It’s not an exaggeration to call culinary historian Michael W. Twitty a national treasure. He’s a James Beard award-winner for his stunning first book The Cooking Gene (affiliate link), which should be required reading in every high school in the United States. In that book,Twitty traces his lineage and DNA history back to multiple African countries and teaches the reader about many foods we think of as Southern that introduced via the Atlantic slave trade, which brought enslaved persons and many agricultural items back and forth. I had no idea that certain enslaved peoples were brought to this country specifically for their skill at growing rice in their home countries in Africa. I do now.
Twitty’s latest book Rice (affiliate link) is part of the Savor the South series from the University of North Carolina Press, who kindly provided me with a review copy. Like all the other books in this series, after an introduction it presents one recipe per page with a short head note explaining it. To honor Michael’s work in naming and celebrating Black culinary culture, I ordered Carolina Gold rice and black-eyed peas from Marsh Hen Mill on Edisto Island, South Carolina.
I chose this recipe for waakye because it uses the black-eyed peas and the Carolina gold rice. If you’re not familiar with this dish, it’s pronounced wah-cheh and is the predecessor of Hoppin’ John. According to Twitty, this would originally have been made with millet stalks, which stain the dish a dark wine-red. I enjoyed paging through this book, filling it with post-its for future cooking experiences. Now that I have plenty of rice and beans on hand, I can truly Savor the South.
A couple of notes: Make sure you use very clear vegetable broth. My store-bought broth was very thick with vegetable matter, and it impacted how well the rice absorbed the liquid. I would have more hot broth on hand, just in case. I had to add 2 more cups than the recipe indicated to get the rice cooked. I’d love to try it again with a couple of hibiscus flowers to flavor the broth the deep red that’s truer to its origin.
On a cold rainy day, this totally hit the spot. (Note that I wouldn’t normally serve a dish garnished with a fresh bay leaf, as they aren’t edible, but it needed a pop of green).
Required FTC declaration: I receive a free review copy of the cookbook with no expectations as to what I would do with it. I bought the rice and beans on my own.
Waakye
Ingredients
- 1 cup black-eyed peas dried
- 3 cups vegetable stock (low-sodium) see my Notes below
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 1/2 cup onions yellow, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup white rice long-grain, such as Carolina Gold, rinsed and drained 6 times
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Pick through the dried peas, removing any stones, twigs, or unhappy-looking beans. Soak in filtered water overnight, adding more to the bowl if the beans absorb it all. Rinse and drain well.
- Put the beans in a large pot with a tight-fitting lid, add the vegetable stock, and place over high heat. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to low and simmer, uncovered, for 30-40 minutes.
- After the black-eyed peas are tender, heat the coconut oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes, stirring as needed.
- Add the onion mixture to the large pot with the remaining ingredients, stirring well.
- Return the pot to a boil, then turn down to a low simmer and cook, covered, until the rice and beans are tender, about 30 minutes. See my Notes below.
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