Mafé (West African Peanut Stew)
intro
Rich, creamy peanut stew with tender beef, sweet root vegetables, and warm spices, slow-simmered for deep, comforting flavor perfect for family meals.
Ingredients
Steps
Heat 2 tablespoons (30ml) neutral canola oil in a heavy-bottomed 5L Dutch oven over medium-high heat (190°C/375°F). Pat 700g beef chuck cubes completely dry with paper towels, season with ½ teaspoon (3g) kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon (0.5g) freshly ground black pepper. Sear beef in 2 equal batches to avoid crowding the pan, cooking 3-4 minutes per side until deep golden brown on all edges. Transfer seared beef to a clean plate and set aside.
Lower stovetop heat to medium (160°C/320°F), leaving beef drippings in the Dutch oven. Add 200g diced yellow onion to the pot and sauté for 5 minutes until soft and translucent. Stir in 12g minced garlic, 30g grated fresh ginger, and 32g tomato paste, cooking for 2 minutes while stirring constantly until the tomato paste darkens to a deep rust red and smells fragrant. Add 2g ground cumin, 2g ground coriander, 1g smoked paprika, and 0.5g cayenne pepper, stir to coat, and cook for 30 seconds until spices release their warm aroma.
Stir 400g chopped roma tomatoes into the pot, scraping up all browned flavorful bits (fond) from the pot bottom with your spoon. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 6 minutes until tomatoes break down into a thick, chunky sauce. Return seared beef and any accumulated plate juices to the pot, add 1 whole bay leaf, and pour in 750ml low-sodium beef broth. Stir to combine, bring to a low boil, then reduce heat to medium-low (120°C/250°F), cover, and simmer for 25 minutes.
While the stew simmers, place 200g unsweetened smooth peanut butter in a medium heatproof glass bowl. Ladle 250ml (1 cup) of hot simmering stew broth into the bowl, whisking constantly in smooth circles until the peanut butter melts completely into a silky, lump-free, pourable liquid. Pour this tempered peanut butter mixture back into the Dutch oven, stirring thoroughly to combine evenly with the rest of the stew base.
Add 180g carrot chunks, 350g sweet potato chunks, and 150g Yukon gold potato chunks to the stew, stirring to fully coat all vegetables in the creamy peanut sauce. Return the pot lid, maintain medium-low heat, and simmer for an additional 25 minutes, stirring every 7-8 minutes to prevent the thick peanut sauce from sticking and burning on the pot bottom, until beef is fork-tender and vegetables are cooked through but hold their shape. Stir in the remaining 1 teaspoon (6g) kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon (0.5g) black pepper, taste, and adjust seasoning if needed.
Turn off the stovetop heat, remove and discard the bay leaf, and let the stew rest uncovered for 10 minutes to thicken slightly. Ladle into warm, deep serving bowls, and serve alongside fluffy cooked long-grain white rice if desired.
Tips
2.Never add cold, thick peanut butter directly to the simmering stew—tempering it with hot broth first ensures a silky, lump-free sauce instead of clumpy, separated peanut bits.
3.Peanut sauce thickens significantly as it cools; if your stew becomes too thick during simmering, stir in 60-120ml (¼-½ cup) warm extra beef broth to reach your preferred creamy consistency.
OMG this mafé was such a hit at our Sunday family dinner! My 7 and 9 year old usually turn their noses up at anything with 'stew' in the name, but they both went back for seconds. The peanut flavor is so rich and warm, I added a little extra kale because we had it in the fridge and it worked perfectly. SO good, will be adding this to our regular meal prep rotation for sure!
Took this to a neighborhood potluck last weekend and people were hounding me for the recipe all night! I used chicken thighs instead of beef because that’s what I had on hand, and it still came out incredible. Only thing is I felt like the cook time was a little longer than listed for me? Maybe I just messed up the heat level on my stovetop. Either way, total game changer.
Made a vegan version of this by swapping the beef for extra sweet potato and chickpeas, and using vegetable broth instead of beef broth. It came out so creamy and satisfying! My only complaint is that I wish the recipe noted how much salt to add upfront— I ended up undersalting at first and had to adjust a bunch. Still, 10/10, I’ve already made it twice this month.
This was SO flavorful when I made it last night, but 90 minutes is a little tight for my usual weeknight post-work dinner rush. Has anyone tried making this in the Instant Pot to cut down on cook time? I’d love to be able to throw this together faster on busy nights because my whole family went crazy for it.
I grew up eating mafé made by my Senegalese neighbor when we lived in NYC as a kid, and this recipe tastes EXACTLY like what she used to make! I was worried I’d never find a recipe that got the balance of peanut, tomato, and warm spices right, but this nailed it. Brought it to my office potluck earlier this week and every last bite was gone. 1000/10, no notes.
Made this for my roommates last night on a total budget—used frozen mixed veggies instead of fresh, generic peanut butter, and stew meat that was on sale at the grocery store, and it still came out tasting like a restaurant meal! We ate the whole pot in one sitting, served over white rice like the recipe suggested. So worth the time, even for a broke college student with minimal cooking skills.