African Groundnut Stew

If I'd known how good this would be, I would have taken a better photo. Will update next time.

The inspiration for this one came from the same place as the pav bhaji - Beryl's video about foods that kids love around the world. And just like the last one, the kids weren't into it (yet?) but the husband loved it.

The only time I'd previously had groundnut stew is at Cafe Yumm. It's my favorite soup to put in their "souper" bowl, which reminds me that I should have set some of this stew aside to make my own Yumm bowl with it. Next time.

This version is much better than the one at Cafe Yumm, and the husband says it's his new favorite food. It's going into the rotation.

I worked from this recipe from SimplyRecipes, and the only changes I made were to make it vegetarian. I replaced the chicken stock with vegetable stock and I replaced the chicken with Quorn's Meatless Chicken Pieces, which I know is a weird unnatural and probably unhealthy food, but it's really really good in this. I also mashed the stew a bit after it was cooked, because I like mush better than I like soup with chunks of sweet potato. It was a good move.

The Recipe:

3 tb vegetable oil

1 yellow onion, minced

3-inch piece of ginger, minced

7 garlic cloves, minced

2 sweet potatoes, chopped

15oz can of crushed tomatoes

4 c vegetable stock

1 c peanut butter

1 c roasted peanuts

1 tb ground coriander

cayenne, to taste

salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 c cilantro, chopped

1 package Quorn Meatless Chicken Pieces

Saute the onions in oil until softened. Add ginger and garlic and saute another 1-2 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes and stir.
Add the broth, tomatoes, peanut butter, peanuts, coriander, and cayenne. Bring to a boil and add salt to taste.
Add quorn and stir.
Cover the pot and simmer for 90 minutes.
Mash gently with a potato masher.
Add salt, cayenne, and black pepper (lots of black pepper) to taste.
Stir in cilantro and serve with white rice.

The Verdict:

Overall grade: A+

Overall reason: Easy to make ahead, delicious, and healthy.

Time to prepare: 20 minutes of work, 90 minutes of waiting.

Husband quote: "YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE THIS AGAIN, RIGHT???"

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