Waakye

Ghanaian rice and black-eyed beans cooked with sorghum leaves

Origin: Ghana (Northern Ghana, Hausa origin)

From the journey of Rice.

Waakye (pronounced 'waa-chay') is Ghana's most beloved street food, a rice and bean dish distinguished by its deep burgundy-brown colour and served as the centrepiece of one of West Africa's great culinary spectacles: the waakye stall. The dish originates with the Hausa people of northern Ghana and is eaten across the country at all hours, though it is particularly associated with breakfast and lunch. The extraordinary colour comes from dried sorghum leaves or stalks (dried millet stalks in some regions), which leach a deep reddish-purple pigment as the rice and beans cook together, a technique that predates the arrival of artificial food colouring by centuries. Waakye is never eaten alone: it is always the anchor of a composed plate that might include spaghetti (a Ghanaian street food addition), fried plantain, a fried egg, gari (toasted cassava granules), wele (cowhide), fish stew, shito (Ghana's fiercely hot black pepper sauce), and tomato stew: all piled on a single plate in a combination that is entirely intentional and extraordinarily delicious. To eat waakye from a street vendor, wrapped in newspaper or banana leaf, is to participate in one of the great democratic pleasures of Ghanaian city life.

Ingredients

Beans

  • 300 g dried black-eyed beans (cowpeas), soaked overnight and drained

Rice

  • 400 g long-grain white rice, rinsed

Colour

  • 6 dried sorghum stalks or leaves (talia; available at African grocery stores), substitute: 1 tbsp bicarbonate of soda OR a few dried red kidney beans to add colour

Liquid

  • 1.5 litres water

Seasoning

  • 1.5 tsp salt, or to taste

Method

  1. If using dried sorghum stalks, place them in a small pot with 500ml water and simmer for 20 minutes until the water turns deep burgundy-red. Strain and reserve this coloured water, discarding the stalks.
  2. Place the drained soaked beans in a large pot. Pour in the sorghum water (if using) plus enough fresh water to total 1.5 litres. Bring to a boil, skimming any foam.
  3. Cook the beans at a steady simmer for 25–30 minutes until they are about three-quarters cooked: tender but still with a slight bite. The liquid should still be deep red and there should be enough to absorb into the rice.
  4. Add the rinsed rice to the pot with the partially cooked beans. Season with salt. Stir once to combine, then bring to a boil. Reduce heat to very low, cover tightly, and steam for 15–20 minutes until the rice has absorbed all the liquid and is fully cooked.
  5. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Uncover and fluff gently with a fork, folding the beans through. Taste and adjust salt.
  6. Serve with a generous spoonful of tomato-based stew, fried plantain, shito (Ghanaian black pepper sauce), and any other accompaniments. Waakye is at its best eaten hot, within an hour of cooking.

Notes

The waakye experience is as much about the accompaniments as the rice and beans themselves. Traditional additions to the plate include: wele (stewed cowhide strips), fried fish or grilled chicken, a soft fried egg, spaghetti noodles tossed in oil, gari (toasted cassava flour), cucumber, tomatoes, and shito. The sorghum stalk colouring agent is sold in African grocery stores as 'talia'; it is the same plant used to make sorghum beer in West Africa. Leftover waakye reheats well with a splash of water in a covered pan.

The Gastrographer

The Gastrographer

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Ingredient originTrade or transit route
Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control
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