Allergy-Free Groundnut Stew: An Oxymoron?

Early on in my allergy free journey, a good friend invited me over for dinner. Really? Me? But you know I can't eat anything... You sure you want to attempt this? Yes, a really good friend, indeed. It is wonderful having friends who will go that extra mile to make you feel included!

She invited me over for Groundnut Stew, a West African dish that had been a family favorite since her childhood. It sounded a bit unusual: a chicken, tomato, and onion stew with peanut butter in it? And then you top it with cucumbers, scallions, pineapple, raisins, and sour cream? But she assured me it was excellent, and she was right (minus the sour cream for me, of course)!

My friend gave me the recipe, and unfortunately it sat unused in my kitchen for months. As I was still trying to determine Siena's allergies, I went through a time when I didn't eat tomatoes. And now I'm not eating nuts at all, per the allergist's orders. Groundnut stew looked so good, but it just wasn't an option.

Or was it? When Siena was allergy tested, tomatoes were ruled out. (Hallelujah!) And there are other butters besides nut butters. In fact, I had sunflower seed butter in the fridge. And tahini would probably work just fine, too. Yes, allergy-free groundnut stew is an oxymoron, but the idea didn't have to be.

So I gave it a try, and it turned out amazing! It's simple to cook and can easily be made into larger or smaller batches, depending on how many people you're serving. You can tailor the flavors to your own liking-- your imagination is the limit. And the toppings make it versatile and fun. I'm keeping it around as a family favorite for us as well!

Allergy-Free Groundnut Stew
(Inspired by Extending the Table: A World Community Cookbook)

1 lb cubed chicken or steak
1 T canola oil
2 c diced onions
1+ clove chopped or minced garlic
cayenne pepper to taste
1/2 t ground or 1 T minced ginger
2 t chili powder
1/2 t cumin
a couple pinches dried oregano
2 cups chicken or beef stock
2 cans diced tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup sunflower seed butter or tahini
Cooked rice
Toppings of your choice (see below)

Brown the meat in the oil. Add the onions and garlic and cook until the onions begin to turn clear. Add the ginger, stock, tomatoes, and salt and pepper, cover, and simmer for about 30 minutes. Remove about 1/4 cup stew liquid and mix in separate bowl with the seed butter. Stir mixture into stew. Cover and simmer for another 30 minutes. Add water if necessary to keep a desired stew consistency.

In the meantime, cook the rice and prepare the toppings. Some ideas include pineapple chunks, mandarin oranges slices, diced cucumbers, hot sauce, sliced scallions, shredded lettuce or cabbage, diced red bell pepper, sunflower or sesame seeds, raisins, and coconut. (Sour cream or lo mein noodles are a couple suggestions for non-allergic eaters.)

To serve, ladle the stew over the cooked rice. Let each person top their stew as desired.

As I was looking at other groundnut stew recipes online, I came across some variations. Many also included eggplant, okra, sweet potatoes, or green beans. To make vegetarian groundnut stew, use vegetable stock and substitute some of these vegetables, in bite-sized pieces, for the meat, adding them with the seed butter. Cook until vegetables are tender.

Yes, it still does sound a little bit unusual-- all those flavors generally aren't mixed in American diets. But trust me: it's worth a try. And I bet this will become one of your family favorites as well!