The scent ofmaféinstantly takes me back to my childhood. The peanut-based sauce, one of the mother sauces of West African cuisine, has some similarities with Mexican mole in that it is a nut-based sauce thickened through slow cooking. The classic West African mafé almost always has lamb, chicken, or fish, but I love the simplicity and elegance of theveganversion that I’m introducing here. My mafé overflows with healthy, delicious root vegetables like cassava, carrots, sweet potatoes, and turnips. It’s the perfect when you’re entertaining a mix of guests that includes really hungry people with various dietary restrictions.
Traditionally, the vegetables are cooked together in the same pot with the sauce, but I prefer to blanch the various vegetables because this allows me to have better control of the cooking of each individual vegetable. When they are ready to serve, I simply add them to the stew to finish cooking and to reheat. This also visibly enhances the natural colors and textures of the vegetables, making the dish that much more beautiful and presentable.
This recipe was excerpted from 'Simply West African' by Pierre Thiam. Buy the full book onAmazon.
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What you’ll need
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Tomato Paste
$9 At Amazon
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Unsweetened Creamy Peanut Butter
$7 At Amazon
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Sea Salt
$13 At Amazon
Ingredients
Serves 4 to 6
Step 1
In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic, and sauté until soft but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and reduce the heat to low. Cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, adding a few tablespoons of water as needed to keep the onion and garlic from scorching, until the tomato paste slightly darkens, about 5 minutes.
Step 2
Add the peanut butter and stir well, using a wooden spoon, to combine. Add the vegetable stock, bay leaf, and Scotch bonnet (if using). Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally to fully dissolve the peanut butter. Season with the sea salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the oil rises to the surface, 15 to 20 minutes.
Step 3
Meanwhile, in a large pot combine the kosher salt and 1 gallon of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Set a large bowl of ice water alongside. Drop the carrots, cassava, turnips, and sweet potato into the boiling water and blanch until they are just tender but still al dente, about 5 minutes (you may need to work in batches if your pot is not large enough). Using a large slotted spoon, transfer the vegetables to the ice water to stop the cooking, then drain and set them aside.
Step 4
Add the blanched vegetables and okra (if using) to the peanut sauce and continue cooking until they are soft and easily pierced with a fork, about 10 minutes. Serve with a starch of your choice.
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