West African peanut stew

Working with The University of Sheffield

Season: AutumnSummer

Continuing our January theme: more delicious Frugal + Vegan action this week!

West African peanut stew – aka ‘maafe’ or ‘domoda’, depending on region – is super flavourful and rich. It was first served to me by my friend Kat who trained in West African dance (and is a total natural at it). This version is fully plant based. Recipe adapted from simple-veganista.com.

Sweet potatoes are in their high season. Order some as an extra for your veg box.

Variations: If you don’t have enough sweet potato to hand, you could supplement with carrot and/or winter squash or pumpkin. In fact, just add some chopped carrots from the box anyway – carrot and peanut is a tasty combo. For the greens, try kale in winter, spinach in summer. Spring greens would also work well. Bump up the spice if you like. Add a tin of beans – e.g. black beans or black-eyed beans – for extra protein power, fibre and texture.

Serve with brown rice, ideally, but white is fine too. Or naan-style bread.

Have you ever tried the organic ginger we stock at Regather? It’s superb. I might be biased, but it really is.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, diced

5 cloves garlic, minced

2-3 tbsp ginger, grated

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon cumin

1 or 2 chilli peppers, chopped finely

800g sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½ inch cubes

2 carrots, scrubbed and diced

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

4 cups veg stock

3/4 cup peanut butter

150g kale or spring greens leaves, chopped (or spinach in summer)

2 small lemons, juice of

salt & pepper, to taste

Garnishes: coriander leaves, chopped peanuts, dash of sriracha chilli sauce

Method

Saute: In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat, add the onion, garlic, ginger, and chili peppers and saute for 5 minutes stirring frequently. Add the spices and stir over heat for a minute or so to release their aroma.

Boil and simmer: Add the sweet potatoes, carrots, tomatoes and liquids, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, or until sweet potatoes and carrots are fork-tender.

Add final ingredients: Turn down heat and stir in the peanut butter and chopped kale/greens. Cook gently for a few more minutes (longer if your brassica leaves are very robust), then turn heat off and add lemon juice. Soup will thicken upon cooling. Season with salt & pepper to taste.