Waakye

Name: Waakye
Cook time: 100 min
Total time: 100 min
Yield: 12 servings
Cuisine: West African
Ingredients: 400g Long-Grain Rice; 200g Dried Black-Eyed Peas, soaked overnight; 8 leaves of Dried Sorghum Leaves, waakye leaves; 1.4 l Water, as needed to cook beans and rice; 1 1/2 tsp Salt; 500g Stewing Beef, cut into chunks; 2 large Onions, 1 blended, 1 sliced; 6 medium Tomatoes, blended; or 800 g canned chopped tomatoes; 3 tbsp Tomato Paste; 4 cloves of Garlic; 20g Ginger, fresh; 1 1/2 Scotch Bonnet Peppers, to taste; 120ml Vegetable Oil; 2 leaves of Bay Leaf; 1 tsp Dried Thyme; 1 tsp Curry Powder; 250ml Beef Stock, or water; 1 1/4 tsp Salt, to taste; 250ml Vegetable Oil; 2 large Onions, finely blended; 6 cloves of Garlic; 30g Ginger, fresh; 4 tbsp Hot Chili Powder, or ground dried chilies; 3 tbsp Dried Shrimp Powder; 2 tbsp Dried Fish Powder; 2 tbsp Tomato Paste; 1 tsp Salt, to taste; 1 cups Gari, about 120 g; 200g Spaghetti; 1 tsp Salt, for boiling spaghetti

Waakye is a comforting Ghanaian one-pot feast of rice and beans gently tinted and perfumed by sorghum leaves, paired with a rich tomato-beef stew and a parade of sides—spaghetti, gari, fried plantain, boiled eggs and a fresh salad. The rice cooks with tender black-eyed peas until glossy and deeply flavored, while the stew simmers into a robust, spicy sauce that ties everything together. Serve it family-style so everyone can pile on their favorite accompaniments for a vibrant, satisfying meal.

Waakye is a comforting Ghanaian one-pot feast of rice and beans gently tinted and perfumed by sorghum leaves, paired with a rich t... Show more

Traditional West African Recipe

Health Grade

C+ · Balanced

Rating

4.0

Time

1 hr40 min

Price

1,43 €

Calories

734 kcal

low sugar

comfort food

potluck

holiday/special occasion

Method

Soak the peas

Cover the Dried Black-Eyed Peas with plenty of Water and leave them to soak overnight. In the morning, drain them and rinse well so they cook evenly.

Prep the ingredients

Drain the soaked peas and rinse them well. Rinse the Long-Grain Rice until the water runs mostly clear, and give the Dried Sorghum Leaves a quick rinse to remove dust. Cut the Stewing Beef into bite-size chunks. Peel 4 Onions: slice 1 for the stew, chop 1 for the stew puree, and chop the other 2 for the shito. Peel the Garlic and Ginger, then roughly chop them with the Tomatoes and Scotch Bonnet Pepper so they’re ready to blend. Peel and slice the ripe Plantains.

Blend the purees

In a blender, puree the chopped stew onion, tomatoes, garlic, ginger, and scotch bonnet until smooth. Blend the shito onion, garlic, and ginger in a separate batch until you have a very fine paste.

Cook the waakye

Tip the drained peas into a pot with about 1.4 l water and the Dried Sorghum Leaves bundle. Bring it to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 25 minutes, until the peas are nearly tender. Stir in the Long-Grain Rice and 1.5 tsp Salt, add a little more hot water if the pot looks dry, then cover and cook for 20 minutes more, until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed. Take out the leaves, turn off the heat, and let the pot stand, covered, for 5 minutes so the grains fluff up.

Brown the beef

Heat 120 ml Vegetable Oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the Stewing Beef in batches and sear until browned on all sides, turning the pieces so they get a deep crust instead of steaming. Stir in the sliced Onion and cook for a few minutes until it softens and picks up some color.

Simmer the stew

Add the blended tomato mixture, 3 tbsp Tomato Paste, the Bay Leaf, Dried Thyme, and Curry Powder to the beef. Stir for a minute to cook out the raw tomato taste, then pour in 250 ml Beef Stock and season with about 1.3 tsp salt, or to taste. Cover partially and simmer gently for 35 minutes, or until the beef is tender and the sauce is thick, glossy, and deep red. Stir now and then, scraping the bottom so it doesn't catch.

Cook the shito

In a second pot or deep skillet, heat the remaining oil over low heat. Stir in the onion paste, then add 4 tbsp Hot Chili Powder, 3 tbsp Dried Shrimp Powder, 2 tbsp Dried Fish Powder, and 2 tbsp tomato paste. Cook slowly, stirring often, for 25 minutes, until the shito turns very dark and the oil starts to pool around the edges. Season with 1 tsp salt and keep the heat low so it doesn't burn.

Boil the eggs

Lower the Eggs into a pot of water and boil them for 10 minutes until hard-cooked. Move them straight into cold water so they cool quickly and peel more cleanly.

Cook the spaghetti

Bring a pot of water to the boil, then season it with 1 tsp salt and 1 tbsp oil. Add the Spaghetti and cook for 8 minutes to start checking, or until it is just tender and still has a little bite. Drain well so the strands stay separate.

Fry the plantains

Heat about 500 ml oil in a deep pan or skillet. Fry the Plantains in batches over medium heat until they are golden and crisp at the edges, then drain on paper towel and sprinkle with a pinch of salt while they're still hot.

Wash the salad

Rinse the Lettuce, Cucumber, tomato, and Red Onion under cold water, then pat them dry so the salad stays crisp.

Slice the salad

Shred the lettuce, slice the cucumber and tomato, and cut the red onion into thin slivers. Toss everything with a pinch of salt right before serving so it stays fresh and crisp.

Assemble and serve

Fluff the waakye, then spoon it onto plates with the beef stew, a little shito, the spaghetti, Gari, the boiled eggs, the fried plantains, and the salad. Serve everything hot so the rice stays fluffy and the sauces stay glossy.