Yoruba alphabets do not include ‘c’.
Paula says: I’m looking forward to trying this recipe…sounds great, but I’m a little unclear about the directions which seem to suggest that the skins can be removed by pulsing them in a food processor. Won’t this mangle the peas and the skins and mix them together?
kellytoups says: Hmmm… If you blend them continuously I think they’d get mangled, but if you just pulse them it for a moment it should be enough to just pierce the skin and make it easier to remove. If you try it out, keep us posted on which method works best for you!
Julia says: Very easy to make, one of those quick filling meals. It takes a little long to make the kanni hot sauce but worth it because it makes the meal. If you have a food processor use it, blender was very difficult to get the beans to right consistency.
Cynthia says: Glad you liked it; thanks for the tip about the food processor.
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