Beans with Sweet Potatoes in a Spicy Peanut Sauce

We eat a lot of beans around here and I have to admit I do get a little tired of them sometimes. Peanut butter and sweet potatoes make for an unusual version of them, and we enjoyed this very much. This kind of peanut stew is a traditional West African dish, and numerous versions exist. I've made it before, in fact, with chicken. It often contains some kind of astringent greens, but at this time of year they would have to be frozen. I just didn't put any in.

Normally I would serve something like this garnished with chopped peanuts but I actually haven't been able to find any local ones for sale around here lately... grumble grumble, mutter mutter. And our peanut harvest last year was pathetic... enough to save for seed but not enough to eat any. Bah!

4 to 6 servings
45 minutes prep time, not including the beans & sweet potatoes

Cook the Beans & Roast the Sweet Potatoes:
1 1/2 cups dry kidney beans
OR use 2 540 ml (19 ounce) cans of beans
500 grams (1 generous pound) sweet potatoes
1 tablespoon mild vegetable oil

Rinse and pick over the beans. Put them in a pot with plenty of water to cover them. Bring them to a boil then cover them, turn them off, and let them soak for 4 to 6 hours. Change the water and add 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil then simmer for 1 to 2 hours, until tender.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. 

Wash and trim the sweet potatoes and cut them into large bite-sized chunks. Toss them in a baking dish where they can be spread out in a single layer with the oil. Roast them at 400°F until easily pierced with a fork but not mushy; about 40 to 45 minutes.

Both of these can be cooked a day in advance.

Make the Stew:
1 red or orange pepper (optional)
1 large onion
3 or 4 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon finely grated or minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon mild vegetable oil
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seed
1/2 teaspoon (to taste) hot red chile flakes or powder
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 cups crushed tomatoes
1/3 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup chopped peanuts to garnish (optional)

Core, de-seed, and chop the pepper. Peel and chop the onion. Peel and mince the garlic. Peel and grate or mince the ginger.

Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed soup pot. Cook the pepper and onion until softened over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Add the ginger and garlic, and mix in well. Grind the cumin seeds and add them to the pot with the other seasonings. Mix in well, and continue cooking for just a minute or two.

Add the crushed tomatoes and the drained, cooked beans. You can add some of the bean cooking water if you want a soupier texture. Mix enough liquid from the pot into the peanut butter to work it into a thin, pourable and lump-free state. Mix it into the stew. Add the sweet potatoes.

Simmer the stew for 15 to 20 minutes. Stir frequently - this is a stew that likes to scorch. Serve at once id you like, but remember that like most bean dishes this is better re-heated the next day.





Last year at this time I made Red Flannel Salad. 

Posted in: Ontario Food