Acaraje-Brazilian Street food

Acarajé is a traditional street food in Brazil; it is especially popular in the state of Bahia.

It is a kind of fritter which is light in texture and bold in flavor. Red palm oil is used in the original recipe to deep fry the acaraje. The main ingredient is black eyed peas (lobia) seasoned with other condiments and spices. However you can introduce your own innovation to the original recipe to suit our local palate.

The Acaraje recipe is popularly savored in the north eastern state of Brazil, Bahia. In the city of Salvador, the dish is relished as a popular street food. Typically, Acaraje is split into two halves and filled with stuffing of caruru and vatapa(red and Green Sauce). The dish has both vegetarian and non-vegetarian versions, however, the latter has more fan following, especially in the Nigerian regions.

In the modern times, the vegetarian version of Acaraje has gained a lot of popularity. The only variation in this vegetarian Acaraje recipe from its traditional form is the replacement of shrimp by vegetables. I have used olive oil in place of Palm oil and I like to serve it with mint sauce and it goes well with herbed garlic dip.

I have a confession to make. After making this recipe from scratch, my level of respect for the native Brazilian has sky rocketed! This apparently easy fritter has some little tricks that must NOT be overlooked! They are critical to the success of the recipe. For example, peeling the pea’s takes forever (I think it took me 1 hour)! But this process is very necessary so the cakes become light and fluffy.

Last but not the least; Let me say that this is not a very healthy recipe! But it is incredibly delicious and unique! I usually like making things that are less time consuming and much healthier. But come on, once in a while everyone deserves a treat, right?!

I am sure you would simple love the experience of making this wonderful Brazilian tradition, and sharing it with your family and friends.

Preparation Time: 1 hour

Cooking Time: 30-40 minutes

Serves: 4 people

Ingredients:

1.       Black eyed Peas(Lobia): 250gms

2.      Chopped Garlic: 4 large pods

3. 1  Chopped onion

4.      1-2 chopped chilli

5.      Salt and Pepper to taste

6.      Whole Cumin Seeds

7.      White roasted sesame seeds

8.     Chopped Cilantro

9.      Fennel Seed Powder

10.  Olive Oil for Deep Fry

      Method:

1.   In a large bowl, cover peas with about 2 quarts of water and let soak overnight or

up to 24 hours.

2.   Next day, rub the beans between the palms of your hands to free the outer skins, which should float to the surface. Scoop off the skins and discard. Drain. Re-fill bowl with water so more skins float to surface (do that as many times as necessary to remove as many skins as possible). Rubbing handfuls of beans vigorously between the hands assists in this process. After several changes of water, drain, and individually remove any skins that are left. This process will take a long time, and there is no way around it. This is unfortunately the only way to make a nice batter for the acaraje.

3.  Now add all the ingredients together except salt & pepper and mix it well. Now transfer the batter into the food processor and the process the batter to make it light and fluffy. Once the batter is fluffy, season it with salt and pepper. Another tip is to beat the batter for 5-10 minutes with a wooden spoon to make it light.

4.   In a frying wok/pan, heat olive oil and maintain a medium heat. Use two spoons to fold out the batter and gently drop oval shaped balls of batter into the hot oil. Remember to fry small batches of batter for about 6 minutes (or 2 -3 minutes on each side). The cakes are done once they turn bright golden and crispy on the outside. Remove from oil, and transfer to a plate covered with paper towel, allowing cooling for a couple of minutes.

Now it is ready to be served with your choice of dip. Essentially it goes well with any spicy hot dip. I like to carefully carve a slit into the acaraje to fill it up with dip made out of hung yogurt, garlic and other herbs.

Both the dips works amazingly well and it is a an absolute delight for all age groups.