Street Snack · Bean Fritters
Akara (Bean Fritters)
Photo: Tesleemah / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Akara is made from black-eyed peas that are peeled, ground, and beaten until the batter aerates and lightens, the whipping step is what makes the fritters puff up light rather than turning dense when fried.
Peeled black-eyed peas are ground into a thick batter, seasoned with onion and pepper, whipped to aerate it, then deep-fried into small golden balls, crisp outside and fluffy within. Vendors in Sikasso's markets sell them hot, often alongside grilled fish or fried plantain.
Why it's made this way: Bean fritters are found across West Africa under different names, and in the farming towns of southern Mali near Sikasso, akara is one of the everyday market snacks sold alongside grilled fish and fried plantain.
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Part of World of Street Food — 3248 dishes from 118 countries.
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