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 –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.
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.
Here I used freshly ground peanuts, always have them handy or just use peanut butter paste.
Maafe West African Peanut Soup
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:
- 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.
- 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:
Levan @ MyWifeMakes.com says
mmmm would love me a big bowl of this! Amazing stuff!
ImmaculateBites says
Thanks Levan!
Steph @ Steph in Thyme says
Wow what a hearty soup, love the flavor of peanut. Delicious!
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!!
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!
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
This is the perfect hearty meal for the weather right now. Never tried a peanut based stew or soup so I am inspired here to make the recipe.
Whitney says
And another delicious looking dish! I so want to try this!
ImmaculateBites says
It sure is Whitney!
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
ImmaculateBites says
Aww Thanks Mark. This would a great dish to try.
Sandhya says
The deep rich color of the sauce and my love for peanuts makes me want to reach in and taste it right now! Definitely making this!
Rachel @ Simple Seasonal says
Oh! Yummy! This is one of my favorite soup and you make it look so good!
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!
ImmaculateBites says
Welcome Maureen! Glad to have you here.Do let me know which ones you try out!
Chris @ SimpleFood365 says
This looks like a hearty soup or stew! It sounds incredible too! This one needs to hit the list of “Must trys”.
LydiaF says
This is something I would love. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Judy@ImBoredLetsGo says
What incredible flavors going on in this dish!
ImmaculateBites says
Thanks Judy
Therese says
I just tried this now and it was très délicieux!!! Thank you for another great recipe!
ImmaculateBites says
Merci Therese!
Nagi@RecipeTinEats says
Oh boy. That sauce looks incredible. Absolutely incredible! The colour is so rich and deep, I just know it is packed full of serious flavour! Pinning!
ImmaculateBites says
It sure is Nagi, thanks for pinning.