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West African Tofu in Peanut Sauce (Mafe)
with root vegetables / couscous

Active: 30 min Total: 40 min
While we often think of peanut sauce in Asian dishes, it makes a creamy, flavorful base for a popular West African dish called mafe. This comforting stew of tofu and vegetables is flavored with garlic and ginger to complement the rich sauce.
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Proteins
Cuisines

Ingredients

Metric
Servings:
4
West African Tofu in Peanut Sauce (Mafe):
  • Tofu, extra firm (vacuum packed preferable) - 16 oz , cubed
  • Peanuts, roasted and unsalted (opt) - 1/4 cup , chopped
  • Potatoes, sweet - 3/4 lb , peeled and chopped
  • Turnips, small (sub carrots) - 2 , peeled and chopped
  • 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, vegetable - 2 cups
  • Red pepper flakes (opt) - 1/2 tsp
  • Cilantro, fresh - 3 Tbsp , chopped
  • Oil, cooking - 1 Tbsp + 1 Tbsp
  • Limes - 1/2 , juice of
  • Leftover couscous (from Tuesday) - ~1 1/2 cups

Prep

  1. Tofu - If tofu is packaged in water, press out liquid first. Then slice into cubes and season with salt and pepper. (Can be done up 1 day ahead)
  2. Peanuts - If using, roughly chop peanuts. One easy way to do this is sealing nuts into a Ziploc bag and run a rolling pin over them a few times or lightly smashing with a tenderizer. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
  3. Potatoes / Turnips / Bell peppers / Garlic / Ginger - Prep as directed. (Can be done up to 3 days ahead)
  4. Peanut sauce - Whisk together peanut butter, tomato paste, stock, ginger and red pepper flakes. (Can be done up to 3 days ahead)
  5. Cilantro - Chop cilantro.

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Make

  1. 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 salt and pepper.
  2. 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.
  3. 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. Simmer for 4 to 5 minutes more to allow flavors to come together. Season with salt and pepper. Top with lime juice, cilantro and chopped peanuts.
  4. Reheat couscous briefly in the microwave. If it seems dry, fold in a splash of stock or water.
  5. Spoon tofu, vegetables and sauce over couscous and enjoy!

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