Mafe (West African Peanut Stew with Chicken)

Ingredients

• Chicken thighs, bone-in, skinless 1 kg (820 g meat)
• Peanut or vegetable oil 2 tbsp
• Onions, chopped 2 medium (260 g)
• Garlic, minced 4 cloves (16 g)
• Tomato paste 3 tbsp (50 g)
• Natural peanut butter, unsweetened 250 g
• Scotch bonnet pepper, whole 1 (10 g)
• Carrots, cut into chunks 2 (200 g)
• Sweet potato, peeled and cubed 1 large (300 g)
• Stock cube 1 (10 g)
• Water 750 ml
• Salt 1 tsp (6 g)

Instructions

1. 1

   Season the chicken with a pinch of the salt and brown it in the oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat, 3-4 minutes per side, then set aside.

2. 2

   Lower the heat to medium, fry the onions for 5 minutes until soft, add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

3. 3

   Stir in the tomato paste and fry for 2-3 minutes until it darkens.

4. 4

   Whisk the peanut butter with 250 ml of the warm water until smooth and add it to the pot with the rest of the water, the crumbled stock cube and the remaining salt.

5. 5

   Return the chicken, add the whole scotch bonnet, bring to a simmer, partly cover and cook for 20 minutes, stirring often so the peanut sauce does not catch on the bottom.

6. 6

   Add the carrots and sweet potato and simmer for 25-30 minutes more, until the vegetables are tender, the chicken is falling off the bone and a layer of oil rises to the surface.

7. 7

   Remove the scotch bonnet and serve hot over white rice.