Coconut Waakye with Jerk Chicken (Ghanaian x Jamaican)

Method

1. Pick over and rinse the beans, then soak them overnight (at least 8 hours) in plenty of cold water.

   Add in this stepDried black-eyed beans 80 g

2. Jerk marinade: finely chop half the spring onions with the Scotch bonnet, garlic and ginger, strip in the leaves from half the thyme, and mix with most of the allspice, half the salt, the soy sauce, brown sugar and lime juice. Rub all over the chicken and marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour, ideally while the beans soak. Scotch bonnets are very hot: wear gloves to chop them and don't touch your eyes.

   Add in this stepBoneless chicken thighs, skin on 300 gSpring onions 1Scotch bonnet chilli (or habanero) ½Garlic cloves 2Fresh ginger 10 gFresh thyme sprigs 1½Ground allspice ½ tspSalt ½ tspSoy sauce 1 tbspBrown sugar 1½ tspLime ½

3. Drain the beans and put them in a 20 cm pot with the water and the rinsed, torn waakye leaves. Bring to the boil on high heat, turn down to medium-low heat, partly cover and simmer for 40 min, until the beans squash with slight resistance and the liquid is deep wine-red.

   Add in this stepDried waakye leaves (sorghum leaves) 3Water (for the beans) 850 ml

   high heat→medium-low heat

4. Add the coconut milk, washed rice, the remaining thyme sprigs, the remaining spring onions (lightly bashed with the back of a knife), and the rest of the allspice and salt; stir and adjust the liquid to about 1.5 cm above the rice. Bring to the boil on high heat, stir once, cover tightly and cook on low heat for 22 min. Coconut milk catches easily, so keep the heat truly low.

   Add in this stepCoconut milk 200 mlLong-grain rice 150 gFresh thyme sprigs 1½Spring onions 1Ground allspice ¼ tspSalt ½ tsp

   high heat→low heat

5. Shake excess marinade off the chicken. Heat the oil in a 24 cm frying pan on medium heat and cook the chicken skin-side down for 8 min, until the skin is deep brown and crisp, then turn and cook for 6 min more. It is done when the thickest part reaches 75 °C or the juices run clear. The sugar burns easily, so lower the heat if it darkens too fast.

   Add in this stepVegetable oil 1 tbsp

   medium heat

6. Rest the chicken on a board for 5 min, then slice. Remove the thyme stems and spring onions from the rice, fork it through gently, and serve with the chicken on top.