The Gambia

We're back with another African peanut butter dish! I'm definitely not complaining. I love peanut butter and enjoy it with both savory and sweet meals. This one is extra delicious because it also includes one of my favorite vegetables: okra. Okra isn't widely available up in Vermont, so it's always nice when I can find it and cook with it.

This peanut butter stew is called domoda, and the recipe I used didn't call for okra--I just threw it in because it did call for "bitter tomato" which is definitely not available in my local supermarket. I'm not sure what it tastes like, but I figured okra would taste great in this recipe, and I was right.

By the way, if you've never heard of the Gambia, look it up on Google maps. The geography is fascinating; the borders wind and snake along with the Gambia river almost completely surrounded by Senegal.

The base of the stew starts with onion and tomato, sauteed until soft. Then, pumpkin. I used butternut squash, as I almost always do when a recipe calls for pumpkin.

Once the vegetables are mostly softened, a big scoop of peanut butter is added. The recipe I used called for two whole cups of peanut butter, which is way too much. I used about one cup.

Then, some water is added to thin it out a bit. The recipe called for boiling chicken with the tomato and onion, then added the rest of the ingredients to the pot with it. Since I wasn't using any meat, I just followed the natural order of things when cooking any kind of soup or stew.

I then added my okra. A lot of people dislike okra because of its sliminess, but honestly that's what I like about it. No other vegetable has the same texture.

The recipe didn't call for spices other than salt and pepper, but I love adding this spice mixture to West African recipes. It's a little peppery and a little spicy and goes great in stews.

The finished product is a thick, smooth stew that goes great over white rice. I love this picture because it looks almost velvety from all that delicious melted peanut butter. This is a stew that I would make again and again. Super easy, filling, and flavorful, and customizable with any vegetables or protein you want! I'll have to try it with tofu next.

Recipes Used: Domoda