Chicken Maafe
Maafe (in Wolof; mafé, maffé, maffe, or sauce d'arachide in French, or tigadèguèna or tigadenena in Bamana); literally means “peanut butter sauce”, or groundnut stew.
Apparently it originates from the Mandinka and Bambara people of Mali, famous for their tasty and spicy cuisine.
It is served as a stew or sauce (depending on its density) common to much of West Africa. Variants of the dish appear in the cuisine of nations throughout West Africa and Central Africa.
Ingredients
- 2-3 pounds chicken legs, thighs and/or wings
- 3 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 large yellow or white onion, sliced
- A 3-inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced
- 4 garlic cloves, chopped roughly
- 2-3 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 15-ounce can of crushed tomatoes
- 1 quart chicken stock
- 1 cup peanut butter
- 1 cup roasted peanuts
- 2 Tbsp ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
- Salt and black pepper
- ¼ to ½ cup of chopped cilantro
Preparation
Heat the vegetable oil in a large soup pot set over medium-high heat. Salt the chicken pieces well, pat them dry and brown them in the oil. Set the chicken pieces aside to continue with the onions.
Sauté the onions in the oil for 3-4 minutes, stirring often and scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pot. Add the ginger and garlic and sauté another 1-2 minutes, then add the potatoes and stir well to combine.
Add the chicken, chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, peanut butter, peanuts, coriander and cayenne and stir well to combine. Bring to a simmer and taste for salt, adding more if needed. Cover the pot and simmer gently for 90 minutes (check after an hour), or until the chicken meat easily falls off the bone and the sweet potatoes are tender.
Adjust the seasonings for salt and cayenne, then add as much black pepper as you think you can stand — the stew should be peppery. Stir in the cilantro and serve by itself, or with simple steamed rice.