Groundnut stew with chicken and sweet potato
Serves 6. About 1 hour 40 minutes.
Ingredients
- 500g raw peanuts in the shell (about 350g once shelled), or 250g smooth natural peanut butter
- 1kg skinless chicken thigh fillets, cut into large pieces
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 3cm piece ginger, grated
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 400g tin crushed tomatoes
- 1 litre chicken stock
- 1 yellow habanero
- 600g sweet potato, peeled and cut into 3cm chunks
- 100g baby spinach
- Juice of 1 lime
- Cooked rice, to serve
Method
- Shell the peanuts. Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced), spread the nuts on a tray and roast for 12 to 15 minutes, shaking once, until golden inside. Let them cool, then rub them in a tea towel to loosen the papery skins. Most will come off; a few left on is fine.
- Blend the peanuts in a food processor for 3 to 5 minutes, scraping down the sides, until they turn into a thick, smooth paste. Add a tablespoon of oil if it needs help.
- Season the chicken with the salt. Heat the oil in a large heavy-based saucepan over medium-high heat and brown the chicken in batches, about 3 minutes a side. Set it aside.
- Turn the heat to medium. Cook the onion for 5 minutes, then add the garlic, ginger and tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes more. Add the tomatoes, stock and peanut paste and stir until smooth.
- Pierce the habanero a few times with a small knife and drop it in whole: it gives a warm, fruity heat without taking over. Return the chicken, bring to a simmer, partly cover and cook for 25 minutes, stirring now and then so the peanut doesn't catch on the bottom.
- Add the sweet potato and simmer for another 20 minutes, until it is tender and the chicken is cooked through. Take out the habanero, or chop it into the stew if you like more heat. Stir in the spinach until it wilts, add the lime juice and check the seasoning. Serve with rice.
Tip: The stew thickens as it stands, so loosen it with a little water when you reheat it. Pumpkin or yam can stand in for the sweet potato. Chicken drumsticks work too; give them an extra 15 minutes.
