One of the first things I realised when researching food for the Ivory Coast is that they love sauces - and I was very excited about the Sauce d'Arachide which is basically a peanut sauce that is usually used to make a sort of chicken curry. When I researched Bolivia I really struggled to find something that I liked the look of and eventually decided to make a pumpkin cake! After making the cake my sister told me about a peanut soup that they have in Bolivia and I've added it to my list of things to go back to. So this week felt like a redemption for me. While this sauce is usually paired with chicken I went for a vegan option below that I served with white rice, it was delicious and super filling! For the original recipe see here!
Ingredients
1 tbsp oil
2 onions finely diced
1 bunch green onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic,
2 large tomatoes cut into cubes
1 tablespoon of tomato puree
1 chili pepper
Protein of choice (normally cooked with chicken, but you could use tinned beans or tofu)
1 kg of mixed Vegetables of choice (aubergine, carrots, green beans, sweet potato, pumpkin)
1 stock cube
1 litre of water (hot water recommended).
4 tablespoons peanut butter
Salt and pepper
Method
If using chicken: Heat the vegetable oil in large saucepan a saucepan and fry the chicken until it is brown. Remove and set aside
If not using Chicken skip step one. Add oil to a large frying pan over medium heat and add the tomatoes, tomato puree, onions, garlic and chilli. Sauté for 10 minutes.
Add the peanut butter, stock cube and water. Simmer for 10 minutes. (If using chicken add back in now)
After 10 minutes, add the vegetables and protein to the pan - add those that will take longer to cook like carrots and aubergine first. Make sure all the veg is cooked to your taste (some prefer them more mushy than others) season with salt and pepper and serve with white rice or your choice of carb!