Capoeira Wiki-Word of the Week: Acarajé (Update)
Wednesday, July 6, 2011 at 1:40PM This feature is designed to spark your interest in researching the world of capoeira's vocabulary, history, and philosophy.
Our Capoeira Wiki-Word series invites you to research the word of the week and post your definition(s) and translations. At the end of each week, the entries will be reviewed and then summarized into a translation and a definition of the Capoeira Wiki-Word of the week.
Submit your entries in the comments section below!
This week's Capoeira Wiki-Word is:
Acarajé
ps
Don't forget to cite your sources
Update
From Wikipedia
Acarajé [akaɾaˈʒɛ] (
listen) is a dish made from peeled black-eyed peas formed into a ball and then deep-fried in dendê (palm oil). It is found in Nigerian and Brazilian cuisine. The dish is traditionally encountered in Brazil's northeastern state of Bahia, especially in the city of Salvador, often as street food, and is also found in most parts of Nigeria, Ghana and the Republic of Benin.
It is served split in half and then stuffed with vatapá and caruru – spicy pastes made from shrimp, ground cashew nuts, palm oil and other ingredients. The most common way of eating acarajé is splitting it in half, pouring vatapá and/or caruru, a salad made out of green and red tomatoes, fried shrimps and home made hot sauce. A vegetarian version is typically served with hot peppers and green tomatoes. In Nigeria, it is commonly eaten for breakfast with gruel made from millet or corn.
Akara (as it is known in southwest and southeast Nigeria) was a recipe taken to Brazil by the slaves from the West African coast. It is called "akara" by the Igbo people of south-eastern Nigeria and in the Yorubaland of south-western Nigeria, "kosai" by the Hausa people of Nigeria or "koose" in Ghana and is a popular breakfast dish, eaten with millet or corn porridge.
Today in Bahia, Brazil, most street vendors who serve acaraje are women, easily recognizable by their all-white cotton dresses and headscarves and caps. The image of these women, often simply called "Baianas", frequently appears in artwork from the region of Bahia. Acaraje, however, is typically available outside of the state of Bahia as well, including the markets of Rio de Janeiro.
A Tip for the travelling capoeirista:
A recipe from Tudo Gostoso
Translated by Guatambu (if you have any improvements for the translation contact me
Ingredientes (10 porçoes) / Ingredients (makes 10 portions)
- 500 g de feijão fradinho cru / 500 g of raw black-eyed beans
- 500 g de cebola / 500 g onion
- Sal a gosto / Salt to taste
- 1 cebola pequena com casca / 1 small onion peel
- 500 ml de óleo / 500 ml oil
- 500 ml de azeite de dendê / 500 ml of dendê oil
- 2 xícaras de chá de vatapá / 2 cups of vatapá
- 150 g de camarão seco / 150 g of dried shrimp
Modo de Preparo / Method of Preparation
- Coloque os feijões inteiros num processador de alimentos e bata por alguns segundos para quebrar os grãos / Place whole beans in a food processor and blend for a few seconds to break the grains
- Cuidado para não esmigalhar / Be careful not to crush
- Coloque os feijões num recipiente e cubra com água / Place beans in a bowl and cover with water
- Deixe de molho por no mínimo 12 horas / Soak for at least 12 hours
- Agite os feijões com uma colher e com uma peneirinha vá retirando todas as cascas que se desprendem dos feijões / Stir the beans with a spoon and with a strainer remove all the peels/shells that come off the beans
- Depois de retirar bastante as cascas, lave os feijões sob a água corrente e continue retirando o olhinho e o restante das cascas / After removing the peels/shells enough, rinse the beans under running water and continue removing the little eye and the rest of shells
- Retire o máximo possível / Remove as much as possible
- Reserve / set aside for later use
- Descasque as cebolas / Peel onions
- Corte em pedaços / Cut into pieces
- Reserve / set aside for later use
- Num processador, coloque os feijões e as cebolas / Place beans and onions in a food processor
- Bata por 3 minutos, ou até obter uma pasta lisa e uniforme / Beat for 3 minutes, or until a smooth and uniform paste
- Retire toda a pasta do processador e coloque dentro de uma panela grande e funda / Remove all the pulp from the food processor and place in a large, deep pan
- Com uma colher de pau, bata a massa do acarajé até que a massa triplique de volume / With a wooden spoon, beat the dough until the acarajé dough triples in volume
- Esse processo é bastante demorado mas é importantíssimo para a fermentação / This process is time consuming but it is important for fermentation
- Coloque o óleo, o azeite de dendê, e a cebola com casca numa panela média e leve ao fogo alto para esquentar / Put oil, palm oil, onion and peel in medium saucepan over high heat and bring to heat
- Com duas colheres de sopa, modele os acarajés: encha uma das colheres com a massa, passe de uma colher para a outra até que a massa fique com formato de bolinho / With two tablespoons, shape the acarajés: fill a tablespoon with the dough, use the other spoon to shape the dough into a little ball
- Coloque os bolinhos no óleo bem quente e frite por 3 minutos de um lado / Place cookies in hot oil and fry for 3 minutes on one side
- Com uma escumadeira, vire os bolinhos e deixe fritar até que fiquem dourados / With a spoon that has holes for the oil to drain, turn the cakes and fry until golden brown
- Regule a temperatura do óleo / Adjust the temperature of the oil as needed
- Se for necessário, abaixe a chama do fogo para que o óleo não queime / If necessary, lower the flame so the oil does not burn
- Retire os bolinhos com uma escumadeira e coloque sobre papel absorvente / Remove the acarajés with a spoon that has holes for the oil to drain and place on absorbent paper
- Corte os bolinhos ao meio e recheie com vatapá / Cut in half and fill with vatapá
- Coloque o camarão seco dentro do acarajé e feche / Place the dried shrimp inside and close within the acarajé
- Sirva a seguir / Serve at once (very important)