Happy Friday, Love!
What have you been up to? More importantly, what have you been eating?
As for me, I’m still on the experimentation train and this week that transported me to West Africa. OR at least somewhere close LOL! I made my take on Maafe or Groundnut Stew which is a peanut stew.
As a Caribbean person through and through, I have long heard “If ah eating nuts, ah eating nuts. If ah eating food, ah eating food.” The undercurrent is that never the two shall meet. However, as a lover of Thai food, I have long surrendered my heart to peanut sauce and even peanut-based curries and I figured if I could enjoy those, why not explore traditional African dishes that incorporate peanuts?
So, I decided to find an authentic-looking Maafe recipe and veganize it. This spicy tomato-y, nutty, creamy, and umami dish was an absolute triumph of flavor. Each bite made me feel more and more at home.
Let’s make our way to the kitchen before we get too distracted.
Mel’s Groundnut Stew
This recipe was truly exciting for me. It was my first foray into West African-inspired cuisine. Granted I took some liberties and prepared it to my taste— opting to omit Maggi in favor of green seasoning and swapping plain peanut butter for a homemade peanut sauce I had leftover. It is a stew that generally has meat and sometimes seafood with greens. I used sweet potato and zucchini seasoned with Chinese five-spice to elicit a beefy flavor and opted for frozen spinach as my greens. Don’t judge me, I’ve been incorporating frozen veg into our meals more to cut down on food waste and for easy weeknight solutions. It’s been working so far but we always have a quick-cooking fresh veg component as well. I’ve linked to most of the ingredients listed so that you can buy exactly or close to what I use, if you like.
Note: If you are in a western country you might find this recipe a little heavy for this time of year but it is rainy season here in Trinidad and a good stew is always welcome. Also, we Caribbean and Africans too, eat spicy stews in our naturally warm climates all year round. It is delicious. If it’s too rich for your summer vibes, save this recipe until September.
Here’s what you’ll need (shoppable list):
¼ knob of Ginger (grated)
¼ to ½ bag of Frozen Spinach/ 1 lb of Fresh
½ Cup of Creamy Peanut Butter
1 Small Onion
1 Large Green Bell Pepper (diced)
1 Large Red sweet pepper(diced)
1-2 Medium-sized Sweet Potatoes
1 Zucchini
2 Pimento Peppers (if you can’t find fresh, you can omit or try 2 tsp of Bertie’s Pimento Sauce)
1 Jalapeno (or pepper of your liking)
3-4 Roma Tomatoes
3-4 Large Cloves of Garlic
Soy Sauce
Ketchup
Garlic Powder
Tomato Paste
Oil ( I used garlic-infused coconut oil—you can use vegetable oil or palm oil if you can find it.)
Here’s what you’ll need to do:
#1 Wash and dice your veg. I scrubbed my sweet potatoes and zucchini well as I kept the skin on and then diced them into small pieces alongside my sweet peppers.
#2 Season your veg. I seasoned them up as I would any meaty protein. Put them in a bowl, add a splash of soy sauce, a generous amount of Chinese five spice, a splash of ketchup, a tsp of green seasoning, and a sprinkle of each of the remaining dried seasonings. Mix thoroughly and set aside.
#3 Thinly slice or chop/ grate your aromatics (onion, garlic, ginger, pimento, and jalapeno peppers) and y tomatoes.
#4 Put a large pot on medium fire with a healthy glug of your oil. add your star anise, aromatics, and tomatoes with a pinch of salt and sazon, and cook down until just fragrant.
#5 Add a tablespoon or two of tomato paste and stir until well incorporated.
#6 Remove your star anise. It’s not pleasant to bite into and doesn’t take too long to impart its uniquely rich and meaty flavor.
#7 Add 1 cup of water or veg stock and a tablespoon of green seasoning with a pinch of salt. let simmer for a minute.
#8 Add your peanut butter and incorporate it well by stirring vigorously.
#9 Once your peanut butter is well incorporated, add your seasoned veg. Stir well.
#10 Adjust seasoning to your taste and let simmer on medium to low fire until your vegetables are almost tender.
#11 Add your spinach and a little bit of salt or sazon as spinach tends to absorb the salt. Let cook until your spinach is well cooked down into the stew.
#12 Serve over your favorite carbs. I served mine over quinoa with a delectable slice of zaboca (avocado). You could do rice, potatoes, whatever you like!
It was heartwarmingly delicious and your belly will thank you!
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did/ do! I’m probably going to incorporate this dish into my regular arsenal. If you liked, loved, or even hated this recipe, be sure to share it with your loved ones because all things food are better with good company!
Until we rendezvous again, remember to choose adventure. Life is too short to be boring!
XOXO,
Mel
Support Our Content Creation:
Cashapp: $mamltd
Zelle: Melissa@agitate-media.com
Follow RECIPE’D on:
Instagram:@reciped_sub
Facebook: @foodandfoodstories