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. 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 (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
- 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)
- 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)
- 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 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. 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.
- Reheat couscous briefly in the microwave. 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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