Mafé — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

A thick, creamy stew of beef simmered in a rich peanut butter sauce with root vegetables — West African comfort food perfected in Guinea-Bissau.

Ingredients

600g beef stew meat, cubed
200g natural peanut butter
3 medium tomatoes, chopped
2 medium carrots, chunked
1 large sweet potato, cubed
1 medium eggplant, cubed
2 large onions, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp tomato paste
100ml vegetable oil
1 scotch bonnet pepper
Salt to taste
600ml water

Instructions

1 Season beef with salt. Heat oil in a large pot and brown beef in batches. Remove and set aside.
2 Sauté onions and garlic until golden. Add tomato paste and chopped tomatoes. Cook for 10 minutes.
3 Dissolve peanut butter in 200ml warm water. Add to the pot along with remaining water.
4 Return beef to pot. Add scotch bonnet pepper whole. Simmer for 30 minutes.
5 Add carrots, sweet potato, and eggplant. Cook for 20 more minutes until vegetables are tender.
6 Adjust salt and thickness. Serve over steamed rice.

Did You Know?

Mafé is one of the few dishes that unites all ethnic groups in Guinea-Bissau — Fula, Mandinka, Balanta, and Papel families all claim their version is the best.