Akara

Akara is a tasty local breakfast meal that is occasionally served with tapalapa bread. It's created using black-eyed peas that have been pounded into flour and then deep-fried. It was served with an onion, chili, and Jimbo (seasoning) sauce at Ngala Lodge, where I first sampled it and fell in love with it. They're also on the breakfast menu at a few other hotels, such as Kombo Beach Hotel, which serves a Gambian breakfast special every day. Akara is a popular street food snack, but Oleleh and Abala, both prepared from black-eyed peas and customarily wrapped in a banana leaf, are also popular.

Ingredients:

• 2 Cups black-eyed peas dry,1 Small Habanero Chili,3 ounces Red bell pepper approximately half of one red bell pepper,1 small Onion finely chopped, Salt to taste,1 Bouillon powder,1/4 cup Water for blending - a little extra might be required,Vegetable Oil Enough for deep frying

Instructions:

• Soak the beans for about 30 minutes till the skin is swollen and peel off the skin by rubbing it between your palms, or simply use a blender by pulsing it a couple of times till the skin falls off.
• Put the beans into a large bowl and separate the skin from the beans by adding enough water and gently swirling the beans around so that the skin can float. Pour off the skins into a colander. Repeat this process until the beans are clean.
• Pour the clean beans inside the blender, add the water, red bell pepper, habanero pepper, salt, bouillon powder, and crayfish, and blend into a paste.
• Pour the batter into a large bowl and whisk it together until it's light and fluffy. Hand whisk for about 3 to 4 minutes or an electric hand mixer for about a minute or two.
• Add the finely diced onion and mix gently fold with a wooden spoon or spatula in one direction.
• Preheat some oil in a pan (enough to deep fry the Akara). Drop heaping tablespoons of fritter batter into the hot oil, frying in batches to avoid overcrowding. Turn once or twice in between for even browning. Fry the fritters for about 5 to 6 minutes, or until golden brown on all sides.
• Remove fritters from the pan and drain on a paper towel-lined plate.