Thick sweet potato slabs are nestled in tender kale leaves and savory African peanut stew. Serve it up with rice and crunchy roasted peanuts for a hearty and delicious winter meal.
This post, my friends, has been a long time coming. When I first met my husband and he found out how into cooking I was, he insisted that I had to try some African peanut stew. When I started blogging that turned into insistence that I had to blog some African peanut stew.
That all sounded good to me, but I held off because I really wanted to try a bowl from someone who knew what they were doing first. There was a Kenyan place that he visited a bunch of times, and they served up bowls of vegan peanut stew, each with a giant hunk of sweet potato at the bottom.
We ventured out to get me a bowl of peanut stew, and were sad to discover that the place closed. I spent the next few years dreaming of peanut stew, and I did locate a few places in Philly that had it on the menu, but every time I called one of these restaurants to inquire I’d find out that their version had chicken broth (or something else I couldn’t eat).
Guess what though? I finally found some vegan peanut stew! And guess what else? It was at a vegetarian restaurant that I was previously unaware existed out in the Philly burbs. Double score.
It was as delicious as I’d expected, and tasted pretty much like I thought it would, though the version we had out was made with butternut squash, chickpeas and kale instead of sweet potato. (If you want to give that a try and are in southeastern, PA, head over to Mi Lah Vegetarian. It’s awesome.)
For my version, I stuck with the big sweet potato hunk, but I also borrowed kale from the version I got to try. Digging into a sweet potato slab at the bottom of a bowl of soup primarily made from peanut butter is about the most fun you can have with your food, if you ask me. Also, this stuff might just be the ultimate comfort food. I can’t even believe I’ve been missing out all these years. Whip up a batch of this tonight. It’s super easy, and I promise it will warm you up like nothing else.
African Peanut Stew
Ingredients
- 1 large or 2 small sweet potatoes, about 20 oz. total weight
- 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp. freshly grated ginger
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
- 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper, or to taste
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup creamy natural peanut butter
- 1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 4 cups curly kale leaves, torn into bite sized pieces (about 1 small bunch)
- salt and pepper to taste
For Serving
- cooked rice
- coarsely chopped roasted peanuts
Instructions
- Peel the sweet potato(es) and cut into 1/2 inch thick rounds. Set aside.
- Coat the bottom of a large pot with oil and place over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, cumin, cardamom and cayenne. Cook about 1 minute more, until fragrant.
- Add broth, peanut butter, tomato paste and maple syrup. Stir well to fully blend everything (a whisk works great here), raise heat and bring to a simmer. Add sweet potato slabs and lower heat. Allow to simmer, stirring occasionally, until sweet potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Add kale to the pot and submerge. (You can remove the sweet potatoes first if it seems like things will get too crowded. If you do this, make sure they are as tender as you'd like them to be when you eat them, and spoon them out, onto a plate.) Allow to simmer until kale is wilted, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Spoon some rice into the bottom of bowls for serving. Place a sweet potato slab (or 2 or 3, depending on how many you've got) next to rice and ladle stew over sweet potatoes. Sprinkle with peanuts and serve.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition information does not include accompaniments.
Yum! I love African Peanut Stew and can’t wait to give your version a try!
Speaking of Philly restaurants, my husband and I will be there in late April for an overnight stay and was hoping you might share some of your favorite restaurants in Philly. We are vegetarians (not vegans) so I am sure that whatever you like we will too! Thanks so much!
You MUST go to Vedge. Very highly acclaimed and one of the best restaurants I’ve ever been to.
If you love cocktails I recommend Charlie is a Sinner.
If you love coffee, I would recommend traveling to Grindcore House (an all vegan coffee shop)
Try and pick up some Dottie’s Donuts, they all vegan donuts. They are served at various coffee shops.
And if you are looking for a quick bite I recommend Blackbird Pizzeria.
Oh my gosh, so many options! I totally miss living in Philly for that very reason. I put together a short little piece on vegetarian dining in Philly a few weeks back – you can check that out here if you’d like. I mentioned Vedge, Charlie Was a Sinner and Blackbird Pizzeria, along with a few others. There’s a handful of Chinese places in chinatown that have full vegan menus – New Harmony and Singapore are a few that I used to frequent. Su Xing House, which is outside of chinatown is another one, and that was my favorite. Also, there are a few places in the Italian market neighborhood that have awesome vegetarian options. I used to LOVE the seitan cheesesteak from a place called Sabrinas. They also have a fantastic brunch.
This look so good! But definitely indulgent with a whole cup of peanut butter. I’ll have to save this for a chilly, snowed-in night :)
Oh yeah! This was definitely indulgent!
Is that Mi Lah restaurant the same one that was in Philly? I remember reading on the PPK forums that it was planning on moving. In all the 4 years of me living in Philly I always wanted to go but I was a poor college student.
It is! I asked when I was there, and they just moved to the suburbs in April. I remember seeing it when I lived in Philly too, but I never got in either because I worked a bizillion hours a week during those last few years I lived in the city.
do you live in the philly area? i live so close to mi lah! your version looks awesome and i can’t wait to go to the restaurant!
I do! Right outside of Valley Forge Park! You should definitely check out Mi Lah. The food was great and they were so nice and friendly. :)
I translated your recipe in French … but I didn’t have all the ingredients at home when I wanted to try. So, my version is a little different! You will find it here: http://miammiambidou.canalblog.com/archives/2016/04/02/33531667.html
Thank you for the idea, it’s delicious :)
I made this today and it is very delicious. Alas I had no cardamom. But my wife just confirmed my opinion. Very delicious indeed.
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for stopping back to let me know!
I have never commented on a recipe before, but I have to chime in here to say this is delicious and in fact, 2 adults and a toddler shared this quite contentedly tonight – everyone was happy! That’s tough to pull off. I left out the maple syrup and added the cayenne to the grownups’ stew when it was done. The toddler’s rice to stew ratio was also a little more toward the rice. Otherwise, we all are the same thing. And loved it.
I’m so glad to hear it was a hit!! Thanks so much Gina!
This recipe is absolutely delicious. I make it in my slow cooker. It’s now a regular for a midweek treat.
Great idea to make it in the slow cooker! I’m so glad you like it! Thanks Jade!
I made this tonight after coming home exhausted. It was minimal effort for great flavor!
I’m so glad you like it!!
I went to MiLah the other day specifically for their Peanut Stew and foind that they are closed. I almost cried. I am happy to have this recipe.
On no! My husband and I have been saying we need to go there – we haven’t been in ages! I’m bummed to hear they’re closed. :( I hope you enjoy my peanut stew as much as theirs!