African Beef Peanut Stew

Photo credit: © Eatwell101.comAfrican comfort food at its best! This earthy beef stew simmered with peanut, onion, tomato and loads of spices and fresh herbs is perfect for a large dinner at home. As long as you structure this versatile dish around tomato, peanut, and cayenne, you can explore endless variations of this stew, tweaked for what you have on hand.

Ingredients list for the African Beef Peanut Stew

• 2-3 pounds (1kg to 1.5kg) beef short ribs
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 large yellow or white onion, sliced
• 6-8 garlic cloves, chopped roughly
• 1 can of crushed tomatoes
• 1 quart beef stock or 1 quart water with a bouillon cube
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 celery stalk
• 1 teaspoon cayenne chili pepper, or to taste
• Salt and fresh cracked black pepper
• 1 whole Habanero or Scotch-Bonnet chili pepper (optional)

Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large soup pot set over medium-high heat. Salt the beef, pat dry and brown in oil on all sides. Don’t overcrowd the pot or it will steam, so do this in batches. Set the beef ribs aside in a plate as they brown.
2. Sauté the onions in the same oil for 3-4 minutes. Stir and scrap any browned bits off the bottom of the pot. Add the garlic and sauté for another 1 or 2 minutes.
3. Add the beef and the beef stock. Stir well to combine. Bring to a simmer and check seasoning, adding more if needed. Cover the pot and simmer gently for at last 2 hours, until the beef meat easily falls off the bone.
4. Add crushed tomatoes , peanut butter, chopped celery and cayenne and simmer for another 20 minutes. You can add a red hot chili pepper but it’s optional.
5. Remove the beef ribs and allow to cool in a bowl, until cool enough to touch.
6. Adjust the seasonings for salt and cayenne in the sauce, then add as much black pepper as you want. Serve by itself, or with steamed rice.

Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com