Chef Evy Mendes from Cantine Toca shared with us this tasty Mafé recipe. Cantine Toca is an online cantine based in Montreal offering West African vegan meals. It is a popular Malian dish consisting of a stew made of peanut butter, tomatoes, onions, carrots, okra, potatoes and cabbage. Mafé is usually paired with rice and goes very nicely with plantain.
Mafé
Prepping time: 35 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Serves: 7 people
Ingredients:
● 250 g of peanut butter
● 150g of double-concentrated tomato paste
● 200g of diced onions
● 2 tbsp of garlic & ginger paste
● veggies (carrots, squash, potatoes, okras)
● 2-3L of water
● scotch bonnet pepper
● oil (2-3 tbsp)
● salt
● pepper
● netetou (fermented locust beans)
● lalo (powdered baobab leaves)
Directions:
1. Cut veggies.
2. Heat 2-3 tbsp of oil in a pot set on medium heat (be careful of the amount of oil since the peanut butter already contains oil)
3. Add onions and garlic paste and stir well until the onions have softened slightly. (you can add scotch bonnet pepper at this step for a spicier mafé)
4. Add tomato paste, salt and pepper.
5. Stir and simmer for about 8-10 minutes.
6. Add peanut butter and check for colour (if it’s too red, add more peanut butter. If it’s too light, add more tomato paste).
7. Add spices & 2L of water. (and unsliced scotch bonnet to add perfume) Stir and get the sauce to boiling point.
8. Add veggies one by one every 5-10 min (start with veggies that take longer to cook. If you are using okras, add a starchy veggie to absorb the sliminess) and stir frequently (If the sauce is too liquidy, uncover the pot. If it’s too thick, add more water)
9. Serve with rice or thiéré (Senegalese millet couscous)
