West African Peanut Chicken Stew

Tonight's dinner was inspired by Michael W. Twitty's The Cooking Gene: A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old South. In this memoir, he uses culinary history to sift through the ongoing struggles of African Americans in the south, and tell "how food enabled his ancestors' survival across three centuries. As he takes us through his ancestral culinary history, Twitty suggests that healing may come from embracing the discomfort of the South's past."

https://www.amazon.com/Cooking-Gene-Journey-American-Culinary/dp/0062379291

This enchanting and challenging book led me to this recipe for West African Peanut Chicken Stew. This stew is inspired by "Ground Nut Soup" brought over by African slaves. The main ingredient that lends a wonderfully earthy character to this stew is Chunky Peanut Butter! I was at first afraid to cook with this sweet spread, and feared the entire thing would just taste like a big pot of peanuts. But I was delightfully surprised. This hearty stew is earthy from the peanut butter, fiery from the various spices, bitter from the collard greens, and sweet from the yams. To sum: it's so yummy. I ate too much of it. 

To begin, in a large bowl, combine chicken stock and tomato paste. Whisk until no lumps of tomato paste remain. Add bay leaf, pepper (I used a dried chili since that's what I had on hand), cumin, coriander & cinnamon, then set aside for later. 

The recipe calls to add your spices later, but I did it at this point so the flavors have time to swim together!

Heat your oil in a large pot over medium-high heat until shimmering. To test if oil is hot enough, get your fingers wet and flick some water in to see if it does nothing (not hot enough), sizzles (hot enough) or pops the oil and create steam (too hot). Season your cubed chicken with salt and pepper, then brown in the pot. You may need to do this in two batches, to avoid overcrowding the pan (which lowers the temperature and messes with cooking). Once all your chicken is browned, set it aside. 

Add another little splash of oil and heat for a moment before adding onion, carrots, and red bell pepper. Cook, stirring regularly, until the onions are tender and translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger, cooking until fragrant, 45-60 seconds. 

Add the stock mixture and crunchy peanut butter; stir until smooth. Lower heat to medium-low and add chicken back to pot. 

This is where the recipe divides, depending on if you are using fresh or canned produce. If you used fresh, add them to the pot, cover and simmer for 25 minutes, until veggies are tender. If you used canned, add them to the pot, cover and simmer for 10 minutes, just to warm through. 

I added lentils to this recipe, just for fun, and to add a little extra iron and vitamins to this stew.