Vegetable mafé, a vegetarian recipe from Senegal

Name: Vegetable mafé
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 85 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Senegal
Ingredients: 2 carrots, in large chunks; 1 courgette, in large pieces; 2 turnips, quartered; 1 sweet potato, in large cubes; 1 tin kidney beans (240 g drained); 1 onion, finely chopped; 3 garlic cloves, chopped; 2 cm piece of fresh ginger, grated; 3 tbsp oil; 1 tsp paprika; ½ tsp ground turmeric; 1 tsp mild chilli powder; 1 sprig of thyme and 1 bay leaf; 400 g chopped tomatoes; 1 tbsp tomato purée; 120 g peanut butter; 600 ml vegetable stock labelled gluten free; Lemon juice, roasted peanuts and coriander, to serve; Salt and pepper

Method

Soften the onion in the oil for 5 minutes over low heat. Add the garlic, ginger, paprika, turmeric and chilli and cook for 5 more minutes.
Whisk the peanut butter into the stock with the chopped tomatoes and purée.
Add all the vegetables to the pan in large pieces, pour over the peanut sauce, add the thyme and bay. Bring to the boil.
Lower the heat and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring regularly, especially towards the end as the sauce thickens.
Add the kidney beans for the last 10 minutes. The vegetables should be meltingly soft.
Season, add a squeeze of lemon. Serve with white rice, scattered with peanuts and coriander.

Mafé is traditionally made with meat, but the peanut sauce is so rich it carries vegetables on its own. Swap the turnips for cabbage or cassava.

The techniques this recipe uses

Sweat the aromatics
Medium heat, no browning: the onion should turn translucent and sweet, not toasted.
Reduce
Uncovered, water leaves and flavour concentrates. It is done when the sauce coats the back of a spoon.

Frequently asked questions

What kind of peanut butter should I use?

Choose an unsweetened paste, ideally just peanuts and salt, with no added palm oil. Sweetened spreads throw the sauce off balance and make it cloying. A natural paste that has separated simply needs stirring before use.

Why does my sauce catch or turn too thick?

Peanut thickens sharply towards the end and sticks easily to the base. Stir more and more often through the last half hour, and loosen with a little hot stock if it tightens too much. It should coat the vegetables, not set around them.

What can replace the turnips?

Cabbage in wedges or cassava both work well and stand up to the same long cooking. Keep every piece large: cut small, the vegetables disintegrate in a sauce that simmers for an hour.

Vegetable mafé

Method

The techniques this recipe uses

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Nutrition per serving

Frequently asked questions

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