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Peanut Stew
Total Time
1 hr
 
Course: Stew
Cuisine: African
Servings: 8 Servings
Ingredients
  • 1 medium-sized eggplant peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
  • 1 t. salt or to taste
  • 1 t. ground cumin
  • 1 t. whole cumin seeds
  • 1 t. ground coriander
  • 1/4 t. turmeric
  • 1/8 t. cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 C. peanut oil
  • 2 shallots thinly-sliced
  • 2 inches fresh ginger peeled and minced
  • 1-2 jalapeno chiles seeded and minced
  • 1 onion diced
  • 1/2 C. tomato paste
  • 1 14.5 oz. can tomatoes diced
  • 4 C. vegetable stock
  • 1/2 C. natural unsweetened peanut butter creamy or chunky--I used chunky
  • 1 medium zucchini cut in quarters lengthwise and then sliced 1/2-inch thick
  • 1 15 oz. can garbanzo beans drained and rinsed
  • 2 T freshly-squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/3 C. coarsely chopped cilantro
  • Cooked basmati or jasmine rice
  • Garnishes: Chopped red onion chopped avocado, chopped cilantro, chopped peanuts (your choice!)
Instructions
  1. Prepare eggplant. Place in a colander and toss with salt. Leave eggplant to drain for 30 minutes. Rinse and set aside.
  2. Combine ground and whole cumin, ground coriander, turmeric and cayenne pepper in a small bowl. Set aside.
  3. Put 3 T. oil in a large Dutch oven and heat it over medium-high heat. Fry the shallots in the hot oil. You will need to stir the shallots often to keep them from burning. You do want the shallots to be crisp and caramelized when you have finished cooking them. This took about 5 minutes. Remove the shallots from the oil using a slotted spoon. Put shallots in a large bowl. Set aside. Using the same Dutch oven, turn your heat to medium high and stir in the eggplant. You don't want to burn the eggplant. You do want it to get nicely browned and to be tender-cooked. This step will take about 5 minutes. Put the cooked eggplant in the bowl with the shallots. Set aside.
  4. Add the remaining oil to the pot that you used to cook the eggplant and, over medium to medium high heat, stir in the ginger and the chiles.This is a quick step. Sauté the ginger and chiles for about 30 seconds. Add the spices and stir. Add the onion and continue to cook until the onion becomes translucent and soft. This will take about 5 minutes. (As you stir, scrape the brown bits that have become fixed to the bottom of your pot.) Add the tomato paste and cook for 1 more minute.
  5. Add diced tomatoes, vegetable stock, eggplant/shallot mixture and a pinch of salt to the pot. Bring this mixture to a boil (then lower heat to medium) and cook for about 5 minutes.
  6. Meanwhile, put the peanut butter in a small bowl and stir some of the hot stock into the peanut butter until the mixture is emulsified. Once this is done, pour the peanut butter mixture back into the stew.
  7. Turn your heat down to a simmer and add zucchini and garbanzo beans to the stew. Cook covered for 10-15 minutes. You want the vegetables to be tender. Turn off the heat and stir in lemon juice and chopped cilantro. Taste for seasoning.
  8. Serve with white rice and condiments of your choice. I enjoyed chopped red onion, chunks of avocado and a sprinkling of peanuts.
Recipe Notes

This is another one of those dishes that improves greatly when allowed to sit in your refrigerator for a day. The extra time allows the flavors to mature.