West African Peanut Stew Recipe

When I was in Ghana, my very favorite food there was peanut stew with guinea fowl and rice balls. I wanted to try to replicate it when I got home, but my family was less than excited about trying West African food, and I never got around to it. A year or two later, though, when I was in grad school, my housemates were my best friend from that Ghana missions trip and another girl who had grown up in Mali, where she'd also eaten peanut stew and loved it. One of our best days was when the Mali girl's honorary missionary aunt from Mali invited us over to her house for lunch, and she served us peanut stew! We ate platefuls of it and demanded her recipe. Long story short, it has remained a favorite. My family even liked it so much that my sister served it at her wedding for nearly 300 guests! It was a staple item in our dinner menu rotation in Tanzania, where I usually made it with beef and sometimes goat. It's such a flexible recipe that it's really forgiving and truly no-fail.

West African Peanut Stew

2 lbs chicken breasts/legs/thighs, goat, lamb, beef, whatever meat you want, cut into chunks if using boneless meat

Brown the meat (don’t have to cook it all the way through, just brown the sides) in a frying pan. This step is optional if you're feeling unmotivated. It's better if you do, but you don't have to.

Remove meat from pan and saute:

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 onion, chopped

(You can also skip that step if you aren't in the mood. It adds flavor but isn't mandatory.)

Put everything in a slow cooker.  Add:

1 - 1½ c. water

2 bouillon cubes

1 lb./1 1/3 c. cooked garbanzo beans (drained if using canned)

1 lb. diced or crushed tomatoes

3 oz. tomato paste (1/2 small can)

½ tsp. cayenne pepper (more or less as desired)

1 tsp. salt

Cook on low in slow cooker for about 6-8 hours. Or simmer over super low heat on the stovetop for 2-6 hours if you’re making a big recipe that is too much for your slow cooker. 

About 1 hour before serving, mix together:

2/3 c. creamy natural peanut butter, dissolved in

1/3 c. hot water – or if your stew seems a bit thin, scoop hot liquid out of the soup and use that in place of the hot water. Don’t skip this step or your peanut butter will get all clumpy! Mix the hot liquid and peanut butter well, then add it back into the pot.

Serve over rice with sweet potatoes (baked or microwaved until soft; peeled and sliced) and greens (spinach, kale or green salad).

Freezes excellently! Cook it as usual, then put it in the freezer. There is no noticeable difference even after it’s been in there for months. For authentic flavor, eat with your hands.