We have different definitions for a perfect morning, and for me, healthy food is included. Growing up, eating breakfast before leaving the house was compulsory, and no matter how small it was, you had to put something in your belly.
A lot has changed since then, but one thing hasn't, and it remains my love for a healthy meal. Today started beautifully, although wet, and I decided to do something that matches this weather.
This local recipe can be served as food and snacks depending on who's eating, and it's called Akara, meaning bean cake. It's a common snack in my part of the world and you can find it almost everywhere.
My relationship with bean cake is a long one because I didn't just enjoy it, I have made money from selling it while trying to secure employment back then. I don't get tired of having this on a wet morning like many nigerians, and in this post, I will take you through the process of preparing this local delicacy with a twist.
The Ingredients used are:
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- 2 small cups of brown beans.
- 2 carrots
- 1 onion ball
- 2 Ginger
- ½ teaspoon of salt
- 50cl groundnut oil
- 10 grams of pepper
Let's get to the preparation:
- I started by washing the beans, this process includes peeling off the back of the beans.
- I allowed the beans to soak in a bowl of water and started rubbing them between my palms.
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- After peeling the back, I added more water to the beans and gently poured the water into the plastic sieve.
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- Due to the lightness of the bean's skin, it would flow along with the water into my plastic sieve.
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- I repeated the process until my beans became clean, there might still be a few pieces of the bean's skin, but that's not a problem.
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After cleaning the beans properly, I left the beans in a bowl of water just to soften them.
I moved on to processing my other ingredients.
- I cleaned and grated the carrots, I shared my onions into two, chopped half, and cut the other half into a few chunks. I peeled the back of my garlic as well.
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- I also rinsed my pepper and kept every aide.
- By the time I was done, the beans had softened, so I rinsed again and turned them into my blender.
| Beans | Onion | Pepper |
|---|---|---|
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- I added the pepper, chunks of onions, and garlic into the blender also.
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- I added a little quantity of water, enough to blend until smooth.
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- I blended until it became smooth and I turned the blended beans into a bowl.
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- In the same bowl, I added the chopped onions, ½ teaspoon of salt, and the grated carrot.
| Onion | carrot | salt |
|---|---|---|
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- I mixed the content in the bowl with a turning stick ensuring they all blend in well.
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- I heated the groundnut in a pan and allowed it to get hot, not too hot, to avoid burning the beans cake.
- When it was hot, I started using a spoon to scoop the blended beans into the groundnut oil.
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- I repeated the process until the frying pan was full.
- Immediately, I noticed the bean cake was turning brown, so I turned the sides to ensure that both sides fry properly.
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- After that, I removed the bean cakes from the hot oil, and I repeated the process until everything was done.
The bean cakes tasted great as usual, and the carrot added some sweetness.
I made some pap to accompany the bean cakes into my belly.
You can't get it wrong with that combination, the pap did justice and I really enjoyed myself.
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