Spicy Peanut Stew With Cool Cucumber Sauce

Submitted by Enjolinfam

"From Vegetarian Times. This African stew gets its distinctive taste from creamy peanut butter and chilie-laced chopped tomatoes. Sounds delish and I can't wait to try it!"

 

• Ready In: 1hr 15mins
• Ingredients: 19
• Serves: 6

ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced (about 1 cup)
• 1 stalk celery, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
• 2 garlic cloves, minced (about 2 tsp)
• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks (about 2 cups)
• 14 1⁄2 ounces diced tomatoes with green chilies
• 1 lb butternut squash (about 3 cups) or 1 lb acorn squash, cut into 1 inch chunks (about 3 cups)
• 1⁄2 lb cauliflower floret (about 4 cups)
• 1⁄4 cup creamy peanut butter
• 6 cups cooked brown rice
• 1 head watercress, stems removed

• Cool Cucumber Sauce

• 1⁄2 cup roasted peanuts, chopped
• 1⁄2 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced (about 1/2 cup)
• 1⁄4 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper, stemmed, seeded and minced (optional)
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, rated
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt

directions

1. Cool Cucumber Sauce:

2. Toss together all Cool Cucumber Sauce ingredients in small bowl. Set aside to serve with Spicy Peanut Stew.

3. Spicy Peanut Stew:

4. Heat oil in large pot over medium-low heat. Add onion and celery, and cook 5 minutes, or until onion is translucent, stirring occasionally. Stir in ginger and garlic, and cook 5 minutes more, or until vegetables are soft.
5. Add potato and tomatoes. Increase heat to medium, and cook 5 minutes, or until sauce is thickened, stirring occasionally.
6. Stir in 2 cups water, and season with salt and pepper. Simmer partially covered, 10 minutes. Add squash and cauliflower, and cook 15 minutes more, or until vegetables are tender.
7. Whisk together peanut butter and 1/2 cup warm water in small bowl. Add to stew, and cook 4 minutes or until thickened, stirring constantly. Spoon over rice, and top with watercress.

Reviews

[Chef Kirsten 1]

This was FANTASTIC. I love the flavors. I took the advice of SarSarK and blended the cucumber sauce...total paradise! I considered making this without the sauce because the stew on its own would be great, but the sauce adds a whole new dimension to it. I added a few dashes of cumin, chili powder and red pepper flakes to the stew while it cooked and the spice level was perfect. Will be making this again, thank you!

 

[SarSarK]

Overall a great recipe with some unique flavors. The sauce is not really a sauce, maybe a salsa if anything. I liked the idea of having an actual sauce on the top so I put it through the blender. The cooking times are very approximate and I found the squash needed longer than specified. Mine was still fairly watery at the end, so I stirred the peanut butter directly into the stew and it thickened up nicely.

 

[Vegan_Painter]

This is a favorite Veggie Times recipe in our household! It's a perfect autumn or winter stew & it's not too peanutbuttery in taste. The cool cucumber sauce really makes the dish! A must have!