Mafé

Season the beef with salt and one crushed Maggi cube. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat and brown the beef in batches for five minutes until a deep crust forms on all sides. Remove the meat and set aside.

Saute the diced onions in the same pot for five minutes. Add the garlic and cook for one minute. Add the tomatoes and tomato paste, cooking for eight minutes until the tomatoes break down into a thick, concentrated sauce.

Dissolve the peanut butter in three cups of warm water, whisking until smooth. Pour into the pot and stir to combine with the tomato base. Return the beef and add the remaining Maggi cube and whole scotch bonnet peppers.

Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook on low heat for forty-five minutes, stirring every fifteen minutes. The peanut sauce thickens as it cooks and can stick to the bottom, so frequent stirring is important to prevent burning.

Add the sweet potato cubes, carrot chunks, and shredded cabbage. Cook for twenty more minutes until all the vegetables are tender and the peanut sauce is thick and rich, coating the back of a spoon heavily.

Remove the scotch bonnet peppers, taste, and adjust seasoning. Serve the mafe over steamed white rice, ladling the thick peanut sauce generously over the mound of rice. This groundnut stew is Senegal's most comforting everyday meal.