Mafé Food

MAFE/MAAFE (SENEGALESE PEANUT STEW)

Steps:

• Wash beef and cut into smaller pieces.
• Pour olive oil into a pan on medium heat.
• Add beef, 1/2 tsp of black pepper, and a pinch of salt, and saute for 8-10 minutes.
• Chop the onions and bell pepper.
• Add onions and red bell pepper and saute for 3 minutes.
• Add tomato paste and stir.
• Cook for about 5 minutes.
• Add water, stock, and bouillon, cayenne pepper and salt to taste.
• Bring to a boil and cook for 5 more minutes.
• Add peanut butter and stir till it is dissolved.
• Let it cook till it thickens, roughly 2-5 minutes.
• Serve with cauliflower rice and enjoy!

MAFE TIGA BANTU

Steps:

• Combine the quarters of 1 of the onions, 2 of the garlic cloves, the parsley leaves, 1 teaspoon sea salt and freshly ground pepper in a mortar and pestle or a food processor and muddle or pulse to chop until all the ingredients have processed into a green mush, about 3 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl.
• Working in batches if necessary, place the snapper in the same mortar or food processor used for the parsley. Use the pestle to pound the fish or the food processor to pulse the fish to a malleable texture. Add the fish to the bowl with the parsley mixture and mix well using your hands. Using a tablespoon, form the mixture into round balls called "bantu" and set aside.
• Rinse the mortar and pestle or food processor and add the remaining onion quarters, garlic cloves, 2 teaspoons salt and the green and red bell peppers and muddle until the ingredients are crushed, about 3 minutes in a mortar and pestle or 20 seconds in a food processor. This is called "knokoss." Place in a medium bowl and set aside.
• Heat the oil in a 4-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Fry the bantu in batches until browned, about 2 minutes per side. When all the bantu has been browned, transfer to a medium bowl or plate and set aside.
• Saute the knokoss in the same Dutch oven until soft and translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the diced tomatoes, tomato paste and bouillon seasoning and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in 8 cups water and the bay leaf, bring to a simmer and let cook for 10 minutes.
• Stir in the peanut butter until fully incorporated; the stew should turn a beige color and start to thicken. Stir until the stew starts to boil, then cover and turn the heat to medium-high. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring gently every 10 minutes.
• Add the sweet potatoes, carrots, and Scotch bonnet chile. Check for seasoning; if more salt is required add the soy sauce. Give it a big stir, cover and simmer for another 10 minutes.
• Carefully add the bantu and reduce the heat to low. Cover and let simmer for 5 to 10 minutes; the stew is done when a reddish peanut oil appears on top of the surface. Do not stir the oil to incorporate, simply turn off the stew and carefully remove the Scotch bonnet.
• Serve over rice or foufou.

SENEGALESE MAFE

Steps:

• Season chicken and brown in oil in a large heavy pot. Add onions and tomatoes. In separate pot heat chicken stock and whisk in tomato paste. Thin peanut butter slightly with hot liquid and add all liquids to pot with chicken. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes. Add vegetables and cook until chicken and vegetables are tender, approximately 45 minutes. Season to taste with salt, cayenne and ground white pepper. Garnish with peanuts.

MAFE (PEANUT BUTTER STEW)

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a heavy saucepan, add the onion, and cook over medium heat until it is translucent. Add the meat and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until it is lightly browned on all sides.
• In a small bowl, mix the peanut butter with the cold water and pour it over the meat. Dilute the tomato paste with the hot water, pour the liquid over the stew, and stir well to make sure all the ingredients are well mixed. Add the remaining ingredients, lower the heat, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour, or until the meat is tender. Remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Serve hot over white rice.

CHICKEN MAFE

Steps:

• Finely mince 6 cloves garlic and the ginger with a pinch of salt, plenty of black pepper and crushed red-pepper flakes to taste. Season chicken all over with salt, and rub with the garlic mixture. Marinate for three hours or overnight, refrigerated.
• Finely chop the remaining 6 cloves of garlic. In a large Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. When it is hot, add the onion, chopped garlic, 2 teaspoons kosher salt and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes, until the onion is starting to become translucent. Stir in the fish sauce, then the tomato paste, and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes, until the paste and onions have combined and are a shade darker. Stir in 6 cups water, scraping up any browned bits.
• Add the chicken, bring to a boil and turn heat down to a moderate simmer. In a mixing bowl, stir a cup of the cooking liquid into the peanut butter, a splash at a time, to loosen it. Pour the peanut butter mixture into the pot, and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the cabbage and carrots, and simmer 10 minutes. Peel and cut the sweet potato and waxy potatoes into 1 1/2-inch chunks, add them and simmer 30 minutes, until the vegetables and chicken are tender and the sauce is like a very thick gravy. (The oil will be separating in the sauce.) If the chicken and vegetables are tender but the sauce is still a little loose, remove them, and let the sauce cook down. Add the chile if using. Taste, adjust seasoning with salt and serve over white rice.