KEY POINTS
- Jollof rice is a popular West African one-pot dish with a tomato base.
- Waakye combines rice and beans and is loved in Ghana’s street food culture.
- Kelewele offers a sweet and spicy twist on fried plantains.
Dishes from Ghana are making waves on the global stage—they’re showing up on menus from lauded international kitchens to emerging regional plant-based restaurants.
These meals have been making appearances at international food festivals and in African–themed restaurants. From the spicy jollof rice dish to the savoury of fufu and soup, these are Ghanaian foods that your kitchen should know its smell.
Here’s a list of the top seven Ghanaian dishes and how to make them at home:
1. Jollof rice: West African cuisine’s global star
Ingredients:
It contains rice, tomatoes, tomatoes, onion, garlic, ginger, peppers and your choice of chicken or beef
How to make it:
Clean the protein if it is chicken or beef and marinate accordingly.
The basic sauce is made from blended tomatoes, onions and peppers.
Sauce sauce in oil with spices thyme and bay leaf for taste.
Simply add rice to your sauce, and cook until the grains are fully infused with the sauce.
Fried plantains, salad or even coleslaw works great as a side to your Jollof rice.
2. Waakye: A flavorful Ghanian street food
Ingredients:
Baking soda, rice, black-eyed beans, oil (optional) and millet leaves (optional).
How to make it:
Then just soak the beans overnight, and boil the beans with the millet leaves and baking soda to get the brown colour.
Tender beans cook into the rice and it melds its flavours.
Waakye can be consumed with any of the following accompaniments: fried plantains, shitos, or boiled eggs.
3. Fufu and light soup: A traditional Ghanaian comfort food staple
Ingredients:
For the fufu: Cassava and plantains.
For the light soup: You need tomatoes, onions, ginger, garlic, and chicken or goat.
How to make it:
Boil the cassava and plantain into soft fufu. Pound them and make them smooth in a wooden mortar.
To make the soup, blend the tomatoes and onions with ginger, garlic and whatever protein you choose to add. Simmer until the meat is tender and the broth becomes thick.
It is a meal with light soup served together as a shared meal.
4. Kelewele: Spicy fried plantains
Ingredients:
Plantains ripe, ginger, garlic, pepper, salt and oil.
How to make it:
Plantain peeled and cut into cubes, mixed with ginger, garlic and pepper.
Cook plantains in hot oil, until crispy and golden brown.
Kelewele is great served with peanuts or grilled meat as a snack.
5. Banku and tilapia: A perfect combo
Ingredients:
For banku: Dough from corn, dough from cassava, water.
For tilapia: Tilapia…fresh, garlic, ginger, onions, and chilli peppers.
How to make it:
Mix the corn and cassava dough with water and cook until it swells into a thick dough.
Marinate the tilapia in garlic, ginger, onions and pepper before grilling.
Banku can be served with grilled tilapia with pepper sauce.
6. Shito: Ghana’s black pepper sauce
Ingredients: Dried fish or shrimp, onions, garlic, ginger, peppers, and oil.
How to make it
Make a base out of the garlic, ginger, and peppers—blend them up!
In a little oil, fry the mixture until it darkens.
Simmer until well combined; add dried fish or shrimp.
Shito can be served with Waakye, rice, or as a dip for fried snacks.
7. Red Red: A hearty bean and plantain dish full of flavour
Ingredients:
Black-eyed beans, palm oil, tomatoes, onions, ginger, garlic and ripe plantains.
How to make it:
They need to be boiled until tender.
Cook the beans, add onions, tomatoes, and spices, and fry in palm oil; then mix with the cooked beans.
Fry each until golden brown.
They make a filling meal along with the fried plantains served on the side.
To wrap up, Jollof rice and Waakye, Ghanaian foods, are flavorful and a glimpse into the country’s heritage and culture. Aside from these dishes becoming known globally, cooking them at home brings the taste of Ghana to your kitchen.
