Sierra Leonean Groundnut Stew
One of the first dishes Sierra Leoneans learn to cook, part of the wider West African groundnut-stew tradition that took hold after peanuts arrived via 16th-century Portuguese trade. It's genuinely distinct from the site's Gambian domoda, which leans on a tomato-and-sweet-potato base: this version builds its depth from red palm oil and dried ground crayfish simmered under the peanut paste, an ingredient combination that gives it a saltier, more savory backbone than its Gambian cousin.
Meat
⚠ Contains: Peanut, Shellfish. Always check your own ingredients — this isn't a guarantee for severe allergies.
Ingredients
- 800g chicken, cut into pieces
- 1 cup roasted ground peanuts or natural peanut butter
- 3 tbsp red palm oil
- 2 tbsp dried ground crayfish
- 3 tomatoes, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 scotch bonnet chile
- 1 bouillon cube
- Salt
- Rice, to serve
Steps
- Season and brown the chicken.
- Sauté the onion, garlic, and tomato in the red palm oil until reduced.
- Add the dried crayfish and simmer until the raw tomato smell cooks off.
- Stir in the peanut paste gradually with water or stock to avoid lumps, thinning to a thick stew.
- Return the chicken to the pot and simmer 30-40 minutes until the sauce is glossy and slightly reduced.
- Add the scotch bonnet whole for heat, adjust seasoning, and serve over rice.