Vegetable mafe stew recipe
Easy, vegan and loaded with tasty vegetables, this peanutty Malian mafe stew makes a hearty and healthy midweek meal. Cook up a big batch and eat the leftovers for dinner the next day – it'll be just as delicious.
The recipe was created by Marie Kacouchia, author of the cookbook Vegan Africa: Plant-Based Recipes from Ethiopia to Senegal. She says: "Mafe, or tiga dégué, is one of the most well-known West African dishes. I find it addictive, and if you’ve already eaten it, I’m sure you know what I mean.
"Like all traditional African dishes, there are many different recipes. Don’t hesitate to make it in large batches; it’s even better reheated the next day. It can also be eaten with white rice."
For US ingredients and measurements, use the drop-down menu and select 'Cups'.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp argan oil (or other vegetable oil)
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 tsp ginger, grated
- 260 g tinned crushed tomatoes
- 2 vegetable stock cubes, crumbled
- 195 g peanut butter
- 3 African aubergines, or 1 small Italian aubergine, peeled and chopped
- 1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped
- 0.5 green cabbage, chopped
- 3 carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 turnips, peeled and chopped
- 1 habanero chilli pepper, or 1 small sweet pepper
- 12 okra, trimmed and chopped
- 1 handful chopped peanuts (optional)
- 1 pinch salt and black pepper
Details
- Cuisine: West African
- Recipe Type: Stew
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 30 mins
- Cooking Time: 105 mins
- Serves: 6
Step-by-step
- Heat the oil in a large pot over a medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and ginger, and cook until the onion is translucent (5 minutes). Stir in the tomato paste and stock cubes, then add 1.5 litres (6 cups) water and simmer over a low heat for 10 minutes.
- Add the peanut butter and stir until it is fully incorporated. Add the aubergines (eggplants), sweet potato, cabbage, carrots, turnips and habanero pepper. Stir carefully to avoid crushing the pepper.
- Reduce the heat to low, then cover and cook until thickened (around 1 hour).
- Add the okra, season with salt and pepper, and stir. Cook until the vegetables are soft (around 30 minutes).
- Remove the habanero pepper, sprinkle with peanuts if desired, and serve.
Recipe extracted from Vegan Africa: Plant-Based Recipes from Ethiopia to Senegal by Marie Kacouchia (Éditions La Plage 2021, Translation by The Experiment, LLC, 2022).
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