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Maafe (West African Peanut Soup)

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Maafe (West African Peanut Soup)– A spicy peanut stew made with beef, sweet potatoes and carrots – good enough for a one pot meal and is delicious with served with rice 

 Maafe (West African Peanut Soup)

Maafe –aka groundnut soup, to most West Africans,  an all time- time favorite African soup, a dish that is beginning to earn it’s way in the upper echelons of the soup universe. Oh yes! Don’t tell me you haven’t tried it, cause you have been missing out! Looks like Curry right? But it’s not!

Care for another groundnut soup?

 Unlike the chicken version this here this creation is inspired by the traditional version mostly enjoyed  in many Senegalese house holds, It begins with boiling the meat, then browning, followed by a blend of tomatoes, onions and any other spices. What sets this one apart is the addition of sweet potatoes and carrots. Making it a one pot meal or not, and it. If you choose to go that route. I must say I love the added sweetness from the potatoes and carrots . You can completely make this vegan too! if desire, just omit the protein and increase the spices. 

Maafe (West African Peanut Soup)

This stew is rich with flavor and very tempting with tempting combination of flavors – garlic, ginger, herbs and of course a little bit of spice. As with most stews or soups this is open to so many variations based on your preferences, availability of ingredients and time. You can never go wrong with this soup. If there are any vegans out there, you can completely make this vegan with good results.

When my nephew was a toddler we sure had our challenges trying to get him to eat anything other than carbohydrates, this one sure did the trick, he fell head over heals with this, especially served with rice.Maafe (West African Peanut Soup)

Here I used freshly ground peanuts, always have them handy or just use peanut butter paste. 

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Maafe West African Peanut Soup

Maafe (West African Peanut Soup)– A spicy peanut stew made with beef, sweet potatoes and carrots – good enough for a one pot meal and is delicious with served with rice 
4.91 from 21 votes
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 40 mins
Total: 55 mins
African
Servings 4 -5

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup oil or more
  • 1-2 pounds beef or chicken
  • 1 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • ½ teaspoons white pepper
  • 2 fresh tomatoes chopped
  • 1 medium onion chopped divided
  • 3-4 garlic cloves
  • 2-3 tablespoons parsley
  • ½ cup ground peanuts or Peanut butter paste
  • 3-4 cups broth chicken or beef
  • 1 or more pound vegetable potatoes, carrots
  • 1 whole scotch bonnet or habanera pepper or ½ teaspoons cayenne pepper optional
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • In a large saucepan, season meat with salt, and onions and boil until tender, depending on the choice of meat. You should have at least 3-4 cups of stock. Remove the meat and reserve stock (broth)
  • In a large pot, heat oil over low heat, then add the beef/chicken and sauté stirring, frequently, any browned bits off the bottom of the pot. Remove and set aside
  • Blend tomatoes, and 1/2 onion, garlic, and parsley. Add half of the onions to the pan , sauce for about a minute and pour the mixture in the saucepan; add paprika, white pepper and sauté for about 7-10minutes. Stirring frequently to prevent burns, add stock as needed.
  • Then add potatoes, Carrots, peanut butter paste, scotch bonnet pepper and about 3 cups broth. Continue cooking until potatoes tender- about 10 or more depending on vegetables. Throw in the browned beef, Adjust the soup thickness with water if necessary.
  • If not, return your soup to the heat and let simmer to desired thickness
  • Drip a little soup from your stirring spoon. If you are satisfied with the thickness of your soup, serve it.

Tips & Notes:

  1. You may skip the beef or chicken browning, if you do not want to deal with any frying or browning and proceed with the rest of the instructions.
  2. If you are cooking for kids, skip the cayenne pepper and leave the scotch bonnet pepper whole, if not prick to add some heat but not too much.

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 499kcal (25%)| Carbohydrates: 13g (4%)| Protein: 41g (82%)| Fat: 32g (49%)| Saturated Fat: 6g (38%)| Cholesterol: 88mg (29%)| Sodium: 212mg (9%)| Potassium: 744mg (21%)| Fiber: 2g (8%)| Sugar: 5g (6%)| Vitamin A: 3245IU (65%)| Vitamin C: 14.1mg (17%)| Calcium: 45mg (5%)| Iron: 3.9mg (22%)
Author: Immaculate Bites
Course: Soup
Cuisine: African
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Nutrition Facts
Maafe West African Peanut Soup
Amount Per Serving
Calories 499 Calories from Fat 288
% Daily Value*
Fat 32g49%
Saturated Fat 6g38%
Cholesterol 88mg29%
Sodium 212mg9%
Potassium 744mg21%
Carbohydrates 13g4%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 5g6%
Protein 41g82%
Vitamin A 3245IU65%
Vitamin C 14.1mg17%
Calcium 45mg5%
Iron 3.9mg22%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Maafe (West African Peanut Soup) IMG_5321 IMG_5325 IMG_5326 IMG_5337 IMG_5341

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Comments & Reviews

  2. denelian says

    i really want to try this — but i am allergic to tomatoes. is there a possible sub for them? i run into this ALL THE TIME, it’s sad, i really want this but.

    Reply

  3. Justin says

    Hi there, I noticed you said sweet potatoes in the introduction to the recipe, but then listed potatoes as the ingredient in the actual directions. Can sweet potatoes be used in this? That sounds delicious! Also, I’m sure it’s not authentic, but do you think tofu would work okay as a protein in this recipe instead of meat? Thanks for your recipe, can’t wait to try it!

    Reply

    • imma africanbites says

      Hi, Justin. Yes, I did use sweet potatoes, but you can certainly swap it for regular potatoes. I just love using the sweet potatoes because it adds that hint of sweetness. As for the tofu, I haven’t tried it tho, so I cannot answer with certainty.

      Reply

  4. JDR says

    This is delicious! Wondering why boil the meat first and then brown? To save time I skipped straight to the sautee stage and it was great. Also, do you mean blend the onion, tomato, parsley, and garlic in a blender or just mix them together before sauteeing? I blended them and it was delicious! Thanks!

    Reply

    • ImmaculateBites says

      Hi Jocelyn! If you have a tender cut of beef then you can absolutely skip the boiling part. And you did everything just right :). Glad you loved it!

      Reply

  5. Martine says

    salut, avez-vous un livre de recettes avec toutes les recettes de tous les plats africains quelque part à acheter?

    Reply

    • ImmaculateBites says

      Salut Martine! Je travaille actuellement sur un. Je serai sûr de vous le faire savoir dès qu’il sera disponible, alors restez à l’écoute :). En attendant, n’hésitez pas à parcourir la catégorie des plats africains de mon blog pour découvrir de délicieux plats faciles à préparer. Merci d’être passé.

      Reply

    • ImmaculateBites says

      Awesome! My son loves this too. Glad it was a hit with your family. Thanks for the feedback, Fatima 🙂 !

      Reply

  7. Beth Karschnick says

    We used to live in West Africa(guinea) and we love this. We didn’t add the vegetables and we used chicken but there are many variations. One year we had all the traditional American fixings for Christmas. Our neighbor also fixed us some traditional dishes from their. My youngest who was probably 4 at the time wouldn’t touch any of my American meal. He would only eat the Guinean food. That’s how much he loved it! Hahaha

    Reply

  8. Emma says

    I’ve been meaning to try making this for a while. Loved it! Great to make to – not complicated, but a great way to spend some quality time in the kitchen making some tender and delicious food! Thanks for the recipe.

    Reply

  9. Emma says

    I’ve been meaning to try making this for a while. Loved it! Great to make to – not complicated, but a great way to spend some quality time in the kitchen making some tender and delicious! Thanks for the recipe.

    Reply

    • imma africanbites says

      You’re welcome. So glad you loved it. And thank you for taking the time to let me know.

      Reply

  11. Monique says

    What beef would you recommend. I tried your recipe with chicken and it is DELICIOUS. This recipe is a staple in my house.

    Reply

  13. Vernon Butler says

    Like your recipe. Been eating groundnut stew since the late 60’s when I found a recipe, and my grandmother helped me. The recipe called for chicken, we tried every meat we thought of..but I had to delete adding okra.

    The best part of making Maafe is the ease of making

    Reply

  14. Kristen says

    I found a recipe for this before, but it didn’t turn out so great. On the hunt for a better recipe, I came across your website. We wound up making a vegan version of your recipe with collard greens, sweet potatoes, red potatoes, onions and carrots, and it was absolutely delicious! Easy to make and only needed one pot to cook it all. This is now one of my favorite dishes and recipes to make.
    Thank you!

    Reply

  15. West Africa MK says

    Hi there! I haven’t tried your recipe yet but I grew up eating Maafe and Poulet Yassa! The recipes were shared verbally with my mother by two different African women in Guinea. My parents were missionaries in Guinea West Africa for 9 years! I was so surprised to fined your recipes! I am making yassa tonight…but we use limes! I have never added the Dijon so I am excited to try that addition. I will be checking back for more fun recipes from my childhood home!

    Reply

  16. Megan says

    I used bone in chicken breast instead of beef. I used a mix of organic peanut butter paste and Jif. Then I added parsley and lime juice at the end. Very delicious. Next time I’m going to add a few smoked turkey wing pieces.

    Reply

  17. Nickie says

    This was very tasty and easy to make! Thank you for posting! I added ginger and liked the way it turned out

    Reply

  19. Tee says

    This looks delicious. I have two questions. Does this work if you make it with lamb meat? And, would it ruin the dish to tenderize the meat in milk first?

    Reply

    • ImmaculateBites says

      I think it would do just fine, even after you tenderize the meat. Have made this with goat meat before and everything worked just fine. Do let me know how it works for you. Thanks .

      Reply

    • Maimouna Coulibaly says

      Yes it work with lamb! I’m from Mali my mom makes it with lamb and beef all the time! It warms my heart to see other people wanting to try other culture foods! We also make it with fish sometimes!

      Reply

  21. Akiko says

    This was so delicious!! I made this after making + loving your African Beef Stew. This was filled with so much flavor and a kick from the habanero pepper. Like you mentioned, I loved the sweetness the carrots + sweet potatoes added. I simmered this for about 1.5 hours until my beef was tender, so some of the potato had dissolved into the stew making it more creamy and thick. It was the perfect balance of spicy, sweet + creamy. Damn, so so good. I’m looking forward to trying out your other recipes! Thank you!!

    Reply

  22. Angela says

    Hello sister,

    I just found your site. My husband is Senegalese and I’m from a background of West Indian, Louisianan Creoles. So when I stumbled upon this site, I was like wow, wow, wow! My dear, these recipes are so on point! Husband makes maafe all the time, I practicall craved it when I was pregnant and I can’t wait to try your Jambalaya! Many thanks and God’s blessings, BTW. My daughter’s name is Immaculate!

    Reply

    • ImmaculateBites says

      Thank you Sis! Really makes me happy that you would take the time to share your thoughts . Can’t wait to hear how your the jambalaya turns out !!! Say hi to your daughter for me. Tell her it’s coming from another Immaculate.

      Reply

  23. Sandra says

    This dish looks incredible! Sorting my grocery list now, would you use boneless chicken in this dish or it is better with the bone for flavor and moistness? Thank you for such an amazing blog and educating us on Afro-Caribbean cooking!

    Reply

  24. Christine says

    The combination of ingredients sound delicious. Your photographs are beautifully done and they make all of your recipes look appetizing. I want to try this recipe! What cut of beef do you recommend that I use?

    Reply

    • ImmaculateBites says

      Sirloin would be the best cut to start with. However, any other cut would work just fine. You might just have to cook it a little more until it’s tender.

      Reply

  30. swayam says

    Oh wow!! The flavors sound perfect together..I am sure most Indians would love it! Peanuts add such a wonderful flavor to things. I am definitely going to make this. Pinning!!

    Reply

  31. Maggie says

    This dish reminds me a dish calls African chicken that is a local cuisine in Macau. Now I can see where the influence came from. Love the flavor combo of tomato and peanut, a nice and special savory flavor that is so comforting. Pinned and shared!

    Reply

  34. Mark says

    Although I haven’t made this before I am intrigued. We love trying things new things and this dish looks superb. Nice photos too. Cheers….Mark

    Reply

  37. Maureen says

    I just discovered your website and I’m sure glad I did!! I’m going to start with plantain pancakes and work my way through trying your recipes. Thanks!

    Reply