Waakye with Fiery Shito

⏱ 90 min · Serves 4

Smoky rice and beans stained deep russet by dried sorghum leaves, served with a spoonful of shito — Ghana's addictive black pepper sauce of dried shrimp, chilli and ginger. Add boiled eggs and fried plantain and you have a proper Accra street plate.

Per serving: 790 kcal · 25.0g protein · 110.0g carbs · 28.0g fat

Ingredients

• For the waakye:
• 200g dried black-eyed peas (or cowpeas), soaked overnight
• 8-10 dried sorghum (waakye) leaves, or 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda plus 2 sorghum leaves
• 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 300g long-grain rice, rinsed well
• 1.2 litres water
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• For the shito:
• 150ml vegetable oil
• 2 large onions, very finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, grated
• 20g fresh ginger, grated
• 3 tbsp tomato puree
• 40g dried shrimp or crayfish, blitzed to powder
• 30g dried ground chilli (or 3 tbsp cayenne)
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• To serve:
• 4 eggs, boiled 8 minutes and peeled
• 2 ripe plantains, sliced and fried
• 1 large tomato and 1/2 onion, diced with a pinch of salt
• Gari (toasted cassava granules), to sprinkle

Method

1. Drain the soaked peas and put in a large pot with the sorghum leaves, bicarbonate of soda and 1.2 litres water. Bring to the boil and simmer 30-35 minutes until the beans are just tender and the water is a deep red-brown.
2. Fish out and discard the leaves. You want about 700ml liquid left in the pot — top up with hot water if needed.
3. Stir in the rinsed rice and salt. Bring back to the boil, then cover and cook on the lowest heat for 20 minutes until the liquid is absorbed. Rest off the heat 10 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
4. Meanwhile, make the shito. Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat and fry the onions slowly for 12-15 minutes until deeply browned and jammy.
5. Add the garlic and ginger, fry 2 minutes, then the tomato puree and cook 3 minutes until it darkens.
6. Stir in the shrimp powder, chilli, cloves, sugar and salt. Turn the heat low and cook 15-20 minutes, stirring often, until the mixture is almost black and the oil floats clear on top. Cool — it keeps in a jar for weeks.
7. Fry the plantain slices in a little oil until caramelised on both sides. Drain on paper.
8. Plate the waakye with a halved boiled egg, fried plantain, the diced tomato-onion salad, a sprinkle of gari and a generous spoon of shito.