Howdy folks 😊
Eager to share this favorite of mine, so you can also make it, and taste it for yourselves! Sweet Potatoes in groundnut sauce. 😋
Don’t be intimidated, this dish is very easy to make – and uses only a few ingredients, but the level of deliciousness is just….👌🏾. I promise there’s no way to mess it up. This traditional Sweet potato dish is widely eaten and thoroughly enjoyed in many parts of Zambia, as well as Malawi and Zimbabwe.
I will give a disclaimer here that many people cook this dish using either pounded groundnuts or peanut butter only – and there’s nothing wrong with that. 😊 I’ve tasted both versions, and both taste great. But why not take things to the next level? 😊
My recipe uses BOTH pounded groundnuts and Peanut butter! Both of these ingredients bring a different version of nuttiness to the dish, and using both makes the dish much richer, and more creamy 😋
So, to bring some of that deliciousness to your Dining table….here’s the recipe below :
Sweet Potatoes in Groundnut Sauce
Course: MainDifficulty: Medium6
servings15
minutes45
minutesZambian
Ingredients
700g Sweet Potatoes, peeled and cubed
300g pounded Groundnuts
1 Teaspoon Salt
2 cups Peanut Butter
Water
Directions
- Start by washing and peeling the Sweet potatoes. I used the yellow ones in this recipe, but you can use whichever ones you have. 😊
- Cut the sweet potatoes into sizable chunks. If you cut them too small, they will cook quickly and turn to mush. But bigger, sizeable chunks can hold up well to the longer cooking time.
Soak the sweet potatoes for at least 1 hour in cold water before rinsing, and transferring to a saucepan to cook. 😊
*Soaking is optional, but it does draw out some of that extra starch in the potatoes, allowing them to remain firmer when they cook. Otherwise, they can get mushy quickly depending on the variety you are cooking with.
- After soaking, transfer the sweet potatoes to a saucepan, add the salt and 2 cups of water . Cook on med-high heat for 10 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes start to soften slightly, but not cooked all the way through. 😊
- While the potatoes cook, combine the pounded groundnut powder with 1 cup of water and mix until smooth. Pour this mixture into the saucepan with the Sweet potatoes. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. This is to make sure the groundnut powder no longer tastes raw. 😊
*If you’re using pounded groundnuts only, then use 2 1/2 cups of pounded groundnuts, mixed with water.
- This is where we go extra 😊 – Mix the peanut butter with 1 cup of hot/boiling water, and stir this with a spoon. This will soften it and make it more pourable, so that it easily assimilates into the rest of the dish. Once the paste loosens, pour this into the cooking sweet potatoes and reduce the heat. Cook covered for 20 minutes. 😊
*If you’re using Peanut butter only, then use 2 1/2 cups of Peanut butter mixed with water.
- This will cook into a delicious, thick, smooth and ‘Caramely’ sauce 😋. And when you taste it, you’ll know why the Peanut butter is so important. 👌🏾 Taste for salt, adjust if desired.
- Transfer to a serving bowl and serve immediately.
As the sauce is thick, it does cool quickly, and eats like a pudding. 😋
- …You can also serve in individual portions – which is what I prefer.
Enjoy! 😋
