These fritters are called akara in Nigeria and Sierra Leone, and akla or koos © in Ghana. They\'re eaten as a snack, side dish, or breakfast, served with a hot pepper relish (ata). We think they make a great hors d\'oeuvre.
Active time: 45 min Start to finish: 9 hr (includes soaking time)
Ingredients
For fritters
1 cup dried black-eyed peas 1 medium onion, chopped 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh habanero chile, including seeds 1 large egg 1 teaspoon salt 3 to 4 tablespoons water 6 cups vegetable oil
For relish
4 red bell peppers (1 1/2 lb), chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 tablespoon minced fresh habanero chile, including seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup peanut or vegetable oil
Special equipment: a deep-fat thermometer
Preparation
Soak peas for fritters:
Put peas in water to cover by 2 inches and soak 8 hours. Drain in a colander.
Make relish:
Pur ©e bell peppers, onion, tomatoes, chile, and salt in 2 batches in a food processor.
Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then stir in pur ©e (use caution as it will splatter). Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until most of liquid is evaporated, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool to room temperature.
Make fritters:
Pur ©e peas, onion, and chile in food processor until as smooth as possible, then blend in egg and salt. With motor running, add 3 tablespoons water and blend until smooth and fluffy (add remaining tablespoon water if necessary to form a batter just thin enough to drop from a spoon).
Fry fritters:
Heat oil in a 4-quart heavy pot (preferably cast-iron) until thermometer registers 360 F. Working in batches of 8, gently drop tablespoons of batter into hot oil, using a small spoon to scrape batter from tablespoon. Fry, stirring constantly (to prevent fritters from browning too quickly), until golden, about 2 minutes, then transfer to paper towels to drain. Return oil to 360 F between batches.
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