Akara

Figure 6. Representative batch of akara, a bread-like product made by deep-fat frying cowpea paste. Reproduced with permission from Ref. 6. Copyright 1980, Institute of Food Technologists.

Commercial cowpea flour available in Nigeria has not been well received by consumers because of its poor water absorption and because akara prepared from the flour is heavy, lacks crispness, and lacks the flavor typical of products made from fresh paste (8). 

In preparing akara from each milled product, too many large particles still remained in the 2 mm material to make a smooth paste. However, highly acceptable akara with uniform shape was produced from this material after the paste was ground to eliminate the large particles. With the 0.5 mm screen, the paste was very fluid and extremely difficult to dispense, behavior which closely resembled that exhibited by the commercial cowpea flour. Akara prepared from the 0.5 mm material was also extremely distorted. Of the three screen sizes compared, the 1.0 mm screen produced the most desirable particle size distribution although the paste produced from the 1.0 mm material was somewhat more fluid than desired, it appeared that adjustments could be made in hydration of the meal to achieve an appropriate batter viscosity. 

Sensory attributes of akara made from the 1 mm screen flour hydrated to a 60% moisture content before cooking were acceptable when compared to traditional akara (H). A major difference in akara prepared from hydrated meal and that prepared from traditional paste is in the fat content of the cooked product. On a dry weight basis, traditional akara contains about 38% fat whereas akara made from meal hydrated to a 60% moisture content contains 29% fat. A frequent comment made by sensory panelists is that akara made from meal has a drier texture and mouthfeel than traditional akara. 

Since the moisture content of traditional and meal-based akara is similar (about 45%), the perceived drier texture of the meal products is probably due to their lower fat content. 

Although a fried cowpea paste product such as akara is unfamiliar to consumers in the Western world, this use for cowpeas may have application as a snack food or as a bread-like accompaniment for fish or poultry. Legumes already play an important role in the diets of the world s population. Applications in which legumes perform successfully increase the potential for extending their usage even further. 

High-protein, low-cost Nigerian foods, chin-chin, puff-puff, akara (9), akamu, sugar cookies and yeast bread (10) were developed using raw full-fat cottonseed (Table I), defatted cottonseed (Table V), soybean, peanut or sesame flours as protein supplements. 

Air classification dry beans, 192,193f field pea and fababean into protein and starch, 177,178f Akamu, use of cottonseed, 66 Akara... 

Huse, H. L., Mallikarjunan, R, Chinnan, M. S., Hung, Y. C., and Phillips, R. D. (1998). Edible coatings for reducing oil uptake in production of akara (deep-fat frying of cowpea paste). Journal of Food Processing and Preservation, 22(2), 155-165. 

Prinyawiwatkul, W., McWatters, K. H., Beuchat, L. R., and PhiUips, R. D. (1994). Physical properties of cowpea paste and akara as affected hy supplementation with peanut flour. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 42(8), 1750-1756. 

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