Beans and Rice - Ghanaian Waakye

Waakye, pronounced waachay, is a Ghanaian dish of beans and cooked rice, eaten as either breakfast, lunch, or supper. 'Waakye' is from the Hausa Language, and it means 'Beans' it is the contracted form of 'shinkafa da wake,' it means rice and beans.

It has a distinctive reddish-brown color because of the red sorghum leaves used in its preparation.

Prep: 5 minutes

Cook: 45 mins

Serves 4

Ingredients

· 2 cups of Rice

· Beans, black-eyed peas, or cow beans (at least half a cup up to one cup)

· 1 small onion chopped

· Salt to liking

· Black pepper to liking

· Groundnut oil

· Chili Pepper (optional)

· Maggi bullion (chicken, beef, or veggie)

· 1 Tomato chopped

· Poroporo (Red Sorghum leaves sold commonly by herbal leaves sellers)

Cooking Instructions

1. Pour a good amount of water into a clean pot and add the poroporo inside (it gives the rice and beans the distinctive reddish-brown color), and allow to boil.

2. Add the beans into the pot and cook.

3. Check if the beans is half cooked/tender. If it is not, cook for few more minutes. But if it is half cooked, add more water and little groundnut oil and boil for three more minutes.

4. Add your washed rice and stir it to mix well. Cook on low, medium heat till the beans and rice is well cooked (15 - 20 mins).

5. Once the rice and bean are ready, prepare your stew. Blend your peppers, tomatoes, and onions together.

6. Pour groundnut oil into a saucepan over low, medium heat.

7. Pour the blended sauce into the sauce pan, add the black pepper (compulsory), salt, and Maggi to the sauce, and fry.

8. Pour stew into rice and beans and mix well.