Vegetable Maafé

I've often made the delicious version in Sundays At Moosewood, which is listed as "West African Groundnut Stew." It's on the web and could be useful if you're looking for ingredient substitutions. For example, they use their tomatoes in a different form, and cayenne instead of Scotch bonnet. They leave out the tamarind and dawadawa but add coriander. Moosewood uses sweet potatoes, eggplant, zucchini, and green peppers instead of plantains, carrots, squash, and greens.

Wondering if "Dawadawa" could be replaced w'MISO?

If you have a peanut allergy, the recipe also works well with sunflower seed butter, for example.

I've been making variations of this for over 30 years; the basic recipe I started with was from Cooking Light, I think. The greens vary - chard, kale, spinach, collards; the heat source varies - Serrano; cayenne; jalapeño; the starch varies (I often used diced sweet potato and/or black beans). Always tomatoes, peanut butter, greens, stock, garlic, cumin, hot pepper, onion. Sometimes chicken thighs. If anyone is doubting this, give it a try. No hard to source groceries required.

A Senegalese cook in Brooklyn 30 years ago taught me her recipe with chicken. She used Maggi sauce to salt the stew. I use soy sauce, cayenne pepper and sriracha. Never used plantains but I throw in carrots, peas, eggplant and zucchini whatever I have. My husband spent 2 years in Senegal during Peace Corps service. He and my daughters love this stew!! We eat it over plain couscous.

Dawadawa is also available (dare I say it?) at that ultra large on-line retailer who shall go unnamed.

I prepared this recipe as written (except using Bragg’s Amino Acids as a substitute for fish sauce per America’s Test Kitchen recommendation for vegetarians). I also added the optional tamarind. I wouldn’t change a single thing. It was absolutely delicious served over rice.

Katzen is a genious at adopting tastes from around the world to what any American can buy in the local supermarket.

It would be helpful to note how many total cups of root vegetables are needed, esp if substitutions are made.

Made mostly as written, used chopped fresh tomatoes rather than canned, sugar dumpling squash instead of butternut, and added rutabaga. Went with the fish sauce, and subbed Korean lemon-ginger marmalade for the tamarind puree and a habanero for the Scotch Bonnet because I couldn't find either in my local grocery store. The sauce was delicious (though no heat)! The plantains were terrible, though and I would leave them out next time. Overall, good Fall dish - will make again.

For anyone allergic to Peanut Butter - you can substitute- Sunflower Seed Butter - found at most grocery stores. Sunflower Seed Butter has a very similar flavor to Peanut butter - without And Nuts or Peanuts in the ingredients or on the factory processing. eclecticos also - noted this below.

I just made this. Minor vegetable substitutions. No tamarind, so I used pomegranate syrup. This is delicious! Thanks!!

I have had this stew before with tender pieces of chicken (drumsticks and thighs mostly) that my host had browned and cooked separately and then put into the pot to simmer for a few hours. It was heavenly.

Wonderful mix of flavors! Followed recipe with few substitutions: about 1lb &1/2 of cubed acorn squash, thai red pepper, omitted plantains and added 1 more carrot, lb &1/2 of zucchini, 1 large green pepper & 8 oz of mushrooms with fish sauce. homemade peanut butter and diluted tamarind concentrate. Served with squeeze of lime and crushed peanuts over basmati, heavenly. Cut off about 15 minutes by using pressure cooker. Will definitely make again!

Excellent! Added ground pork and used chicken stock. Used an easily available Chinese black bean paste as sub for dawadawa. Root veggies were a combo of acorn squash, turnips, rutabagas, and parsnips. Very rifflable recipe. I could see using a lot of different left overs in this.