This curry sweet potato, kale, and peanut stew is a hearty recipe inspired by the West African dish maafe. With the wintery cold setting in, I look towards warming foods that fill the belly and satisfy with rich flavors and textures. This hearty, stick-to-the-ribs stew is inspired by the West African maafe with a definite American twist to it. Maafe, or groundnut stew, is a popular dish originating in Mali with variations across West and Central Africa.
It’s a pantry friendly recipe, easy to make, and comes together fairly quickly as well. Traditionally it’s served alongside rice, millet, or couscous, but I went for something atypical and paired it with quinoa. And I have to say it’s fantastic that way!
This warm and cozy Vegetarian Sweet Potato Peanut Stew is the best of many worlds. For us, This Vegetarian African Peanut Stew has been a definite dinner-on-repeat over the course of the winter. Simple ingredients come together to create this mouthwatering vegetarian and vegan stew.
This flavorful vegan African peanut stew (aka sweet potato and peanut butter soup) is a delicious balance of sweet and spicy. It comes together in one pot, and with a whirl in the blender, to make clean up a snap! This hearty stew is vegetarian, vegan and easily gluten free.
This sweet potato peanut stew is truly zen in a bowl. Every time I eat this comforting sweet potato peanut stew, it warms me from the inside out, from my head to-ma-toes!
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Key Ingredients and Their Benefits
What do we have? Peanut butter, sweet potatoes, garlic, ginger, onion, crushed tomatoes, and spinach. Plus ground cumin and ground coriander. YUM.
- Sweet Potatoes: You may know that sweet potatoes are a good source of fiber, vitamins, minerals and beta-carotene.
- Tomatoes: But did you know that cooked tomatoes provide 4x more lycopene than raw, so that ingredients like tomato juice and cooked canned tomatoes deliver more health benefits than raw?
- Peanut Butter: Peanut butter is plant-based but high in fat, so it's best to limit in your diet.
Spices and Flavor Enhancers
The spices for this recipe are inspired by a mix of Indian and Mediterranean. Curry powder is a common spice mix added to West African peanut stew, and I’ve made this with both a store bought Madras curry powder, a homemade Indian curry powder, and my Jamaican curry powder found in this Jamaican recipe.
Next comes the dried and ground peppers. I like to use a mix of smoked paprika and cayenne. For the smoked paprika, if you like things to have a kick I recommend using hot smoked paprika. Even with these 3 spicy ingredients, I did not find this stew to top a medium heat. If you’re my husband, you’ll just top your stew with extra cayenne to serve!
Ground Coriander or Cumin - add warmth, depth and complexity. Chipotle Pepper in Adobo Sauce - find this firey ingredient in the Mexican food isle. It comes in a large or small can.
Step-by-Step Cooking Instructions
This recipe couldn’t be easier. Add the sweet potato and let it pick up a bit of color before adding the spices. Cook until the sweet potatoes are just tender, stirring in the peanut butter and chopped peanuts halfway through. Let the greens soften and cook another few minutes, then the soup is ready!
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First, saute the onions in a bit of oil. Add the garlic, ginger and sweet potatoes. Second, simmer the stew until the potatoes are fork tender, then transfer a few cups to a blender. To the blender add the peanut butter and chipotle pepper. Third, transfer the blended peanut butter mixture to the soup pot - it will be thick. Last, if not using collards, stir in the kale or spinach just until wilted.
The base of the soup is peanuts and tomato, and I take a few shortcuts to make this extra easy. Along with the peanut butter, I like to add chopped peanuts towards the end. The chopped peanuts add a nice textural contrast to the buttery sweet potato and creamy stew. As for the tomatoes, I like to use canned tomatoes. They’re equally good year round and you can guarantee delicious tomatoey flavor by buying from high quality brands.
Detailed Recipe
Here’s a detailed recipe to guide you through the cooking process:
Ingredients:
- For the Soup:
- 1/4 C (40g) Peanuts toasted (optional for garnish)
- 1 Tbs Vegetable Oil I like coconut or olive
- 1 C (130g) Yellow Onion diced, about 1 medium onion
- 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
- 1 Tbs Fresh Ginger grated* see note
- 1 heaped Tbs Fresh Garlic grated* see note
- 1/2 tsp Ground Coriander or 3/4 tsp Ground Cumin
- 4 C (500g) Sweet Potato peeled and cut into large 1/4" - 1/2" (6mm-12mm) cubes. About one large sweet potato
- 4 1/2 C (1.05kg) Vegetable Broth use 1/2 water 1/2 veg stock or a mixture of the two to cut the salt if desired
- 1 Small Chipotle Pepper in Adobo Sauce **see note | add 1/2 of another pepper for more kick, use gluten free if needed
- 5 Tbs (80g) Natural Peanut Butter creamy or crunchy
- 1 Can (411g) Diced Tomatoes with their juices
- 1, 15 oz (425g) Can Cooked Chickpeas or Black Eyed Peas drained and rinsed, about 2 cups
- 2 C (85g) Collard Greens or Spinach ***see note | cut into thin 1/2" ribbons.
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350F (180C) and toast the peanuts for about 8-10 minutes, or until fragrant and golden. Set aside to cool.
- To a large 4 Qt. stock-pot or Dutch oven add the coconut or olive oil on medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and salt, saute for about 8 minutes or until soft and transparent. Some browning is okay.
- Add ginger, garlic and coriander (or cumin), stirring for no more than 1 minute, or until fragrant. The garlic and ginger will stick a bit. Add the sweet potato and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce to low, and simmer until the potatoes are just fork tender, about 8-10 minutes.
- Scoop 2 1/2 cups (583g) of the potato/broth mixture out and pour it into a blender. Add the chipotle pepper and peanut butter. Blend the mixture into a smooth puree. Pour the puree back into the stock-pot (it will be thick). Stir in the diced tomatoes. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low.
- Add the collard greens if using and chickpeas (or cooked black eyed peas). Simmer for 5 minutes to warm through and wilt the collards. If using spinach or kale, toss in and stir just before serving. If a thinner stew is desired, add 1/2 C water or broth, stir to warm through. Squeeze 1/2 lime over stew and stir. Taste for salt adjustment.
- Serve with grain of choice. I like Brown Basmati Rice, but it's also quite tasty with Quinoa, toasted peanuts, cilantro, and a sprinkle of fresh reserved greens.
*Use a microplane grater to grate the garlic and ginger. Be careful here and keep the root between you and the grater at all times. **Find Chipotle Chilis in Adobo sauce in the Mexican food isle at your grocery. Look for gluten free if needed. ***Use whatever dark leafy green that's in season or at your local farmers market.
Customization and Variations
This is a stew you’ll find yourself coming back to over and over again. Feel free to tinker with this recipe to make it your own. I do hope you guys enjoy this stew as much as we do! But seriously, what’s not to love!
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West African Peanut Stew with Sweet Potatoes - Vegan Maafe Recipe - Easy Vegetarian
It doesn’t have meat, but girl, if you want meat, add meat! Not huge on kale? Swap for spinach. This soup is cozy and lovely. It’s not too spicy, although you could just omit the jalapeño altogether if you were worried about that. It has just the right balance of creaminess and kick and it reminds me of another version of a good-for-you curry.
- Can I substitute anything for the peanut butter? Almond butter (and almonds on top) could work!
- Can I add meat to this? Yes! You can either add cooked chicken at the end and mix it in, or cook chicken breasts or thighs right into the soup with everything else, and then shred it at the end once it’s cooked through and tender.
- How can I add more protein to this as a vegetarian? This works great with the addition of chickpeas or lentils.
Cooking Methods
This soup is versatile and can be made using various cooking methods:
- Instant Pot: Cook everything except peanut butter and kale on high pressure for about 3 minutes with a quick release. (Sometimes I reduce the liquid when I make it in the Instant Pot by a cup or so, and then just add more as needed when it’s all done. But that is optional - it should work fine either way.) Stir in the peanut butter and kale after cooking. Voila!
- Slow Cooker: Cook everything except peanut butter and kale on low for 6 hours. Stir in the peanut butter and kale. Donezo! Don’t cook the sweet potatoes too long or they’ll fall apart on ya! Just cook until they pierce easily with a fork.
- Stovetop: In almost the same amount of time!
Serving Suggestions and Pairings
Rice is a must! I prefer brown rice as its earthy flavors and texture hold up well to the hearty Sweet Potato Peanut Stew. A green salad served alongside is always welcome, and I think kale salad is the perfect companion.
Serve With: I share this sweet potato and peanut butter soup with brown basmati rice, but it is just as delicious serving it without a grain or give quinoa a try. Be sure to pile the toppings and garnishes on high.
Freezing and Meal Prep
Freezing it for meal prep: OF COURSE YES! This peanut butter stew freezes with ease. Simply store in a lidded container, single serve for easy grab n go lunches, and freeze for up to two weeks.
