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Waakye

Waakye

Traditional Ghanaian waakye combines rice and black-eyed peas, cooked together in a rich wine-red broth made with sorghum leaves.

Time80 min
Servings5
Calories292 kcal
LevelMedium

Ingredients

  • long-grain white rice400 g
  • dried black-eyed peas250 g
  • dried sorghum leaves (waaki)5 leaf
  • water1800 ml
  • salt1.5 tsp

Instructions

1

Rinse the rice in cold water until it runs clear, then set aside. Sort through the black-eyed peas, rinse them, and put them in a large pot.

2

Pour 1500 ml of water over the peas, bring to a boil, and cook over medium heat for 35 minutes.

3

Rinse the sorghum leaves, cut them in half, and add to the peas. Cook for another 5 minutes, until the water turns deep red and the peas are half-tender; remove the leaves.

4

Add the rinsed rice, salt, and the remaining 300 ml of boiling water. The liquid should sit about 1 cm above the mixture; if needed, top up with a bit more of the measured 1800 ml of water.

5

Cover the pot tightly, reduce the heat to the lowest setting, and cook for 25 minutes without stirring, until the rice is tender and all the liquid has been absorbed.

6

Remove the pot from the heat, let the waakye rest covered for 10 minutes, then gently fluff with a fork and serve hot.