As we all know, February is Black History Month. This year, I joined our Black History Month committee in the library and helped produce some of the fantastic things we have happening like our literary magazine, Movement. But I wanted to do something more, so I decided I'd try something new to me - eating some traditional African foods. This is probably my first foray into cooking African food, but I eat quite a bit of food from other cultures so I thought this month (Black History Month) was a great time to add some African dishes to my dinner rotation. I narrowed in on Jollof Rice and West African Peanut Stew because their ingredients were easy to purchase and I was able to find vegan recipes of both. While I love to eat, I burn most things I cook, so I recruited my husband to help.
Background + History
Before we begin, let's go over a bit of history behind these two dishes. Jollof Rice is one of the most popular dishes of West Africa. While called different things by different peoples of Africa, the most common name of Jollof derives from the Wolof people in Senegal, the Gambia, and in southwestern coastal Mauritania. A one-pot dish, it usually includes rice, vegetables such as tomato, onion, red pepper, garlic, and ginger, and a variety of different spices.
West African Peanut Stew (also known as Groundnut Stew) is another staple of West Africa which originates from Mali. The actual recipe varies between the different African cultures, but it often includes chicken (which we didn't do as I am a vegetarian), tomato, onion, garlic, and root vegetables. It is also usually served with white rice (I chose not to add that as I was making the Jollof Rice).
The Cooking Experience: Peanut Stew
I began with the Peanut Stew. First I gathered all the ingredients and cut/measured them up so I wouldn't have to worry about that later. You'll also want a medium or large sized pot.
Peanut Stew Ingredients
2 tablespoon coconut oil
2 medium onions, sliced
1 tablespoon ginger root, minced
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon coriander
1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 cups sweet potato, peeled and cut into cubes
1 red pepper, diced
2 cups vegetable stock
1/3 cup peanut butter
1 cup crushed tomatoes
1 cup cooked pinto beans
3/4 cup coconut milk
A squeeze of lime
Cilantro, for garnish
Crushed peanuts, for garnish
I heated up the oil and then added onions, which cooked for about 5 minutes. Next I added garlic and ginger and cooked for another 2 minutes, then added cayenne and coriander and cooked for yet another 2 minutes. Make sure to stir the entire time here as you don't want your spices to burn! It smelled so good at this point.
Now, you put in almost the rest of your ingredients: sweet potato, red pepper, stock, peanut butter, tomatoes, beans, and coconut milk. Bring it to a boil, then turn down the head and let simmer for about 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. It's important to make sure the sweet potatoes are cooked through.
Now it was time to serve! I split the stew up into bowls, squeezed some lime juice on top, added a few peanuts, and sat down to eat.
Let me be clear here, this was AMAZING. Seriously, how did I live without this dish for so long? The spices mix so well together, and you can definitely taste the peanut butter. Plus, it's healthy! I am adding this dish to my dinner rotation because I love it so much. I can't recommend this enough. It's also pretty easy to make too, which is always a plus in my book.
The Cooking Experience: Jollof Rice
After making the Peanut Stew, I moved on to the Jollof Rice. I should have made this first because it took a longer time. I began by once again gathering all the ingredients and measuring or cutting them up so I didn't have to do it while cooking. I also roasted the peppers at this time, putting them directly into my oven for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees. For this recipe, you'll want a heavy-bottomed large pot.
Ingredients for Jollof Rice
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 large onion, chopped
1 28-ounce can whole plum tomatoes with juice or about 3 cups chopped tomatoes, puréed
2-3 bell peppers roasted with 3 garlic cloves and blended (see notes)
2 tablespoons harissa paste
1 tablespoon baharat or Ras el hanout (optional)
1/2 tablespoon smoked paprika
2 cups brown basmati rice, rinsed (regular basmati or parboiled rice will work, too)
2 medium carrots, chopped
2-3 cups vegetable broth or water
1 teaspoon salt (omit or use less for broth with sodium)
I added the oil to the pot on medium-high heat. Then I added the cumin and coriander at let it cook for about a minute. Next I added the onions and let them sauté for a few more minutes until they softened.
I then added the tomatoes, bell pepper mixture, and harissa paste and cooked for another 5 minutes. The recipe said that there should be a slight reddish hue to the oil, but the whole dish was red and boiling, so I couldn't see anything like that.
I stirred in the smoked paprika and baharat (which I randomly had in our spice pantry) and added the rice. That cooked for about 3 minutes, and then I added the vegetable broth, carrots, and salt. At this point, the dish was pretty liquidy.
I lowered the heat, covered, and cooked until the liquid was absorbed and the rice was more tender. This took about 40 minutes, much longer than I was expecting. Every 15 minutes or so I'd check on it. I wasn't sure all the liquid would be absorbed, but luckily it was!
Once the dish was less liquidy, I put the heat on the lowest possible setting and let the steam further cook the rice for about 10 minutes. The the dish is done! I fluffed the rice and served it.
Jollof Rice tasted more like what I was expecting when I decided to make African dishes as the spices were not as known to me. This dish has a bit of heat, a bit of sweetness, and a whole lot of flavor. It felt quite hardy, and I could definitely eat just the rice for a meal. Luckily this recipe made a ton of it, so I'm going to be having it for lunch for the next few days.
I'm glad I tried both of these dishes. It's inspired me to try more African foods, such as Bobotie. Once Covid passes, I'd like to try one of the Ethiopian restaurants in the Charlotte area too. If you have any African dishes or know of a good African restaurant in the area, please share!
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