GHANA WAAKYE STEW — Chef Pretty Original Recipe This is the brown stew that goes WITH waakye rice. *INGREDIENTS: For Stew* - 500g beef or goat meat (cut in chunks) - 5 medium fresh tomatoes - 2 large onions (1 for blending, 1 for slicing) - 2 scotch bonnet (kpakpo shito) - 1 tbsp tomato paste / tin tomato - 2 tbsp ginger & garlic paste - 1.5 tbsp beef seasoning - 1 tsp curry powder - Thyme (small amount) - 4 bay leaves - Salt to taste - Vegetable oil (about 1/4 bottle) - Water *INGREDIENTS: For Waakye Rice* - 2 cups rice - 1 cup black eyed beans / red beans - Handful waakye leaves (sorghum leaves) or 1 tsp baking soda for colour - Salt --- *STEP BY STEP METHOD:* *Step 1: Cook the meat* Wash meat. Add to pot with half of your ginger-garlic paste, beef seasoning, curry, 1 bay leaf, sliced onions, salt. Add water just to cover meat. Cook 30 mins until almost soft. Keep the stock — don't throw away. *Step 2: Make the stew base* In another big pot, heat oil. Add 1 sliced onion, fry 2-3 mins. Blend: remaining onion, 3 tomatoes, 1 scotch bonnet, tomato paste with small water until smooth. Pour into hot oil. Stir and fry 15 mins until oil separates and it becomes thick and dark red. *Step 3: Combine* Add cooked meat plus its stock to the tomato base. Add thyme, remaining bay leaves, remaining curry, remaining ginger-garlic. Stir well. Cover and cook 10 mins on medium heat. *Step 4: Finish the stew* Add remaining 2 chopped tomatoes, remaining scotch bonnet (whole), second sliced onion rings. Taste for salt and seasoning. If too thick, add small water. Simmer 10-15 mins until stew is rich, oily on top, meat tender. This is authentic waakye stew — it should be dark brown, not bright red like jollof stew. *Step 5: Cook Waakye* Cook beans with waakye leaves in plenty water until 70% soft (about 40 mins). Wash rice, add to beans, add salt, add more water to cook like jollof. Cook on low heat until soft and brown colour comes out. If no leaves, add baking soda to get colour. *Step 6: Serve — The Ghana Way* Serve waakye rice with generous stew on top, plus shito, gari, boiled egg, spaghetti, fried plantain. *Chef Pretty Tips:* - The secret is frying the tomato blend well — 15 mins minimum - Don't add too much water to stew — waakye stew must be thick - Make it the night before — it tastes better next day - Keeps 3 days in fridge, 1 month in freezer
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- 28 Aug 2026
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