Fried cowpea paste (Yoruba – Akara)

Fried cowpea paste (Yoruba – Akara)

Ingredient	Handy measure
Cowpea	2 cups
Vegetable/palm oil	Enough for deep frying
Onion	1 big size
Fresh red pepper	4 small size/ to taste
Salt	to taste

• Hulled the cowpea
• Mix with the chopped onion and fresh pepper and make to thick paste (check previous posts)
• Whip till mixture very well to incorporate air
• Add little water if necessary but it must not be watery
• Chopped pepper and onions can also be added
• Heat oil until it just begins to smoke
• Drop the batter with spoon (desired size) into the hot oil
• Flip them over when brown at a side
• Leave till it browns at the other side too
• Pree to remove excess oil
• Then remove form the oil

It is best served hot with ogi (hot pap), eko (cold pap), bread, or can be eaten alone as snack