Waakye is a mouth-watering national dish of Ghana made of rice and beans. Very similar to the West Indian and Jamaican versions without the additional spices, it makes the perfect nutritious accompaniment to many meals.

Distinctively reddish/brown in colour, Waakye is easily recognisable. The beautiful deep hue usually comes from the use of the millet leaf in cooking, however, if you are out of Ghana or have no access to the leaf this can be achieved with the use of bicarbonate of soda.

Usually served with avocado, boiled eggs or spaghetti, take your taste buds on a journey, and try this beautiful West African dish today!

TIP: for best results, we recommend using any of our stockpot ranges with a close-fitting lid to lock in moisture and steam the rice.

Ingredients :

• 2 cups of black-eyed beans


• 2 cups of rice


• 1.5 tsp of bicarbonate soda


• Salt to taste


• Water

Serves : 8

Cooks In : 1 hour and 10 min

Difficulty : Easy

Preparation Method :

1. Soak your beans for at least 30 minutes to an hour, for best results, soak overnight.
2. After soaking, put the beans to boil in around 1L of water.
3. Add 1.5 tsp of baking soda. For darker Waakye add another half tsp.
4. Allow the beans to boil on a medium heat for 20 minutes.
5. Add rice to the water, bicarb and beans (add extra water as necessary).
6. Season with salt to taste.
7. Cover and simmer on low heat for 30-45 minutes, until the rice and beans have absorbed all the water. (stir halfway)

Tips :

As the rice cooks and settles it gets darker in colour.