A delectable sweet potato and okra stew in a rich peanut butter base, this is a simplified version of a typical West African recipe. In its original form, West African peanut stew is referred to as maafe, or groundnut soup.
Traditionally, this stew is eaten with a mashed root vegetable or a mushy grain, like cooked millet, but I prefer omitting it and serving with Vegan Jalapeño Cornbread, a fantastic accompaniment with this peanut butter-flavored stew.
Inspired by a delicious west African stew
I first made this stew many moons ago as part of an “African feast” at my kids’ school, in conjunction with a class project. Since I was already known as a food person, I was corralled to oversee its preparation.
We tried to stick with the original ingredients as much as possible, focusing on the veggies — sweet potatoes, cabbage, greens, and okra.
Privately, I doubted that any of the kids (then third and fourth graders) would eat this, especially because of the okra — not your most kid-friendly vegetable. I couldn’t have been more mistaken! The kids not only loved making it, but every last drop was scraped from the huge pot. Maybe it’s the peanut butter…
Tips for Buying and Using Okra
From Melissa’s Great Book of Produce by Cathy Thomas, here’s an introduction to okra, which can be a most perplexing vegetable. Reprinted by permission of Melissa’s Produce:
Love it or hate it, few vegetables evoke such passionate opinions as okra. It’s not the flavor, a pleasant bland of eggplant and green beans. It’s the mucilaginous juices this vegetable exudes when sliced and cooked.
Some cooks appreciate its ability to thicken gumbos. Okra pods are fuzzy and deeply ridged, usually about 2 to 4 inches long. They can be delectable fried, grilled, or pickled.
Buying okra: Look for smaller pods of okra, about 2 to 3 inches long; they’ll be more tender and flavorful than larger pods. Avoid pods that look dry or dull. They should snap when broken in half.
Storing okra: Refrigerate unwashed and untrimmed pods in a paper bag in the crisper drawer for no more than five days. To freeze, trim away the stem and, then cut raw pods into 1/2-inch-thick slices crosswise and place in an airtight container. Use within a few months.
Recipe is adapted from The Vegetarian Family Cookbook by Nava Atlas. Photos by Hannah Kaminsky, BittersweetBlog.com. Photos originally appeared on VegKitchen.com.
Explore more …
- Sweet potato recipes
- Sweet and savory peanut butter recipes
- Vegan Peanut Soup with Broccoli and Apple
- Creole-Style Okra and Tomatoes
- Southern-Style Okra-Rice Soup
- Globally-Inspired Vegan Stews for Fall & Winter Meals
African-Inspired Peanut Stew with Sweet Potatoes and Okra
This delectably rich African-inspired peanut stew is a westernized version of maafe or groundnut soup.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large red or yellow onion, chopped
- 3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups shredded green cabbage
- 2 medium-large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice (see tip in notes)
- 15-ounce can diced tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted
- 2 to 3 teaspoons grated fresh or squeeze-bottle ginger, to taste
- 2 cups trimmed and sliced fresh okra, or a 10- to 12-ounce package frozen sliced okra, thawed (see Note)
- 3/4 cup natural creamy peanut butter
- 2 cups or so thinly shredded kale or collard greens, or a couple of big handfuls of baby spinach
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes, or to taste
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a soup pot. Add the onion and garlic and sauté over medium heat until the onion is golden.
- Add the cabbage, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, ginger, and 3 cups water. Bring to a simmer, then simmer gently, covered, until the sweet potatoes and cabbage are nearly tender, about 15 minutes.
- Add the okra, then stir in the peanut butter, a little at a time, until it melts into the broth. Stir in the cayenne or red pepper flakes, then simmer gently, covered, for 10 minutes longer, or until all the vegetables are tender. Add a bit more water if needed for a moist but not soupy consistency.
- Season with salt, pepper, and dried hot red pepper flakes. Or, you can also leave out the red pepper flakes and pass them around to do so in the entire stew, or in individual portions.
See lots more delectable vegan soups & stews.
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