Beef, spinach and peanut stew (pasipasi kpedekpede na passio)

Peanuts are a key ingredient in Sudanese cuisine and are often used to add flavour and texture. This beef stew can be served with couscous or sorghum, a Sudanese staple that is traditionally eaten by men for breakfast in the form of porridge; women after they’ve given birth to improve the flow of breast milk; and to children as snacks in the form of popped sorghum, similar to popcorn.

• serves

  4

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  1:30 hour

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 500 g chuck steak, cut into 3 cm pieces
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 750 ml (3 cups) good-quality or salt-reduced beef stock
• 1 orange sweet potato (kumara), cut into 4cm pieces
• 2 bunches English spinach, trimmed
• 2 tomatoes, cut into large pieces
• 100 g (⅓ cup) unsalted roasted peanuts, ground to a paste
• couscous, to serve

Instructions

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large, deep frying pan over medium–high heat. Add beef and cook for 3 minutes or until browned. Remove and set aside. Add remaining 1 tbsp oil and onions, and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until golden brown. Add garlic and tomato paste, then cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Return the beef to the pan with stock and 500 ml (2 cups) water. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat to low and cook for 1 hour or until beef is almost tender and the cooking liquid is reduced by one-third. Add sweet potato and cook for 15 minutes or until almost tender.

Meanwhile, heat a large frying pan over medium–high heat. Cook spinach, in batches if neccessary, for 20 seconds or until wilted. Drain well, squeezing out excess water.

Add spinach, tomatoes and ground peanuts to beef mixture and stir to combine. Cook for 5 minutes or until warmed through. Season with salt and pepper. Divide stew among plates and serve with couscous.

Photography by Anson Smart. 

As seen in Feast magazine, October 2011, Issue 2. For more recipes and articles, pick up a copy of this month's Feast magazine or check out our great subscriptions offers here.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.