Simply calling it rice and beans is an understatement. This delicious, nutrient-packed side dish is called waakye in Ghana, where it originates. Often paired with the infamous Ghanaian black pepper sauce, shito and stew with meat or fish, it’s another healthy way to eat rice without worrying about all of the carb talk. Before we get into the recipe, let’s take a look at the ingredients and why this dish is a power house.
To make waakye, you’ll need three key ingredients: sorghum leaves, beans and rice.
Sorghum leaves
They’re known to have medicinal properties and are rich in phenolic acids, carotenoids and flavodoids as well as chlorophyll, lycopene and beta-carotene, among others. Waakye leaves, as they’re often referred to, are packed with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. According to studies, several of the phenolic compounds found in this plant have been linked to anti-cancer effects. Sorghum leaves, when boiled, turns the liquid into a burgundy color, which gives waakye its unique tone.
Beans
The most common types of beans used for this dish are black eyed peas and red beans. Generally, beans are known to contain high amounts of plant-based protein and enriches any food it’s paired with. In fact, one cup provides between 29% – 35% of the daily value required.
Rice
Here, you can have as much fun as you want. Whatever type of rice you prefer can be used. While they tend to have a bad reputation in the nutrition corner, rice (white, which is mostly used for this dish) contains some health benefits worth noting. One cup of white, long grain rice , for instance, contains 71% Thiamin and 107% folate.
Now, let’s get into the recipe itself.
The Ghanaian waakye recipe
Ingredients:
1 bundle sorghum leaves (Usually sold in bundles)
3 Cups of beans (raw)
2 Cup of rice
Salt
Preparation
- Wash the beans and sorghum leaves and place them in a cooking pot.
- Fill the pot with water to cook the beans and enough to cook the rice later.
- Add salt to taste.
- When the beans are about 70% done, remove the sorghum leaves and discard. Leave the beans and its liquid in the pot to continue to cook.
- Wash the rice and pour it into the pot of beans. Continue to cook under medium heat.
- Add more water if necessary, it all depends on how you prefer your waakye. If you like it soft/moist, adding more water can help you achieve that. As you add more water, you may also want to adjust the salt quantity for taste.
- Once the water has dried and rice and beans are cooked, you can proceed to serve. Pair this side dish with shito and any stew of your choice.