Ghanaian cuisine
has a wide variety of traditional dishes, such as the popular Waakye
(pronounced waachay), a rice and beans combination, which is both delicious and
nutritious.
Waakye was earlier
popular, mainly in Northern Ghana, but has now gained national status and is
loved by grownups and children alike. It can be prepared at home, but, in
Ghana, it is more popular as a street food. It is also eaten in Nigeria, Togo,
and Benin, where it is prepared in slightly different ways.
Waakye is usually
served for breakfast or lunch with a typical Ghanaian spicy pepper sauce. It
can be a meal in itself or it can be eaten with boiled eggs and/or with a stew
of fish, chicken, beef, or vegetables.
The dish requires
about 15 minutes of preparation and an hour and a half of cooking time.
Ingredients
- 2 cups of rice
- 1 cup of red beans or black-eyed peas, or any kind of beans or peas
- 4 dry sorghum leaves (or 1 teaspoon of baking soda)
- Salt to taste
- 10 cups of water
Preparation
1.
Wash
and soak the beans in water for 3–4 hours.
2.
Drain
the beans and place them in a large pot of water.
3.
Bring
the mixture to a boil and let it cook for about 45 minutes.
4.
Wash
the sorghum leaves.
5.
Cut
the leaves 3 to 4 inches, toss them in with the boiling beans, and allow them
to cook together.
6.
If
sorghum leaves are not available, add a teaspoon of baking soda to give the
Waakye its characteristic color.
7.
Remove
the sorghum leaves from the beans after 5 minutes.
8.
Wash
the rice and add to the beans in the pot, along with more water.
9.
Allow
the mixture to cook for 15–20 minutes (or until the beans are tender and the
rice is cooked and all liquid has been totally absorbed).
10.
Be sure that the mixture does not burn and keep stirring while it cooks.
11. Season with salt.
12.Serve
the dish with pepper sauce and boiled egg and/or a stew of fish, chicken, beef,
or vegetables.
COOKING WITH CONFIDENCE
MAKES A HUGE DIFFERENCE IN YOUR MEAL.
Try
this at home and share your experience with us.
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