Akara, as it’s called in Nigeria, or Koose in Ghana is a popular deep fried bean-based breakfast food made from black-eyed beans, red chillis and other ingredients. It’s usually eaten alongside a porridge such as Hausa Koko in Ghana.
As we know, black-eyed beans are super nutritious as they are high in fibre, protein, iron and many vitamins and minerals. Eating them for breakfast is a great way to increase energy for the day as they are also high in carbohydrates which provides slow-release energy.
Although akara/koose is super nutritious in itself, the deep fried nature of the dish increases its calorie content and personally, makes me feel a bit sluggish as opposed to feeling energised after eating it.
This is why I decided to experiment with a baked version which is lower in oil. I’ve never seen a baked version of this dish but when I tried it out, I absolutely loved it! The baked version keeps the flavour and texture of the bean cake without making you feel sluggish from the excess oil used in cooking.
I’m so excited to share this recipe so without further ado, here it is!
Baked Akara/Koose
Ingredients
- 350 g raw black eyed peas
- 1 onion
- 0.5 cup water
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 scotch bonnet chilli
- 2 spring onion
Instructions
- Remove the skins from your beans.
- Add beans to a blender with chopped onion, scotch bonnet and 0.5 cups water. Blend until smooth.
- Add the mixture to a bowl and stir in chopped spring onions.
- Line the holes of a baking tray with oil.
- Pour your mixture to each hole of your tray.
- Preheat your oven to 180*C fan.
- Place your tray in the oven to bake for 20 minutes until cooked through.
Nutrition
I hope you enjoy this recipe and send a picture when you try it!
