West African peanut stew with puff puffs

I love peanut stew! West African peanut stew is a creamy, chunky soup, spicy and aromatic. With fresh kale as a crunchy garnish. It’s simply delicious and mouth-watering!

The side dish is puff puffs – deep-fried yeast dough balls.

I’ve loved Nigerian puff puffs ever since I first ate them at a film festival years ago. Puff puffs are small, freshly fried yeast dough balls.

Friends of mine often make them, and I’ve finally ventured to try them myself. I love eating them in this combination with West African peanut stew.

West African Peanut Stew is a Very Easy One-Pot Meal

If you make this special version of cabbage soup without the dumplings, it’s a very simple, quick one-pot meal that’s perfect for after-work cooking. You can reheat the leftovers the next day at home or at work for a delicious meal in no time at all.

Puff Puffs can be served savory or sweet

If you’re not familiar with puff puffs, they’re deep-fried dough balls that can be eaten savory or sweet.
You can also simply sprinkle them with powdered sugar and enjoy them in a sweet version. They’ll then be a bit reminiscent of doughnuts.

Where is West African peanut stew eaten?

This creamy stew with peanut butter and kale is prepared in various variations in many West African countries. I know it from friends in Nigeria and Ghana. But it is also available in other countries in the region. In Gambia, there are variations of this stew called Domoda. In other regions, West African peanut stew is known as peanut stew or groundnut stew, also known as maafe (mafé, maffé, maffe) or as sauce d’arachide.
Because it is so widespread, there are many variations that differ in ingredients and seasoning.

West African peanut stew with sweet potato and chickpeas

I always make a version with chickpeas and sweet potato. This results in a chunky, filling, protein-rich stew that is easy to prepare.

Preparing vegan peanut stew, vegan mafé, vegan domoda

West African peanut stew isn’t always vegan, but many versions don’t contain any animal products anyway. Therefore, it’s quite easy to make this delicious stew vegan, as peanut stew often happens to be vegan anyway.

What makes West African cuisine so special?

West African cuisine is rich and diverse. It encompasses the region of West Africa, consisting of 16 countries. The region’s sheer size, with almost 400 million inhabitants, makes the cuisine diverse and magnificent, but historically, it also incorporates influences from North African and Arabic cuisine.

It’ is’s dishes are often cooked with beans, rice, plantains, chilies, tomatoes, cassava, sweet potatoes, taro, peanuts, okra, various leafy greens, and millet.

More vegan soup and stew recipes

You love the verieties soups and stews offer? Then ckeck out these tasty vegan soup and stew recipes:

• German pea stew, a hearty soup, ideal for the cold season
• Beetroot apple soup with light crème, cilantro and green polenta hearts
• Sopa De Ajo – Mallorca’s garlic soup, served with a maritime tofu skewer and croutons

Show me your vegan peanut stew with puff puffs

Please follow me on Instagram or Facebook. And I’d love it if you made my peanut stew with puff puffs and posted a photo of it, tagging my account. Because I always find it really fun and exciting to see how my recipes are prepared in other kitchens!

West African Peanut Stew with Puff Puffs – Preparation in Pictures

Before I get into the recipe, here are some step-by-step photos of how to make my peanut stew with puff puffs.

Preparation of the puff puffs in pictures:

Preparation of the peanut stew in pictures:

Ingredients for 6 servings of West African Peanut Stew with Puff Puffs:

West African Peanut Stew:

1-2 tbsp oil
1 sweet potato, diced
1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp ginger, minced
1/4 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
500g tomato puree (passata)
5 tbsp peanut butter
1 l vegetable broth
1 jar/can chickpeas, drained
3-4 handfuls fresh kale or other collard leaves, stemmed, torn into small pieces (alternatively, use fresh spinach)
Salt
Pepper

Fresh cilantro for garnish

Puff Puffs:

250 g all purpose flour
2 tsp dried yeast
1 pinch nutmeg
1 tsp tsp salt
3 heaped tbsp sugar
Lukewarm water

1 liter oil (rapeseed, sunflower, or vegetable oil)

Preparation:

West African Peanut Stew:

1. Heat the oil in a large pot and sauté the chopped onion and garlic, as well as the ginger.
2. Add the pureed tomatoes, chickpeas, sweet potatoes, peanut butter, and the spices. Simmer for 5 minutes.
3. Then stir in the broth and simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Stir in the kale and cook for a few minutes.
5. Season with salt and pepper.

Puff Puffs:

Preparing the Puff Puff Batter:

1. Combine the flour, dry yeast, sugar, nutmeg, and salt.
2. Gradually add lukewarm water until you get a thick batter. You can knead it well by hand or with a mixer. It should be like thick pancake batter, but still flow.
3. Cover the dough and let it rise for one hour. Because the dough is so liquid, it will only rise slightly, but it should be a bit fluffy, with small bubbles.

Fry the Puff Puffs:

1. Heat approximately 1 liter of oil in a small saucepan. Use a medium heat setting. It’s best to check the temperature with a kitchen thermometer. The oil should be between 165°C and 180°C (330°F-360°F).
2. Take some of the dough in your hand and press a small ball into the oil.
3. This works best with your hand closed and then let the dough run through your thumb and index finger.
4. Repeat this several times, as long as there’s space in your pan; the Puff Puffs should still be able to float freely.
5. Turn the Puff Puffs frequently in the oil until they look golden on all sides. This takes about 5 minutes.
6. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and let them drain on paper towels.

To serve:

1. Serve the peanut stew with the puff puffs and garnish with chopped cilantro.

Enjoy!