Maafe - West African Peanut Soup

Vegan Spicy Latina has a delicious version on Vegan African Peanut Soup or Maafe: this dish calls Mali home, and is an everyday staple in many countries across West Africa. You can make it at home, as all the ingredients are easy to find at your local supermarket. This recipe holds a special place in my heart because it was the first plant based recipe that I attempted to make, so I think it’s the best way to start this blog.

A good friend introduced me to this fantastic combination of flavors on social media. She posted that she made it on her page, which caught my attention. She’s the kind of person who marches to the beat of her own drum, so I thought it was strange, but not surprising, that she made a soup with peanut butter and tomatoes as the base for the recipe. I never thought such an unusual combination could make a delicious soup! So, I challenged myself and made my own version of this recipe, which I am sharing with you today.

While the traditional recipe calls for a mash of root vegetables and plantains called fufu, you can also use rice, quinoa, or any other root vegetable or carbohydrate that works for your palate. Personally, I prefer to use quinoa and kañiwa, both of which increase the iron and protein content of the meal. While quinoa is widely known, it's smaller more iron rich cousin, kañiwa is not. Although the texture is more crunchy than quinoa, when mixed with other grains like quinoa and/or rice, it adds an interesting mouthfeel to these more fluffy grains. Kañiwa and quinoa have amazing nutritional benefits like high fiber, high protein, and are phenomenal plant based iron sources. I love using Food to Live brand quinoa and kañiwa, it is delicious!

If I don’t have these, I’ll use yucca, which is easier to find and adds more flavor, but eating the soup by itself is also okay. Today I actually decided to pair it with tajín rice. Tajín is a creative way to add a special zestiness to a recipe. Adding tajín to rice elevates the recipe and enhances the flavor to any recipe that just needs to be jazzed up. I love to serve this gorgeous soup in my ceramic soup bowl. This dish is also a good choice for just about any vegetables in your house that are looking sad, so you can use this recipe to promote zero food wastage.

The best part about this dish is its versatility; if you’re using peanut butter and tomatoes as the base, then you can include any vegetable or vegan protein, and it will come out as one of the tastiest vegan recipes. I like to choose from vegetables that are in season now and include them in the dish, but some of my favorites include zucchini squash, carrots, collard greens, and spinach. If you’re feeling more adventurous with your palate, add some hot peppers or dried chili flakes to make it a spicy peanut soup. In this vegan spicy latin kitchen, I enjoy eating different variations of this soup and my toddler daughter loves this soup as she is a peanut butter lover and I love giving it her because she is eating a variation of vegetables.

Ultimately, I hope this soup becomes a staple for vegans and non-vegans alike, and I can’t wait to make it again the next time I’m craving it. This recipe makes a large amount of soup, which can be frozen or portioned out for meal prep for the week so it's great for meal prepping. My favorite thing to do with this recipe is make a big batch and place it in my freezer safe soup containers. I like to use Souper Cubes because they are easy to unmold and reheat and they come with measurements to have easy portion control.

• 1 onion

• 5-6 garlic cloves

• 5 large fresh tomatoes

• 5 cups of dark leafy greens (I used kale, collard, mustard, and turnip greens)

• 2 yellow squash

• 2 zucchini

• 3 cups of peanut butter

• 1- 28oz can of canned tomatoes

• 56 oz of water (I normally just fill the canned tomato can twice)

• 1tbsp garlic powder

• salt to taste

• red pepper flakes (optional)

Ingredients to Maafe Soup

• Start by mincing the onion and garlic. Dice your tomatoes and chop the dark leafy greens and slice and quarter the yellow squash and zucchini.

• Place the onions in a large pot with a drizzle of olive oil and cook them on medium high heat until they start to sweat and get translucent. Lower to medium heat and add the garlic.

• Once the aroma of the garlic comes through, add the zucchini and yellow squash, diced tomatoes and greens and then add the canned tomatoes.

• Fill the empty tomato can with water and add to pot, do this twice.

• Add your peanut butter, salt, garlic powder and red pepper flakes to taste.

• Simmer for about 30 minutes or until the vegetables are your desired consistency.

• Serve with desired side dish, top with more olive oil and pepper flakes (optional) and enjoy!

Finished soup with Chili Flakes and Tajin Rice

Do you have any variations of this recipe you’d like to share? Comment down below, and share this recipe with all your friends so you can help them enjoy a taste of West African cuisine.