Koose Ghanaian
“Spicy, airy fritters of skinned black-eyed peas whipped with onion and chilli, then deep-fried into craggy golden puffs. A staple of Ghanaian market mornings, sold from bubbling cauldrons and eaten by the bagful.”
Where it comes from
Koose (also akla) reached Ghana via the Hausa people of the Sahel and is a cousin of Nigerian akara and Brazilian acarajé carried across the Atlantic Koose entry.
On the plate
The shell shatters with a faint crackle into a steamy, savoury interior that is light as a cloud rather than dense. Onion sweetness and a slow scotch-bonnet burn ride underneath the earthy bean flavour. Best eaten scalding, when the crust is at its crispest.
How it works
Removing the skins and beating the paste in one direction whips in air, so the fritters puff and stay tender instead of turning leaden. Hot oil sets that aerated structure instantly into a crisp shell.
Variations
spiced with ginger and cloves, mixed with corn flour (kose/kosi), made larger and split for sandwiches, served with Hausa koko for breakfast
On the Palate
Ingredients
Serves 6How it's made
8 steps · Show ↓35 min active · 480 min waiting
How it's made
8 steps · Show ↓- 1480 min
Soak black-eyed peas in plenty of water overnight until swollen.
- 28 min
Rub the beans vigorously between your hands and rinse repeatedly to float off and discard the skins.
- 35 min
Blend the skinned beans with onion, scotch bonnet and a little water into a thick, smooth paste.
- 46 min
Beat the paste hard in one direction with a whisk or spoon for several minutes until it lightens and turns fluffy.
- 52 min
Season with salt and stir in a pinch of ground ginger or chopped onion.
- 63 min
Heat oil to about 175C and drop in spoonfuls of batter in small batches.
- 75 min
Fry, turning, until deep golden and crisp on all sides, about 4 to 5 minutes.
- 82 min
Drain on paper and serve hot with pepper sauce or alongside koko porridge.
