Mafé (Peanut and Beef Stew): A Taste of Senegal

Mafé will surprise you - tender chunks of beef (or chicken or lamb) and sweet root vegetables  swim in the most lusciously rich tomato and peanut butter gravy (you'd never know it's peanut butter in there - it just adds a complex nuttiness). This creamy-sauced dish from Senegal is like beef stew's aristocratic cousin, elevated to a whole new gourmet level, but ultimately comforting. (Skip to recipe.)

This month in our Eat the World recipe challenge, we travel to the westernmost tip of Africa, to visit Senegal, the "Gateway to Africa". I know so little about many of the African countries, and I'm always intrigued to find out more when I get a chance to do some armchair traveling. The Republic of Senegal is a relatively stable nation, enjoying tourism and hospitality as part of their economic base. Its capital city, Dakar, located on the Atlantic coast of Senegal, is a popular tourist destination.

Owing to its western location, Senegal has historically been the European point of entry for African travel, so this small country has come under the influence and control of England, France, Portugal, and the Netherlands over the years. It was a French colony from the early 1900s up until 1960, when it finally gained its independence. French is still the official language of Senegal, though a variety of other languages are also spoken there.

Peanuts (groundnuts) have historically been Senegal's main agricultural crop, although they have diversified into growing many other products such as sugarcane, cotton, beans, tomatoes, mangoes, and melons. The French influence is felt in Senegalese cooking, and along with the local produce, the use of peanuts adds a unique diversity to Senegal's cuisine.

Mafé (also spelled mafe, maffé, maffe, or maafe) is an example of this wonderful amalgamation. A long-simmered stew of tender beef chunks resembles the French pot-au-feu, but with the addition of tomato and peanuts adding a Senegalese twist. In this case, creamy peanut butter stirred in near the end adds a subtle richness and complexity to the gravy that will have you wondering what makes it taste sooooo good.

In doing a little research on mafe, I realized that there is a lot of variation according to region and to each individual cook. The base of mafe stew can be beef, chicken or lamb, and the gravy always contains a bit of tomato and a rich lacing of ground peanuts or peanut butter. Although some variations of mafe add only carrots, onions, and cabbage to the meat, most add a few handfuls of other root vegetables, too. I chose to go with a generous addition of root vegetables to make this a fully rounded and complete meal.

A big bowl of tender meat chunks and bites of sweet, earthy root vegetables all bathed in that glorious gravy fills your belly and warms your heart on those days you just need a bowl of comfort. I love how the new flavours can transform an old favourite - it's beef stew but it's also so much more.

* * * * *

Kitchen Frau Notes: If using chicken, I recommend using diced chicken thighs, as breast meat would dry out and separate into shreds if stewed for a long time.

I used the full 4 cups of root vegetables in my mafe stew, and we loved it, but if you have less, vegetables, just use whatever you have. It's the peanut butter that really makes this stew special.

Mafé (Senegalese Beef Stew)

Serves 6       Cook time: 1½ - 2 hours

• 2 tablespoons oil
• 2 lbs (900gms) cubed beef stew meat (or lamb or chicken thighs)
• 2 medium onions, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 cups (960ml) water
• 5 tablespoons tomato paste (~½ of a 156ml/5.5oz can)
• 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne
• 2 bay leaves
• ½ cup (80gms) smooth peanut butter
• 4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch (2.5cm) pieces (about 2 cups)
• 2 - 4 cups (500gms) mixed peeled root vegetables, diced into 1-inch/2.5cm pieces (such as turnips, rutabagas, celeriac, parsnip, sweet potato, yam, yucca)
• ½ of a medium head of green cabbage (1 lb/450gms), cut into 1-inch/2.5cm chunks (about 6 cup/1.5l)
• dried red chili flakes for serving (optional)

Brown the beef cubes on all sides in the oil in a dutch oven or heavy-bottomed large pot over medium-high heat. Do this in two batches, using 1 tablespoon of oil for each batch. When finished, return all the browned beef cubes to the pot.

Add the onions and garlic and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the onions are translucent, scraping up the delicious browned bits (the fond) from the bottom of the pot as you stir them occasionally.

Add the water, tomato paste, salt, thyme, pepper, cayenne, and bay leaves and bring it all to a boil. Then lower the heat to a simmer, cover the pot, and simmer the beef for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While the meat is simmering, prepare the vegetables, peeling and dicing them into big chunks.

After 30 minutes, scoop out ½ cup (120ml) of the tomatoey broth from the stew. Put the peanut butter into a bowl and stir in the hot broth, bit by bit until they are smoothly combined. The mixture may look a bit curdly, but that's normal. Set it aside.

Add the carrots and root vegetables to the meat and stir gently to mix them in, trying not to break up the meat. Increase the heat and bring the stew back up to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer, and lay the diced cabbage on top. It will look like a lot, but the cabbage will wilt down and almost melt into the stew by the end, being hardly noticeable. Cover the pot and let the stew cook for 10 minutes, then open it and stir the cabbage into the stew.
Cover again and simmer for another 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir the peanut butter mixture into the stew and cook it all for another 10 to 15 minutes, uncovered, until the mafe gravy is thickened to your liking. Check it for seasoning and add more salt if needed.

Serve the mafe with rice, and red chili flakes on the side for anyone who'd like to ramp up the spice level.

Guten Appetit!

 

Check out all the wonderful Senegalese dishes prepared by fellow Eat the World members and share with #eattheworld. Click here to find out how to join and have fun exploring a country a month in the kitchen with us!

Amy’s Cooking Adventures: Café Touba (Senegalese Spiced Coffee) #eattheworld
Culinary Adventures with Camilla: The Kitchen Elves' Senegalese-Style Gumbo
Pandemonium Noshery: Poulet Yessa - Senegalese Chicken
CulturEatz: Senegalese Mango Chocolate Pound Cake
A Day in the Life on the Farm: Maafe
Making Miracles: Senegalese Poulet Yassa
Sneha’s Recipe: Poulet Yassa -Senegalese Style Chicken
Dinner By Dennis: Fattaya (Deep Fried Senegalese Street Food)
Kitchen Frau: Mafé (Senegalese Beef & Peanut Stew)
The Schizo Chef: Senegalese Sweet Potato Shrimp Fritters

 

Want to receive new Kitchen Frau recipes directly to your email? Sign up here and you’ll get a handy and useful kitchen tip along with each recipe, too.  (No spam ever.)

If you like my recipes, follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and Facebook. You’d make my day!

PIN IT HERE to save the recipe for later:

Check out my past ‘Eat the World’ Recipe Challenge posts:

• Argentina: Red Chimichurri Sauce
• Cambodia: Noum Kong (Cambodian Rice Flour Doughnuts)
• Egypt: Fava Beans and Feta
• England: Gluten Free Fish and Chips and Mushy Peas
• Ethiopia: Four Ethiopian Recipes for a Fantastic Feast
• Fiji: Spiced Sweet Potato and Banana Salad
• Finland: Lohikeitto (Creamy Salmon, Potato, and Dill Soup)
• France: Axoa d’Espelette (A Simple Stew from the Basque Country)
• Georgia: Charkhlis Chogi (Beets with Sour Cherry Sauce)
• India: Kerala Upma (Fluffy, Kerala Style Breakfast Upma Recipe)
• Iraq: Tepsi Baytinijan (Eggplant & Meatball Casserole)
• Ireland: Dublin Coddle (A tasty Sausage and Potato Stew)
• Israel: Cucumber, Feta, and Watermelon Salad
• Kenya: Maharagwe with Ugali (Red Beans with Cornmeal Slice)
• Mexico: Cochinita Pibil Tacos (Pit Barbecued Pig to Make in Your Oven)
• New Zealand: Classic Pavlova
• Poland: Polish Honey Cake
• Portugal: Tuna and Sardine Pâtés
• Puerto Rico: Piña Colada Cocktail
• Sweden: Swedish Meatballs with Cream Gravy
• Switzerland (Christmas): Basler Leckerli Cookies
• Thailand: Shrimp Laksa (Khung)
• Trinidad & Tobago: Peanut Butter Prunes
• Ukraine: Buckwheat Kasha with Beef