Waakye

This dish is literally the Ghanaian equivalent for rice and beans. The rice is cooked with an indigenous leaf (sorghum/millet leaf sheaths) and black-eyed beans or kidney beans. Some people add coconut milk or coconut cream to this dish. We omitted it to reduce fat content … it is still delicious

Ingredients

  • 350g of Black-eyed Beans / red kidney beans or cow peas (soak overnight)

  • 200g of washed Jasmine rice

  • 2.0 litres of water

  • 6 strands of Red Millet / Sorghum leaves (African grocery store)

  • 1 tsp salt

Method

  1. Place your beans and 1 litre of water into a saucepan on a medium heat.

  2. Cook until the water runs dry and add another 750ml of water.

  3. Cook the beans for another 15 minutes and add the washed millet leaves and cook for 5 minutes.

  4. (It's best to add the Millet leaves at this stage to infuse its colour into the dish).

  5. Add the washed Jasmine rice and stir everything together

  6. Seal with a crunched-up grease proof paper, cover with the lid and cook on a low heat.

  7. Cook for 15 minutes and stir to ensure the colour of the Millet leaves permeates through every grain of rice.

  8. Add 200ml of water, cover with the paper to allow to steam on a low heat.

  9. Cook for 25 minutes and you have a moist Waakye

  10. Remove and discard the Millet leaves when cooked.

  11. Serve the dish with grilled chicken or boiled egg, a side salad and a little Shitto sauce

Tip 1: Use very little Shitto and drain off the oil

Tip 2: If using coconut milk use the low fat version

Serves 5

Preparation time: 7-8 hours (soaking of beans)

Cooking time: 60 minutes

Picture below courtesy of Biscuits & Ladles - please check out their website of classic Ghanaian recipes:
https://biscuitsandladles.com/waakye/