Lamb Mafé

Today, it's time to travel. Let's go to West Africa.

Mafé is a dish found in Senegal and Mali, and is a favorite at my house, especially with the kids. It's a rich dish with a good taste of peanut butter, full of flavors that can be made with chicken, beef or lamb. Here's the lamb version.

Recipe

Ingredients for 8/10 people

For the marinated lamb meat :

• 800 g of lamb (shoulder), cut into pieces

• juice of one lemon

• 3 cloves garlic

• salt

• pepper

For the sauce:

• one large onion, thinly sliced

• 5 garlic cloves

• 1 3-4 cm piece of ginger

• 2 large carrots

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 vegetarian chili pepper (optional)

• 1 West Indian chili pepper (optional)

• 1 chicken or vegetable stock cube

• a dozen okra (optional)

• a can of crushed tomatoes

• 3 teaspoons tomato purée

Preparation

Brown the marinated pieces of meat on each side in a Dutch oven or big pot.

Add the minced onions, garlic and grated ginger and stir.

Add the tomato paste and mix again.

Add the bay leaves and stock cube.

Chop or blend the okra and add to the mixture. Stir and cook for 5 minutes over medium heat.

Add the crushed tomatoes and add some water.

Peel and chop the carrots and add to the sauce.

Add water to the level of the vegetables.

In a bowl, dilute the peanut paste in 250 ml of water.

Season with salt and pepper and pour in the peanut paste.

Mix well, add the chili pepper(s) and simmer over low heat for around 45 minutes.

Your mafé is ready! Serve with white rice and enjoy!

Tips and tricks:

Like many simmered dishes, the flavors continue to develop after cooking. So your mafé will taste even better the next day.

Your mafé may thicken as it cools. If the sauce is too thick, don't hesitate to add a little water and reheat over low heat, stirring well to prevent the sauce from sticking to the bottom of your pot.