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Cooking Waakye isn't really complicated. It's just rice and beans done right, with sides that matter. Right?
Waakye isn’t complicated. It’s just rice and beans done right, with sides that matter.
The problem is that most waakye you get outside of Ghana is rushed. The rice-and-beans base is there, sure, but the sides are generic or missing. You get the dish, but not the experience of waakye — which is as much about choice and customization as it is about the base.
Here’s how to build one that tastes real.
Waakye is rice and beans cooked together with millet leaves (or you can use spinach in a pinch). The leaves give it an earthy depth that you can’t get any other way.
If you’re making it from scratch: cook your beans first, add rice, then add the leaves about 20 minutes before the rice is done. Season with a bit of salt and a touch of butter or oil.
If you’re ordering from Sedeli, that’s already handled. The base comes out perfectly — the grains separate, the leaves distributed, the flavour exactly right.
Waakye needs something substantial. Traditionally, that’s:
You don’t need all four. But at least two. The contrast between the soft waakye base and the crispy/creamy sides is the whole point.
Shito is a spicy pepper sauce — made from dried peppers, onion, garlic, and oil. It’s salty, sharp, and alive. A spoonful of shito transforms waakye from “okay” to “why doesn’t this exist everywhere.”
You can buy it or make it, but don’t skip it. Waakye without shito is like rice without salt.
Add a small side of our Jollof Sauce. I know — it sounds weird. Waakye and jollof together? But try it. A spoonful of the rich, smoky jollof base on the side of your waakye creates this interesting contrast: earthy vs. bold, mild vs. spiced.
It’s not traditional. But it’s good.
Mix the components or eat them in layers. There’s no wrong way. Some people pour shito all over it. Some people keep it on the side. Some people eat the gari separately like a little cassava crisp.
The point is: waakye is interactive. It’s a plate of components that you decide how to combine.
If you’re short on time, order waakye from Sedeli. It comes with the base, the proteins, the shito, the works. All you need to do is assemble it and eat.
Not every meal needs to be cooked from scratch. Some meals just need to be done right.
Order Waakye from Sedeli Foods — fresh-cooked Saturdays, ready to pick up and eat.
