Spicy Bean Cakes (Ghanaian Koose)

Koose is a popular street food in Ghana, and a similar variation is more popularly known as akara in much of West Africa. In fact, the origins of koose or akara are linked to the Hausa people, who are scattered across West Africa, but are mainly concentrated in Nigeria. Koose (kosai, akara, akla) is made from ground cowpeas or black-eyed peas.

1½ cups black-eyed peas (dried or cowpeas)
1 medium onion
1 (1") piece ginger
½-1 Scotch bonnet or habanero pepper)
½ cup water, to blend
1 level tsp. flaked sea salt
4 cups vegetable oil, for frying

Prepare the beans by soaking and de-hulling two days in advance.

Place the beans into a sturdy blender and begin to pulse until smooth. Add ¼ cup of water at a time to facilitate the blending process.

Add the onion, ginger, and scotch bonnet pepper to the blender. Pulse until smooth. Add the sea salt flakes and mix them into the batter.

Heat up the cooking oil in a small to medium-sized saucepan.

Test the readiness of the oil by adding a shaved piece of ginger. If it sizzles and rises to the top, the oil is hot enough.

Using a Tbsp. to scoop the batter, spoon about five Tbsp. of batter into the oil. You will see them puff up into round balls.

Allow to fry for three to four minutes. Turn them halfway through to ensure they are evenly browned.

Once cooked, scoop them out of the oil using a slotted spoon or spider, and allow to drain on a paper towel.

Serve as a snack with hot pepper sauce or tomato gravy. You can also enjoy them the traditional Hausa breakfast way, with porridge known as hausa koko.

Makes 15 servings.

Cook's Notes: To ease yourself into making koose with whole beans, start the process up to 2 days in advance of cooking by soaking and de-hulling the beans. You can then store them in the fridge or freezer until ready for use.