Dome of reddish-brown rice and beans topped with a boiled egg, with spaghetti, fried fish, gari, lime and two dipping sauces on a board — Photo: Xibitgh · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

African · Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner

Waakye (Ghanaian Rice and Beans) with Light Tomato Stew

Name: Waakye (Ghanaian Rice and Beans) with Light Tomato Stew
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 70 min
Total time: 85 min
Cuisine: African
Ingredients: 1 cup dried black-eyed peas; 5-6 stalks dried waakye leaves (sorghum leaves); 1/4 tsp baking soda (if no waakye leaves); 1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice; 6 1/4 cups water (for the rice and beans); 1 tsp salt; 1 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 large onion, finely chopped; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated; 1 small scotch bonnet pepper, seeded and minced; 2 tbsp tomato paste; 1 can (400 g) canned diced tomatoes, no salt added; 4 large eggs; 4 cups water (for boiling eggs); 2 cups green cabbage, finely shredded; 1 large carrot, grated

Waakye

By BerryFit Kitchen · Nutrition checked with USDA data · Updated Oct 11, 2026 · How we make recipes

Earthy black-eyed peas and rice simmered with dried sorghum leaves until they turn a deep reddish-brown. It is served with a lighter tomato and pepper stew, boiled eggs and a crunchy cabbage and carrot slaw.

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 70 min
Total: 85 min
Serves: 4

Medium
Vegetarian
Gluten Free
Dairy Free

28%

Per serving568kcal28% of a 2,000 kcal day

24gProtein

97gCarbs

10gFat

10gFiber

Calories come from: Carbs 68% · Fat 15% · Protein 17%

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Ingredients

For 4 servings

1 cup170 gdried black-eyed peas
5-6 stalks10 gdried waakye leaves (sorghum leaves) (optional)
1/4 tspbaking soda (if no waakye leaves) (optional)
1 1/2 cups285 glong-grain white rice
6 1/4 cups1,500 gwater (for the rice and beans)
1 tsp6 gsalt
1 tbsp14 gvegetable oil
1 large150 gonion, finely chopped
3 cloves9 ggarlic, minced
1 tbsp6 gfresh ginger, grated
1 small8 gscotch bonnet pepper, seeded and minced
2 tbsp32 gtomato paste
1 can (400 g)canned diced tomatoes, no salt added
4 large200 geggs
4 cups1,000 gwater (for boiling eggs)
2 cups150 ggreen cabbage, finely shredded
1 large100 gcarrot, grated

Steps

1
Rinse the black-eyed peas and pick out any stones or shrivelled beans.
2
Rinse the waakye leaves under running water.
3
Put the peas, waakye leaves (or the baking soda if you have no leaves) and 1.2 litres of the rice-and-bean water into a large pot.
4
Bring to the boil, then simmer partly covered for 40-45 minutes, until the beans are just tender but still hold their shape.
5
While the beans cook, rinse the rice in several changes of water until the water runs almost clear.
6
Stir the rice and 3/4 tsp (4.5 g) of the salt into the beans, then add the remaining 300 ml of water so the liquid sits about 1 cm above the rice.
7
Cover tightly and cook on the lowest heat for about 20 minutes, until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed.
8
Remove and discard the leaves, then let the waakye rest covered for 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork.
9
For the stew, heat the oil in a pan over medium heat and cook the onion for about 6 minutes, until soft.
10
Add the garlic, ginger and scotch bonnet and stir for 1 minute.
11
Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes.
12
Add the canned tomatoes and the remaining 1/4 tsp (1.5 g) of salt, then simmer for 15 minutes, stirring now and then, until thick.
13
Put the eggs in a small pot with the 1 litre of egg water, bring to the boil and cook for 10 minutes, until the yolks are firm.
14
Cool the eggs in cold water, then peel and halve them.
15
Toss the shredded cabbage and grated carrot together.
16
Serve the waakye with a spoonful of stew, two egg halves and a pile of slaw on each plate.

Swaps, storage and make-ahead

Swaps

For a vegan plate, replace the boiled eggs with extra black-eyed peas or sliced avocado.
Use canned black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained, adding them with the rice to save the long simmer, though the colour will be paler without the leaves cooking as long.
Swap the long-grain white rice for brown rice, adding more water and cooking time until tender.
Use a milder red chilli or a pinch of chilli flakes instead of the scotch bonnet for less heat.

Storage

Refrigerate the waakye, stew and peeled eggs in separate airtight containers within 2 hours; they keep about 3 to 4 days, and the rice should be reheated until steaming hot throughout. The slaw is best fresh and keeps 1 to 2 days undressed in the fridge; do not freeze the eggs or slaw.

Make ahead

Make the tomato stew and boil the eggs up to 3 days ahead and keep them chilled, and shred the cabbage and carrot a day ahead. The beans can also be simmered a day in advance and refrigerated, then finished with the rice on the day.

Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.

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Allergens and nutrition

Contains: Eggs

Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.

Full nutrition

	Per serving (1,008 g)	Per 100 g
Calories	568 kcal	56 kcal
Protein	23.8 g	2.4 g
Carbohydrates	97.1 g	9.6 g
of which sugars	10.9 g	1.1 g
Fiber	10 g	1 g
Fat	9.7 g	1 g
of which saturated	2.5 g	0.2 g
Sodium	729 mg	72 mg

Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.