African Peanut Sweet Potato Stew
Sweet potato stew is a thick, sweet and spicy curry featuring sweet potato cooked in West African spices, coconut milk and peanut butter. Serve it up with couscous for a weekday treat.
Timings
Prep Time
10 mins
Cooktime
30 mins
Total time
40 mins
Servings
4
Why should I make this curry?
- Tingle your tastebuds with West African spices
- Quick and easy to make on the hob in one pot
- Healthy, vegan and gluten-free
- Sweet potato is considered a ‘superfood’ and is a great source of fibre
This sweet potato stew is a super easy one to make. It’s all about cooking the sweet potato in the delicious coconut milk until it’s super soft and tender. The spices (ginger, cumin, turmeric, cayenne) give it a wonderful aromatic flavour with a nuttiness from the peanuts. It’s everything you’d want from a peanut curry!
What ingredients do I need?
- Olive Oil – for frying the onions and spices. Vegetable or coconut oil can definitely be used as a substitute.
- Sweet potato – an amazing tuber which really suits the curry recipe. Sweet potato is just the best when left to slow-cook in coconut milk.
- Onions – finely diced but don’t worry if they are not perfect.
- Garlic cloves – always an essential in most curry recipes (my dad would not be best pleased!)
- Spices: Ground ginger, cumin, turmeric, cayenne powder & hot chilli powder – providing the most amazing flavour when combined with the peanut butter!
- Coconut milk – love coconut milk as a curry base. It creates the most creamy texture, almost like silk but in food form!
- Smooth peanut butter – providing a nutty flavour but also thickening the curry.
Make it family-friendly!
My little one is a huge fan of this sweet potato stew too as he loves peanut butter! If you’ve got a little PB fan too and you want to make this for their dinner, I’d recommend leaving out the cayenne powder, chilli powder and the chilli garnish!
By leaving all the things out, you’ll still be left with a really great curry. I quite often make a batch for all of us without those ingredients in. I’d rather us all eat the same than make two meals!
Equipment needed
Casserole pot
A chef’s knife
Garlic crusher
Measuring spoons
Chopping board
How To Cook Your Rice
I use basmati rice when making this vegan peanut curry and always cook it in the following way:
1 cup (small glass) of rice: 1 cup of water + ONE extra.
For 3 people I would do 3 cups of rice and 4 cups of water.
I then bring it to the boil and place in the oven (Aga simmering oven). You just need an oven-friendly pan and a temp of around 140 degrees.
Sweet Potato Stew Step-by-step Instructions
Step 1 – Fry onions and garlic 
Step 2 – Add spices and fry until fragrant 
Step 3 – Add peanut butter and stir 
Step 4 – Add sweet potato and coconut milk. Bring to a simmer. 
Step 5 – Add water to ensure the potato is covered by the sauce and therefore cooks evenly. 
Step 6 – cover and simmer on hob for 30-40 mins.
Frequently Asked Questions!
Can I make this stew gluten-free?
Yes you can as sweet potatoes naturally don’t contain gluten.
Can I freeze my sweet potato stew?
Yes you can freeze a sweet potato curry easily. We’d recommend freezing in reusable ziplock bags for easy portioning. You can keep the curry in the freezer for up to 3 months.
How long can I keep the stew in the fridge?
This stew will last up to four days in the fridge but no longer.
Can I use normal potato instead of sweet potato?
If you really don’t have any sweet potatoes, you can use normal potato however the recipe won’t taste the same. You need the sweetness from the sweet potato. You could add some maple syrup along with your white potatoes to add that sweetness, if you’re desperate!
Do I have to use hot chilli powder? Can I use something milder?
Feel free to use a mild chilli powder or you could even add chilli flakes afterwards to control the heat.
I don’t have any coconut milk, what can I use?
If you don’t have any coconut milk, try something thick like evaporated milk or single cream. If you’d prefer it to be dairy-free, you could try oat or rice milk, however I’d suggest using less as it’s not as thick as coconut milk.
Can I use crunchy peanut butter?
Yes, why not! You could even try cashew nut butter or hazelnut butter for a different taste.
Where can I buy those gorgeous bowls you’ve used?
The bowls I’ve used were kindly #gifted to me by the eco-friendly company Jungle Culture. They’re made from coconut shells in Southern Vietnam and are responsibly sourced, ethically, by Jungle Culture themselves. These bowls help to provide a good source of secondary income to the makers, as well as making use of the shells which would usually be burned once the coconut has been taken out.
You can shop for your own coconut bowls at Jungle Culture and help support this amazing business.
TIPS
In a hurry? Cut your sweet potato cubes up smaller and they will cook quicker!
African Peanut Sweet Potato Stew
Ingredients
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 3 large sweet potatoes
- 3 small onions diced
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 2 tbsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp cayenne
- 1 tsp hot chilli powder
- 400 ml coconut milk
- 3 tbsp smooth peanut butter
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- 1/2 red chilli chopped finely
- A spring of parsley or thyme to garnish
Instructions
- In a large pan, fry the onions and garlic in the olive oil, until translucent. Add the spices and fry on a medium heat for a couple of minutes.
- Next add the peanut butter and stir in. Pour in the coconut milk and bring to a simmer.
- Add the cubed sweet potato and allow to cook until the sweet potato is very soft. Approximately 30 minutes but it does depend on how small you have cut your potato cubes. Add a little bit of water if the coconut milk does not cover all of the potatoes.
- Once the sweet potato is cooked and the stew has thickened, add the chilli and stir. Serve with couscous and a parsley or thyme sprig for decoration.
Notes
Nutrition
Serving suggestions
We served ours with basmati rice but you could also go for a traditional African ingredient: couscous. Bulgar wheat or quinoa would be two other delicious alternatives.
Peanut stew is also made for dipping! You need some sort of bread like a chapati or naan bread! Soaking up the juices is essential.
