Waakye

Ingredients

• 200g dried black-eyed peas or red cowpeas, soaked overnight
• 400g long-grain rice
• 6 to 8 dried sorghum leaf sheaths (waakye leaves)
• 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1.2 litres water, plus more as needed
• 2 tsp salt
• 4 eggs, to serve
• 150g gari, to serve
• 4 tbsp shito (Ghanaian black pepper sauce), to serve
• 2 ripe plantains, sliced and fried, to serve
• 1/4 white cabbage, shredded, to serve

Before you cook

• Soak the beans overnight in plenty of cold water, then drain and rinse them.
• Rinse the rice until the water runs clear and drain it.
• Rinse the dried waakye leaves under the tap to remove dust.
• Boil the eggs for 9 minutes, cool and peel them.
• Slice and fry the plantain if serving, and shred the cabbage.

Steps

1. Put the drained beans, the waakye leaves, the bicarbonate of soda and the water into a large pot.
2. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer covered for 35 to 45 minutes until the beans are almost tender and the liquid has turned a deep reddish brown.
3. Fish out the leaves with tongs and discard them. The colour they gave the water is all you need.
4. Check the liquid level. You want about 700ml in the pot for the rice, so top up with hot water or ladle some out and keep it.
5. Stir in the salt and taste the liquid. It should be pleasantly salty.
6. Add the rinsed rice and stir once, then bring back to a boil.
7. Turn the heat as low as it will go, cover the pot tightly and cook for 20 minutes without lifting the lid.
8. Check a grain from the top. If it is still firm, sprinkle over 4 tbsp hot water, cover and cook for 5 minutes more.
9. Take the pot off the heat and leave it covered for 10 minutes so the steam finishes the job.
10. Fluff the waakye with a wooden spoon, bringing the beans up from the bottom through the rice.
11. Spoon onto plates and serve with a halved boiled egg, a mound of gari, a spoonful of shito, fried plantain and shredded cabbage alongside.