Acarajé /Shrimp Fritters
Acarajé forms part of the culinary tradition of the State of
Bahia on the Northeast coast. The origins of this dish are from Africa. It’s
very rich and very tasty. After the fritters are cooked they are cut in half
and filled with shrimps and ‘Vatapá’ – which is included in this recipe.
Makes 6-7 medium sized fritters
Ingredients:
250g of black eyed beans
30g of dried or fresh shrimp
1 onion finely chopped
1 clove of garlic finely chopped
2 tablespoons of coriander
2 spring onions finely chopped
1 small chili pepper chopped
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Vegetable oil for frying
In a bowl with 4 liters of water, soak the black eyed peas
overnight in the fridge. Rinse the beans until clean and leave to stand to dry
for at least 2 hours. (This is very important otherwise the mixture will be too
sloppy after being liquidizing). Add the shrimp, onion, garlic in a food
processor until finely chopped. Add the beans, chili, herbs and vegetable oil,
and process all the ingredients until they form a smooth paste. Season with
salt and pepper. The mixture should be fairly thick to allow it to be molded
into shape. If so, your mixture is ready.
Take a golf ball size amount of the mixture and mold the
Acarajé to an oval shape. In a large saucepan add enough vegetable oil to at
least cover half of the Acarajé and heat to a low to medium temperature. Gently
drop the Acarajé balls into the oil and fry slowly until golden brown, for
between 6-7 minutes, turning half way through. Serve with ‘Vatapá’