Rice akara

Name: Rice akara
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Sierra Leone
Ingredients: 250 g very ripe banana, peeled weight; 180 g fine white non-glutinous rice flour; 20 g sugar; 60 ml drinking water, plus up to 20 ml if needed; ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg; A small pinch of salt; About 600 ml neutral frying oil for the bath; not all is eaten

🍌 Banana and rice-flour fritters, golden outside and soft inside, about eighteen pieces for six snack portions.

Ingredients

250 g very ripe banana, peeled weight
180 g fine white non-glutinous rice flour
20 g sugar
60 ml drinking water, plus up to 20 ml if needed
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
A small pinch of salt
About 600 ml neutral frying oil for the bath; not all is eaten

Preparation

Mash 250 g peeled banana finely. Mix with rice flour, sugar, nutmeg, salt and 60 ml water.

Stir until no dry pockets remain and thick batter drops slowly from a spoon. Add up to 20 ml water gradually only if necessary.

Cover and rest fifteen minutes in a cool place. Prepare a rack or absorbent paper and stable frying pan.

Heat oil to 165–175 °C without smoking. Fry small roughly 25 g spoonfuls in batches four to five minutes, turning gently until golden and cooked inside.

Open the first fritter: centre must be set and soft without raw flour paste. Adjust heat and size before continuing. Maintain temperature between batches.

Drain and divide approximately eighteen pieces into six portions of three. Serve warm without mandatory sugar dusting.