Lamb Mafe

Mafe is a west African stew made with tomatoes, peanuts and meat. Cooked for a couple of hours with root vegetables such as yam and served with fluffy couscous, moorish and never enough to go round.

1kg diced lamb
800g canned chopped tomatoes
250ml tomato juice
300g crunchy peanut butter
300ml water
600g yam
1 large sweet potato
2 carrots
2 parsnips
1 white onion
4 cloves garlic
2 dried red chillies
2 bay leaves
1 small bunch coriander
50ml tablespoon vegetable oil
Sea salt

METHOD:
Peel yam, sweet potato and cut into 5cm cubes, peel carrots and parsnips and slice into 1cm thick rounds. Peel onion and cut in half then slice thinly lengthways, peel garlic and slice thinly.
Place a large heavy based pot over high heat, once the base is hot add half the oil, lamb and season with a good pinch of sea salt. Cook lamb and stir periodically till it starts to brown, remove the lamb from pot and place in a side bowl. Put pot back over a medium heat and add remainder of the vegetable oil pour in the onions and cook till translucent and soft. Add carrot, parsnips, garlic, chilli, bay and cook till vegetables are warmed through then pour in water, tomato, tomato juice, peanut butter, yam, sweet potato and cook till liquid starts to simmer then add lamb. Turn heat down to low and cover, cook for 50 minutes making sure you stir every 10 minutes. After the 50 minuets of cooking remove the cover and cook for another 40-45 minutes till lamb is tender. Once cooked serve with couscous and fresh coriander leaves.