Waakye is one of the great street foods of Accra — rice and beans (usually black-eyed peas or black beans) cooked together with dried sorghum leaves that colour the dish a striking reddish-brown. It is sold from enormous pots by waakye women from early morning and eaten as a complete meal with an array of accompaniments: fried plantain, fish stew, spaghetti, shito (black pepper sauce) and avocado.
Serves 6
Drain soaked black-eyed peas. Place in a pot with sorghum leaves and water. Boil 20 minutes until just tender. Remove sorghum leaves.
Add rinsed rice to the beans and their cooking liquid. Add more water if needed — the liquid should sit 2 cm above the rice-bean level.
Season with salt. Stir once.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat to very low, cover tightly and cook 20–25 minutes until rice is tender and liquid absorbed.
Fluff gently and serve with shito, fried plantain, hard-boiled eggs, stew and avocado for the full waakye experience.
Sorghum leaves give waakye its characteristic colour and mild flavour — find them in West African grocers.
If using baking soda instead, use only 0.5 tsp or the taste will be affected.
The key is serving it with many accompaniments — waakye alone is just rice and beans.
Taste and adjust salt at the very end — flavors concentrate as liquids reduce, and a final pinch of flaky salt sharpens the whole dish.
Use kidney beans instead of black-eyed peas.
Add corn kernels for a heartier version.
Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.
Spicier: add a finely chopped fresh chile or a teaspoon of crushed Aleppo/Urfa pepper to the aromatics for warm, layered heat instead of a single sharp hit.
Refrigerate for up to 3 days. Reheat with a splash of water.
Waakye originates from the northern regions of Ghana where rice and bean cultivation overlap. It spread to Accra where it became the iconic morning street food, eaten from around 6am when vendors set up.
West African or Caribbean grocery stores stock dried sorghum leaves. If unavailable, red kidney beans plus a tiny bit of baking soda approximates the colour.
Yes — most of the components can be prepared up to a day in advance and refrigerated separately. Reheat gently and assemble just before serving so textures stay distinct.
Stay close to the role each ingredient plays: swap aromatics for similar ones (shallot for onion, lime for lemon), and keep the fat-acid-salt balance intact. Spice blends can usually be approximated with what's in the cupboard.
Authenticity sits on a spectrum — what matters more is honoring the technique and balance of flavors. If the dish tastes harmonious and respects how cooks in its home region would build it, you're on solid ground.
Per serving · 6 servings total
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