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| Bean cakes. I split one open so you can see inside |
1 pound dry white beans (black-eyed peas)
1/2 red onion
8 cloves of garlic
Salt
Oil for frying
Soak the beans for several hours. Remove the skins. To do so in the Beninese way, roll the beans slightly with an ecraser stone (Americans could try a rolling pin) to loosen the skins. Place the beans in a bowl of water and stir so that the skins float to the top. Slowly drain the water off into another bowl, catching the skins in your hand as the water flows. Discard the skins. Repeat this process until all skins are removed.
Drain water and puree the beans using an ecraser stone (or for those of you trying this in America, a blender). Puree a quarter of the onion and the garlic, then add to beans. Chop the remaining quarter of the onion into the mixture and stir. Salt to taste.
Heat oil to fry the bean cakes. When the oil is ready, drop golf ball-sized spoonfuls of batter into the oil. When the cakes have turned golden brown, they are ready to be removed. Place cakes in a pasta strainer to allow excess oil to drain off.
Eat the cakes with the accompaniment of your choosing. For the Beninese, this is piment, but if you actually are trying this at home, you would probably enjoy it with ketchup. That's what I wanted when I was eating them.
Quite a simple recipe! So you have garlic for a seasoning. People have written about the health benefits of garlic. Beans, of course, are a good source of protein. Maybe when you have tomatoes again, some of them could go into some ketchup.
ReplyDeleteJean Ralley
I've never made ketchup, but it must not be too difficult, right?
DeleteAlex
Not having made ketchup myself I turned to the internet. It seems the commonalities are tomatoes, vinegar and a variety of sugars onions and garlic. After that it's whatever suits, like herbs and hot peppers.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure you have access to all of that, but you could certainly make a simple version and just simmer until it thickens. It wouldn't need to be smooth and could be chunkier like chili sauce.
Jean Ralley
How long do you think homemade ketchup can keep when you don't have a refrigerator? I am worried that it wouldn't last long.
ReplyDeleteI never refrigerate ketchup or mustard, since vinegar is a preservative. It's not something that I use up very readily either.
ReplyDeleteJean Ralley
I haven't been refrigerating my jam here (since I can't), and I have discovered that it lasts about a month before it starts to smell somewhat fermented. I have a number of items in my "kitchen" that I can't refrigerate but otherwise would. I just have to hope they will last long enough.
ReplyDeleteI never considered that ketchup didn't have to be refrigerated since I always grew up storing it in the fridge.
Alex