West African cuisine is a mix of diverse food cultures from different countries in the region. Fresh produce is abundant at local markets, plus aromatic spices that are subtle reminders of the Islamic influence from generations past.
Peanut curry is a common dish in West African culture and every region has its own variation using different meats. The base always has onion, garlic, tomato and a leafy root vegetable. Our version has sweet mango and lime zest to complement the final dish.
Recipes and styling by Chiara Turilli
Image: Andreas Eiselen
Serves 4–6
INGREDIENTS
1 cup peanut butter
2 cups boiling water
3 onions, 2 chopped and 1 sliced
2T minced ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 red chillis
2t ground cumin
1T ground coriander
2t turmeric
2t cayenne pepper
2t hot curry powder
1t salt
8 bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks
Salt and pepper
1T vegetable oil
1 tin coconut milk
1 chicken stock cube
2 medium-size sweet potatoes, cut into 2–3cm blocks
2 limes, sliced
2 mangoes, sliced
¼ cup peanuts, toasted and roughly chopped
⅓ cup coriander
Fresh coconut chunks for serving
METHOD
1. For the curry paste, preheat the oven to 180˚C. Place the peanut butter and boiling water in a bowl and stir to combine.
2. Place chopped onion, ginger, garlic, chilli, spices and salt into a blender. Blend until smooth, adding 1T of the peanut water to make more liquid, if necessary.
3. Put the chicken in a bowl and season with salt and pepper. Pour half of the spice paste in and toss to coat the chicken evenly.
4. Arrange the chicken on an oven tray and bake for 25 minutes.
5. Heat the oil in a large pot over high heat. Add the sliced onion and fry for 3 minutes until it softens and is slightly caramelised. Reduce the heat to low. Add the rest of the paste and fry for another 2 minutes.
6 Then add the coconut milk, stock cube, peanut water and stir to mix. Put a lid on the pot and simmer on medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking or burning.
7. Remove the lid and add the potatoes. Cook without the lid on low heat for another 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
8 Place the chicken on a serving dish and spoon sauce over each piece. Serve with slices of lime and mango and garnish with peanuts, chilli, coriander and coconut, plus extra sauce on the side.
TIP Leave out the curry powder if you’d like a bit less heat.
This article was first published in the April 2020 issue of Getaway magazine.
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