This Senegalese Mafé is a delicious and sumptuous Chicken stew that also happens to be chock-full of hearty chunks of sweet potatoes, carrots, rutabaga and cabbage, all blanketed in a creamy, slightly spicy tomato peanut sauce.
Heat the olive oil in a saute pan set over medium heat; add the chicken and cook until opaque pretty much all around, about 5 minutes.
Add the onion, garlic, ginger, pepper flakes, smoked paprika, salt and pepper; stir well and continue cooking until the onion has softened slightly, about 1 minute.
Add the tomato, tomato paste and chicken broth, stir until the tomato paste is entirely mixed in; bring to a simmer, cover and cook on a slow simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes, to develop flavors.
Add the carrots, sweet potato, rutabaga and cabbage, mix delicately until they are completely immersed in the liquid, then continue to simmer, uncovered, until the veggies are tender and the sauce is slightly thickened, about 25 to 30 minutes.
Put the peanut butter in a mixing bowl and to it, add one or two ladlefuls of the tomato sauce, then whisk until well combined; continue adding more sauce to the peanut butter, one ladleful at a time, until it becomes thin enough to easily blend in with the rest of the sauce; add that to the pan and stir well.
Remove from heat, stir in chopped parsley (or cilantro) and garnish with a handful of chopped peanuts and a dash of smoked paprika, if desired.
Serve with a side of white rice or couscous or quinoa