African peanut stew is a staple in Western Africa and is deeply versatile. Nearly always containing sweet potatoes, hot peppers, and peanuts or peanut butter, it can also be home to all manner of treasure from the garden and can easily be made with lamb, beef, chicken, or without meat at all. The version below includes chicken, but also has easy instructions for making it without meat. And when you make it in the Instant Pot, it can be on the table in under an hour and any leftovers store beautifully - including in the freezer. It's perfect comfort food for winter's worst.
If you are looking for less heat, omit the cayenne pepper and use less or no jalapeño. If you want more heat, go in the opposite direction! If you do not have fresh ginger, use 2-3 teaspoons of powdered ginger - you want that bite and it pairs so beautifully with both the sweet potatoes and the peanut butter. I added cauliflower because I had it on hand, but you can add any number of extra vegetables or none at all. If you don't have kale, chopped spinach or collard greens will also work in this. Heck, beet greens will do the trick as well if you have them. You get the idea.
I usually serve this hearty stew with steamed brown rice or toasted naan for dipping. Sometimes I will have a bowl of chopped peanuts and another bowl of lime wedges on the table for garnishing, but a big bowl is really what is most important here. Enjoy!
Instant Pot African Peanut Stew
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 jalapeño, cored and finely chopped
- 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 inch knob ginger, grated
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
- 3 tablespoons sun dried tomato paste
- 1 lb. cauliflower, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 lb. sweet potato, peeled and diced into 1-inch cubes (about 2 cups)
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 cup water
- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken, optional
- 1 bunch kale greens, stems removed and leaves chopped
In the pot of your Instant Pot, warm the olive oil on the Sauté setting. Add the onion, sprinkle with salt and cook for 3 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic, jalapeño, ginger, cumin, and cayenne pepper; stir together and cook for 3 minutes more.
To the pot, add the tomato paste and stir to combine. Add the chopped cauliflower and diced sweet potato, creamy peanut butter, chicken or vegetable broth, and water; stir together and lid the Instant Pot. Set it to pressure cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. Allow the pot to release its pressure naturally for 10 minutes before releasing any remaining pressure and removing the lid.
Add the shredded chicken and chopped kale greens to the pot; stir, then replace the lid and continue the keep warm setting for another 15 minutes, until the greens are wilted, sweet potato is tender, and the chicken is heated through. Using the back of the spoon, mash some of the sweet potato to help thicken the broth.
If you prefer a vegan stew, use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth and omit the shredded chicken in the last step. This stew is lovely on its own, but pairs well with steamed brown rice and crushed peanuts and lime wedges for garnish. Enjoy!
- Yields: 6 servings
- Preparation Time: 45 minutes