Waakye is a Ghanaian dish of rice and beans cooked with sorghum leaves, typically sold wrapped in a banana leaf by roadside vendors. Waakye, which originated from the Hausa people of West and Central Africa, is commonly believed to be origin of many rice and beans dishes brought to the Americas through the slave trade. Want to learn more about the political history of Waakye and the slave trade's influence on southern dishes?

Learn more about the politics of Waakye from The Politics of Cuisine on Instagram.

Recipe from here.

Prepare the Stew

1. Remove goat from refrigerator. Toss goat with 1 teaspoon of the salt in a medium bowl. Let stand at room temperature 25 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, grind Guinea pepper pods in a mortar and pestle; remove grains and discard any pods. Toast Guinea pepper and grains of paradise in a small skillet over medium, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. With a mortar and pestle, grind Guinea pepper mixture to a coarse powder. Add 1 cup of the onion and 1 teaspoon of the fresh ginger; grind and smash into smooth juicy paste. Set spice paste aside.

3. Process red bell peppers, plum tomatoes, Scotch bonnet chile, 1 cup of the onions, 1 teaspoon of the fresh ginger, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt in a blender until smooth, about 45 seconds; set aside.

4. Heat 2 tablespoons of the peanut oil in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan or medium Dutch oven over medium. Add goat and sear, turning occasionally, until lightly browned on all sides, about 12 minutes. While goat cooks, stir together garlic, brown sugar, paprika, corn flour, and turmeric in a small bowl. Reduce heat to low. Add garlic mixture to goat, and stir to coat goat in garlic mixture. Add water, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits. Cover and steam over low until meat juices run clear, about 20 minutes. (You should not hear water bubbling vigorously while steaming goat.) Uncover pan and transfer the contents of the pot to a medium bowl. Wipe pan clean.

5. Heat remaining 1/2 cup oil in same pan over medium. Add cayenne pepper and remaining 1 cup onion and 1 teaspoon fresh ginger. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are brown around the edges, about 6 minutes. Add allspice, black pepper, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and ground ginger, and stir to coat onion mixture in spice mixture. Stir in ground Guinea pepper spice paste. Return seared goat along with drippings to pan and cook, stirring constantly, for 3 to 4 minutes. Stir crayfish powder into goat mixture. Add processed bell pepper mixture, tomato sauce, and chicken stock. Bring to a simmer over medium-high. Reduce heat to low, and simmer, stirring and scraping bottom of pan occasionally, until goat is tender, sauce thickens, and stew darkens in color, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Prepare the Rice

1. Place rice in a medium bowl, add water to cover, and swirl rice with your hand. Drain through a fine mesh strainer; return rice to bowl. Repeat process until water is clear when swirled with rice. Heat a large, heavy saucepan over medium. Add coconut oil and yellow onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are lightly browned around the edges, about 6 minutes.

2. While onions cooks, swiftly rinse dried millet leaves under water because the color will start to run as soon as they get wet; cut into 3-inch pieces.

3. Add sliced chiles, black-eyed peas, millet leaves or baking soda, salt, and drained rice to onion mixture in pan, and stir to coat each grain of rice in oil. Stir in stock and bring to a boil over high. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 12 minutes. Turn off heat and let stand, covered, until water is absorbed and rice is very tender, 8 to 12 minutes.

4. Serve the stew ladled over the rice. Top with eggs, chives, sesame seeds, avocado slices, Shito hot pepper sauce, chiles, and cilantro, if desired. If you eat this for breakfast we'll make a Ghanaian out of you yet!