Acarajé (Black-Eyed Pea Fritters with Shrimp Filling)
Brazilian black-eyed pea fritters deep-fried in palm oil, split and stuffed with a spicy prawn, tomato and lime filling.
🍽️ Makes 16
Ingredients
| 2 x 400 g | tins black-eyed peas | |
| 1 | garlic clove | |
| 1 | green chilli, deseeded | |
| 1 | small red onion, diced | |
| 2 tbsp | 30 ml | plain flour |
| 1 tsp | 5 ml | salt |
| 1 tsp | 5 ml | mild chilli powder |
| 1 tsp | 5 ml | baking powder |
| — | palm and/or vegetable oil, for frying | |
| 1 | small red onion, thinly sliced | |
| 1 tbsp | 15 ml | chopped ginger |
| 2 | garlic cloves | |
| 1 | red chilli, deseeded and roughly chopped | |
| 150 g | pack small raw prawns | |
| 1 tbsp | 15 ml | palm or vegetable oil |
| 2 | plum tomatoes, deseeded and diced | |
| 1 tbsp | 15 ml | chopped coriander |
| 1 | juice of lime | |
| — | hot pepper sauce, to serve |
Instructions
- Make the filling by placing the onion, ginger, garlic, chilli and some salt in a food processor. Purée until smooth. Heat the oil in a frying pan and pour in the purée. Fry for 5 mins or until cooked through. Add the prawns, tomatoes and chopped coriander. Squeeze in the lime and add salt to taste. Cook for 3 mins, or until the prawns have cooked through. Remove from the heat.
- Drain and rinse the black-eyed peas. Pour into a food processor with the garlic and chilli. Purée until smooth. Scrape into a bowl and add the onion, flour, salt, chilli powder and baking powder. Mix and roll into 16 balls.
- Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Heat 8 cm of palm or vegetable oil in a wok or small heavy pan. When a small piece of bread sizzles, drop in 4-5 balls. Fry until golden and crisp, about 4-5 mins. Drain on kitchen paper and repeat until they are all done. Keep them warm in the oven while you finish. Slice the fritters open down the centre and spoon the prawn filling in. Serve with hot sauce.