mafé

Mafé is a stew whose thick sauce is made with peanut paste. It is widely eaten in West Africa, including Senegal, and related preparations in Mali are known as tigua degué. Beef, chicken, fish and vegetable versions exist. Onion, garlic, tomato and chilli can be cooked into the sauce, with carrots, cassava, potatoes or other vegetables added according to the preparation.^[1][2]

For a meat version, the pieces may be browned before they are returned to a sauce of onion, tomato, water or stock and peanut paste, then simmered until tender. A smoked-fish preparation adds the fish to the simmering sauce instead. White rice is a usual accompaniment; chef Pierre Thiam’s lamb adaptation uses fonio, a small West African grain, with optional okra in the stew.^[2][1][3]