Carrots Maafe
Photo: Carolina Ayala / Contributor
In the heyday of the spice trade, spices from India travelled through many African ports on their way to Europe. No doubt some goods were bartered and sold and this is what perhaps explains the use of turmeric and aromatic spices in many African stews and preparations.
Maafe is one such West African peanut stew, usually made with a choice of meat, tomatoes, sweet potatoes and other vegetables. It is a delicious effortless balance of sweet, savory, earthy and spicy. The stew be greatly nuanced based on where it is made from Ghana to Nigeria however the one thing it has in common is that it always has peanuts as a base. You can use ground peanuts or just good natural peanut butter. Carrots, with their inherent sweetness are a great foil for the savory peanuts but feel free to add in other vegetables of your choice. Local carrots are in season now so try to get your hands on small multicolored carrots if you can!