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BM# 44: A-Z Cooking Series -- Around the World in 30 days Country: B for Brazil Dish:Acarajé(Black Eyed Peas Fritters)
Today we are going to northeast of Argentina, to the largest country in both South America and Latin American region,Brazil. Brazil is one of the countries that my husband frequently visits. It remained a Portuguese colony until 1808 and is now the largest Portuguese speaking country in the world.
My knowledge of Brazil is limited to the Amazon rainforest(about 60% of the rainforest in within Brazil and 13% in Peru), Rio de Janeiro (from watching lot of movies) and of course football.
Brazilian cuisine varies greatly by region, reflecting the varying mix of indigenous and immigrant populations. It has European and African influences. Root vegetables like cassava, yams, and fruit like acai, papaya, guava, passion fruit and pineapple are among the local ingredients used in cooking. The national beverage is Coffee. Brazil has been the world's largest producer of coffee for the past 150 years.
Todays' dish is an African cuisine inspired Brazilian dish called Acarajé. It is a deep fried fritter made from peeled black-eyed peas. It is found in Nigerian and Brazilian cuisines. It is traditionally made in the northeastern Brazil, especially in the cities of Salvador and Olinda, often sold as street food.
I made this dish along with my mom in India. After the black eyed peas are soaked, they have to be peeled and this is what makes the dish time consuming and labor intensive. We had to take turns for peeling the peas. I would recommend to employ kids (with reasonable gross motor skills), teenagers and family/ friends for this task. If you absolutely have no help, then take your time and watch a nice long movie to get this done. Do not plan on making these for impromptu guests or as a last minute snack, they will never get to the dinner table on time.
So once you have the peeled black-eyed peas ready, it is smooth sailing from there on. Traditionally shrimp paste is added to the batter but I skipped it. Also these are made a little bigger and then stuffed with salad and some spicy pastes. I skipped that part too and fried them as fritters. They are really airy and fluffy in the inside and a little crispy on the outside. They are best eaten hot.
Acarajé (Black Eyed Peas Fritters)
African cuisine inspired Brazilian dish called Acarajé. It is a deep fried fritter made from peeled black-eyed peas. It is found in Nigerian and Brazilian cuisines. It is traditionally made in the northeastern Brazil, especially in the cities of Salvador and Olinda, often sold as street food.
Soak black eyed peas overnight. In the morning, peel off the skin -- this is a very tedious and time consuming process. Suggest to get lot of help or lot of patience.
Once all (or most) of the beans are peeled, then soak them again for 30 minutes with coarsely chopped onion.
Drain the beans and onions and put them in a blender or food processor. Add chopped garlic, chili powder, ground cumin and salt. Process until the mixture is very smooth. Remove into a mixing bowl and add enough bread crumbs to form a batter that holds shape when formed into a ball.
Heat oil for deep frying and fry the balls until golden brown on all sides. Remove onto a paper towel lined plate and serve hot.
Àkàrà (Yoruba) (English: bean cake; Hausa: kosai; Portuguese: acarajé (Portuguese pronunciation: [akaɾaˈʒɛ]) is a type of fritter made from cowpeas or beans (black-eyed peas) by the Yoruba people of Nigeria, Togo and Benin. It is found throughout West African, Caribbean, and Brazilian cuisines.
Since you are already deviating from tradition with this recipe, try pairing acaraje with non-traditional fillings, such as ham salad, pimento cheese, olive tapenade, etc.
What Is Acarajé and How Is It Made? Acarajé is a stuffed fritter that is sold and eaten as a street food in Bahia. If you want to make a traditional acarajé take a look; a blend of black eyed peas, salt, pepper, and onions makes the dough.This mixture is molded into a round disc and deep fried in red palm oil.
We're not just soaking them in water, we're going to brine them. That means we're adding salt to the soaking water to allow the salt to soften the skins of the beans without making the interiors gritty and mealy — which is exactly what happens when you don't brine, but instead add the salt during the cooking process.
Overall, the main difference between akara and acarajé is that akara is typically made with bean seeds that are fried.In contrast, acarajé is made with balls of dough that are deep-fried and stuffed with fillings such as shrimp, onions, and spices.
Acaraje is a street-food specialty in the Brazilian state of Bahia, a ball of mashed black-eyed peas that is deep-fried in palm oil, then split in half and stuffed with deliciousness, usually spicy pastes made with cashews and prawns, plus whole-fried school prawns, served with more hot sauce.
Each bite is so full of flavor its mind-blowing – the salty shrimp, the delightfully warm and gooey okra and manioc paste (vatapá), and finally the bright combo of the green tomatoes, cilantro, and finally the chili.
A pastel ( pl. pastéis) is a typical Brazilian fast-food dish, consisting of half-circle or rectangle-shaped thin crust pies with assorted fillings, fried in vegetable oil. The result is a crispy, brownish fried pie.
West African slaves first brought acarajés to Brazil between the 16th and 19th centuries. In the new country, enslaved and manumitted women walked the streets selling acarajé. The name acarajé is composed of two words from the African Yoruba language — “akará,” meaning fireball, and “je,” to eat.
In Nigeria, akara―a golden fritter made from a seasoned batter of blended black-eyed peas―is part of a quintessential Saturday breakfast, sandwiched between slices of soft white bread and served with a steaming mug of tea, coffee, or hot chocolate, or served alongside bowls of porridge.
Bahian cuisine is characterized by the generous use of malagueta chili peppers and dendê oil extracted from an African palm that grows well in the northeastern climate. Several Bahian dishes also contain seafood (usually shrimp), coconut milk, banana, and okra (ladies' fingers).
It is possible to soak beans for too long before cooking. Beans should soak for 8 to 10 hours overnight. If they are soaked for longer than 12 hours, they can lose their familiar flavor and become overly mushy. For the best result, refrain from soaking them for too long.
Drain them the next day and bring them to a boil in cold water, then reduce the heat so the water barely simmers: dried black-eyed peas can overcook, and a rolling boil could cause them to break apart. Taste the peas often to check their doneness: They should be creamy but retain their shape.
Canned black-eyed peas are best in recipes that don't require slow cooking or a long cook time, which can make them mushy. If you're using canned black-eyed peas, simply rinse them in a colander to remove any liquid from the can as well as excess salt. Then you're good to go!
Baiana de Acarajé: Intangible Cultural Heritage of Brazil
It is a traditional practice of production and sale, on a tray, of the so-called baiana's foods, made with palm oil and linked to the cult of the orixás, widely disseminated in Salvador.
Introduction: My name is Arline Emard IV, I am a cheerful, gorgeous, colorful, joyous, excited, super, inquisitive person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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