There’s no shortage of stew recipes from one end of Africa to the other. I particularly love these all-in-one dishes because they’re rich, comforting, and simple to make. You can make this stew your own by adding any vegetable you like or replacing the plantains with root vegetables like sweet potatoes or yams.
Serves 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, minced
- 1 large eggplant, diced
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- Pinch of ground cumin
- Pinch of paprika
- One 14.5-ounce (411 g) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- Salt
- Black pepper
- 2 ripe, firm plantains, peeled and sliced 1½ inches (4 cm) thick
Method
- Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until softened, about 8 minutes.
- Add the eggplant, garlic powder, cumin, and paprika. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the eggplant is golden brown, about 10 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, bay leaf, and sugar. Season with salt and pepper, then let simmer until thickened, 30 minutes.
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the plantain slices and cook until tender, about 10 minutes.
- Add the plantains to the stew and stir gently. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 5 minutes. Enjoy while hot.
Recipe from Vegan Africa: Plant-Based Recipes from Ethiopia to Senegal by Marie Kacouchia © Éditions La Plage, 2021. Translation © The Experiment, LLC, 2022. Reprinted by permission of the publisher, The Experiment. Available everywhere books are sold. theexperimentpublishing.com