West African Tofu in Peanut Sauce (Mafe)
with root vegetables / couscous
While we often think of peanut sauce in Asian dishes, it makes a creamy, flavorful base for a popular West African dish called mafe. Most recently featured in 2016, this comforting stew of tofu and vegetables is flavored with garlic and ginger to complement the rich sauce.
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Ingredients
West African Tofu in Peanut Sauce (Mafe):
- Tofu, extra firm - 16 oz , cubed (vacuum-packed preferable)
- Peanuts, roasted and unsalted (opt) - 1/4 cup , chopped
- Sweet potatoes - 3/4 lb , peeled and chopped
- Turnips, small - 2 , peeled and chopped (sub carrots)
- Bell peppers, red - 1/2 , chopped
- Garlic - 2 cloves , minced
- Ginger, fresh - 2 tsp , grated
- Peanut butter, creamy - 1/2 cup
- Tomato paste - 2 Tbsp
- Stock, any type - 2 cups
- Red pepper flakes (opt) - 1/2 tsp
- Cilantro - 3 Tbsp , chopped
- Oil, cooking - 1 Tbsp + 1 Tbsp
- Limes - 1/2 , juice of
Couscous (for 2 nights):
- Butter - 1 1/2 Tbsp
- Water - 2 cups
- Couscous, uncooked - 1 1/3 cups
- Salt - 1/2 tsp
Prep
- Couscous - (This makes enough for 2 nights.) Combine butter and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Stir in couscous and remove from heat. Cover pan and let sit for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and season with salt. (Can be done up to 3 days ahead)
- Tofu - If tofu is packaged in water, press out liquid first. Then slice into cubes and season with some salt and pepper. (Can be done 1 day ahead)
- Peanuts - If using, roughly chop peanuts. One easy way to do this is by sealing nuts into a Ziploc bag. Then run a rolling pin over them a few times or lightly smash with a tenderizer. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Potatoes / Turnips / Bell peppers / Garlic / Ginger - Prep as directed. (Can be done up to 3 days ahead)
- Peanut sauce - Whisk together peanut butter, tomato paste, stock, ginger, and red pepper flakes. (Can be done up to 3 days ahead)
- Cilantro - Chop cilantro.
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Make
- Place sweet potatoes and turnips into a microwave-safe pan or bowl. Cover with wet paper towel and microwave on high until sweet potatoes are tender, ~3 minutes. (Turnips should still have a bit of crunch.) Season lightly with some salt and pepper.
- Heat a Dutch oven or wok over medium-high heat and add first part of cooking oil. When oil is hot, saute tofu until golden brown, ~5 minutes total. Remove from pan and set aside. Return the pan to the burner and reduce heat to medium.
- To hot pan, add second part of oil, garlic, and bell peppers. Saute until garlic is fragrant, ~1 minute.
- Add sweet potatoes, turnips, and peanut sauce and bring to a simmer. Simmer until sauce reduces slightly, ~3 minutes.
- Return tofu to pan, spooning sauce over the top. Continue to simmer until tofu is warmed through, ~4 minutes more. Season with some salt and pepper.
- Top with lime juice, cilantro, and chopped peanuts.
- Reheat couscous briefly in the microwave (reserve half for Wednesday). If it seems dry, fold in a splash of stock or water.
- Spoon tofu, vegetables, and sauce over couscous and enjoy!
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