I Made It Monday: Nigerian Bean Stew with a Peanut Sauce

Before you look at the ingredients and think "YUCK!  Peanut Butter and BEANS?" you just have to try it.  You actually don't taste the peanut butter, it just makes the sauce creamy.

For my birthday my parents sent me a new cookbook called "World Vegetarian" by Madhur Jaffrey's and this is the second thing I made from it.  The first was lentils and rice.  I have been trying to cook more with beans so this book has been a big help!  I definitely takes some forethought when it comes to soaking and cooking the beans, but super easy to do soaking over night or cooking during the day since you don't have to hover over it.

We ate it over rice and I thought it was really good.  Dan really liked it, but had to add his Franks red hot sauce to it...but he adds it to his spaghetti too so it doesn't say much.  He just likes hot food!  I did agree that it might need a little something, but then I did forget to add the salt which we tried to add in later.  It was even better the next day (I thought).


Nigerian Bean Stew with Peanut Sauce
1 1/2 cups dried red kidney beans soaked and cooked per directions.  Do not drain the beans from the cooking water
2 tsp salt, or to taste
3 Tbs peanut or canola oil
1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 garlic gloves, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 large green pepper, seeds removed and cut into small dice
1 tsp ground cumin
1 cup canned tomato sauce
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 Tbs lemon juice
1 1/2 Tbs smooth peanut butter.

~  Soak and cook beans per directions, but do not drain after cooking.  Add salt to the beans, stir to mix, and leave the beans in their cooking liquid
~  Put the oil in a wide, medium pot and set over medium heat.  Add the onion, garlic, and pepper.  Stir and fry just until onion is translucent, turning the heat down as needed.
~  Add the cumin and stir once.
~  Put in tomato sauce, cayenne, lemon juice, and 1/2 cup of water.
~  Stir and bring to a simmer.  Turn the head down to low and simmer gently, stirring now and then, for 15 minutes.
~  Meanwhile, put peanut butter in a small bowl.  Slowly add about 6 Tbs of cooking liquid from the beans, mixing as you go.  Stir this mixture back into the pot of beans
~  When tomato mixture is finished cooking, pour into pot of beans as well.  Stir and simmer.
~  Cover, turn heat down to low, and simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Serve hot.