Ghanaian Jollof Rice
A classic one-pot rice dish cooked in a spicy tomato stew, often served with grilled chicken or fried plantain.
Find Jollof recipesAbout Ghanaian Cuisine
Ghanaian food is colourful, comforting and full of flavour. From smoky Jollof rice to spicy Kelewele and hearty bean stews, each dish reflects the country’s history, climate and diverse cultures.
Staple ingredients
Many Ghanaian meals are built around a few key staples. These provide energy and are often combined with rich stews, soups and sauces.
- Rice – used in dishes like Jollof and Waakye.
- Maize and cassava – fermented into doughs for Banku and Kenkey.
- Plantain and yam – fried, boiled or pounded as sides and snacks.
- Beans – especially black-eyed beans for Waakye and Red Red.
- Palm oil and vegetable oil – for stews and frying.
- Fresh peppers, onions, tomatoes, ginger and garlic – the base of many sauces.
Signature dishes on this site
Waakye
Rice and beans gently cooked with waakye leaves, usually served with stew, gari, boiled eggs and fried plantain.
Find Waakye recipesBanku with Grilled Tilapia
A smooth, slightly sour dough made from fermented maize and cassava, eaten with grilled tilapia and fresh pepper sauce.
Find Banku recipesRed Red
Palm-oil bean stew made with black-eyed beans, tomatoes and onions, traditionally served with sweet fried plantain.
Find Red Red recipesKelewele
Spiced fried plantain seasoned with ginger, chilli and warm spices – a popular evening street food.
Find Kelewele recipesFood, culture and occasions
Food plays an important role in Ghanaian celebrations and daily life. Jollof often appears at parties, weddings and festivals. Swallow dishes like Banku and Fufu are eaten with the hands and are usually shared from a communal bowl, reflecting a sense of family and community.
Street foods such as Kelewele, grilled meat, fried yam and bofrot (doughnuts) are common in the evenings, especially around busy junctions and markets. These dishes show how Ghanaian cuisine can be both simple and deeply satisfying.
Using this recipe site
This website focuses on a small collection of traditional dishes to demonstrate how a database-driven web application can store and present recipes. You can:
- Browse recipes on the home page or by category.
- Use the search bar to look up dishes or ingredients such as “rice” or “plantain”.
- Explore the admin area to add, edit or remove recipes.
The aim is not to list every Ghanaian dish, but to give a flavour of the cuisine while meeting the technical requirements of the COM6011D assignment.