Vegetarian West African Peanut Stew / Soup

This comforting bowl of creamy and spicy soup comes from the western region of Africa and is said to have originated in Mali. Though the traditional version is chicken based, there are a lot of  versions online omitting chicken making it a great choice for vegetarians. Though unexpected, the unconventional medley of peanut butter, chard and yam somehow surprisingly work well together here. The spices lend an additional flavor layer on top of this, making this an enjoyable soup.

Usually my husband ends up adding a bit of this sauce and that to soups whenever I make them. However he wasn't complaining this time and ended up having it as his lunch and dinner. The consistency of this soup is more like a thicker stew version and is usually served over white rice. I added more liquid and made it thinner since I was planning to serve it as a soup. However it had reached a very thicker consistency while cooling.

Ingredients: (Yield 3 generous servings)
1 tbsp. oil
1 small onion, peeled & finely chopped
1 tsp. grated ginger + 1 finely minced garlic clove or 1 tbsp. ginger - garlic paste
2 tomatoes, chopped or 1 small can of tomatoes
1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1 cup of chard / kale /spinach leaves, chopped
3 cups of vegetable stock / water
1 tbsp. tomato paste
1/4 cup peanut butter 
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper 
Cayenne to taste
Toasted peanuts to garnish

Directions:
* Roughly chop the peanuts with a knife or pulse them in a food processor.
* Heat oil in a soup pan and add onion, ginger, garlic and sweet potatoes. Saute the vegetables over medium heat until they slightly soften.
* Next add the broth, tomatoes, tomato paste, cayenne, salt and black pepper. Stir to combine and bring the mixture to a simmering boil.
* Keep cooking on medium heat until sweet potatoes are almost done. Add peanut butter and the greens being used. Add more liquid if needed to reach the desired consistency. Please note that the mixture thickens while cooling. Continue to simmer for another 8 to 10 minutes.
* Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed.
* Serve over white rice, topped with toasted peanuts.



This goes to blogging marathon #93 with the theme of recipes from countries that start with the same alphabet, "Pick one alphabet - 3 countries". My choice of alphabet this week is 'M' and today's post is from Mali. Check out the page here to read what other marathoners are cooking.

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