Acarajé with Vatapá

Ingredients

• 500g dried black-eyed peas
• 1 onion, roughly chopped, for the batter
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 litre dendê (red palm) oil, for frying
• 150g stale white bread, crusts removed
• 300ml coconut milk
• 250ml whole milk
• 80g dried shrimp, plus 60g whole dried shrimp to serve
• 60g roasted unsalted peanuts
• 60g roasted cashew nuts
• 1 onion, chopped, for the vatapá
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
• 3 tbsp dendê oil, for the vatapá
• 1 tsp salt for the vatapá
• 3 malagueta chillies
• 2 tbsp olive oil, for the pepper sauce
• 1 tomato, finely diced, to serve
• 1 small onion, finely diced, to serve

Before you cook

• Cover the black-eyed peas with plenty of cold water and leave them to soak overnight, at least 12 hours.
• Rub handfuls of the soaked peas between your palms so the skins loosen and float, then pour off the skins with the water and repeat until the peas are pale and clean.
• Tear the stale bread into pieces and soak it in the whole milk for 20 minutes.
• Soak the 80g dried shrimp in warm water for 15 minutes, then drain.

Steps

1. Blend the drained peas with the roughly chopped onion and 2 tsp salt, adding no more than a splash of water, until you have a thick pale paste.
2. Beat the paste hard with a wooden spoon for 5 minutes until it lightens in colour and holds a soft peak.
3. Cover the bowl and leave the batter to rest for 20 minutes while you make the vatapá.
4. Blend the soaked shrimp, peanuts, cashews, chopped onion, garlic and ginger to a coarse paste.
5. Squeeze the soaked bread lightly and add it to the blender with the coconut milk, then blend until smooth.
6. Pour the mixture into a heavy saucepan and set it over a medium-low heat.
7. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon for 12 to 15 minutes until the vatapá thickens to the texture of soft polenta and pulls away from the sides.
8. Stir in 3 tbsp dendê oil and 1 tsp salt, then take it off the heat and keep it warm.
9. Pound the malagueta chillies with a pinch of salt and 2 tbsp olive oil to make a rough pepper sauce.
10. Pour the litre of dendê oil into a deep heavy pan to a depth of about 6cm and heat it to 175°C.
11. Scoop a heaped tablespoon of batter, shape it against a second spoon into a rough oval and slide it into the oil.
12. Fry three or four fritters at a time for 4 to 5 minutes, turning once, until they are deep gold and puffed.
13. Lift the acarajé onto kitchen paper and salt them lightly.
14. Slice each fritter almost in half along one side to open a pocket.
15. Spoon vatapá generously into each pocket.
16. Add a few whole dried shrimp, a spoonful of the diced tomato and onion and a dab of pepper sauce, then serve immediately while the outside is still crisp.