Recipe Thursday: How to make Domoda, The National Peanut Stew Dish Of Gambia

Africa and indeed the African Diaspora is the home of very delicious, classic and even spiritual meals. At ILoveAfrica, we love to share very exotic meal recipes from all over the continent; and today, in the spirit of the celebration of Gambia’s 57th independence anniversary which was only a few days ago (February 18th); we have Domoda, a delicious peanut stew.

Domoda is the national dish of Gambia.  It is a delicious “groundnut stew” (peanuts) consisting of whatever vegetable happens to be available, typically pumpkin or sweet potatoes, and a saucy base. Whether vegetarian or including meat, the base is pretty consistent: A rich and flavorful sauce featuring ground peanut paste (or natural, unsweetened peanut butter), fresh tomatoes, and tomato paste. Caramelized onions, chicken and tomato stock, and hot chili peppers are also added.

Situated in West Africa, Gambia was a British commonwealth until 1965 when it gained independence. The land is relatively more fertile than other parts of Africa and Gambia’s economy is dominated by farming, fishing and tourism. Thus, they’re able to grow things like the pumpkins and sweet potatoes that are common to Gambian cuisine.

Ingredients For Domoda

• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 6 large tomatoes, roughly chopped or 1 tin chopped tomatoes
• 2 red or green chillies, finely sliced
• ½ – 1 tsp chilli powder (depending on how much heat you like)
• 2 tsp ground cumin (optional)
• 200g smooth peanut butter
• 3 tbsp tomato puree
• 800g sweet potato, butternut squash or pumpkin, peeled and cut into bite-sized chunks
• Juice of half lemon
• Oil for frying

Preparation

1. Fry the onion and the fresh chilli until the onion is soft and golden.
2. Add the garlic and chilli powder and fry for a further 1-2 minutes.
3. Stir in the tomatoes, peanut butter, tomato puree and sweet potato before adding the stock.
4. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 35-45 minutes until reduced and thickened and the sweet potato is soft.
5. Add the lemon juice, stir through and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Recipe: @Mbba