Mafé, or in Cameroon called Sauce Arachides or Groundnutsoup, is the West African way of preparing peanut sauce. It's called West African because Asian cuisine also has a peanut sauce, but it's prepared somewhat differently.
In Cameroon, peanut sauce is almost always served with fish or meat. In today's world with its diverse dietary options, it's also possible to prepare the sauce vegetarian or even vegan. Incidentally, I've already written a post about a vegetarian peanut sauce . Instead of fish and meat, fresh mushrooms were used in that version. Peanut sauce is one of those foods where the difference between the "regular" and vegetarian versions is barely noticeable in terms of taste, due to its naturally very nutty and intense flavor. Therefore, it really doesn't need any animal products to taste good.
Another variation I really like is the preparation with beef and carrots . I find the carrot pieces in the peanut sauce particularly appealing. After all, food shouldn't just taste good, but also whet the appetite just by looking at it.
Another variation I'd like to present today is prepared with fish and is my mother's favorite. When we were little, we often had this dish, and she liked to serve it with rice or steamed plantains. Here, too, I add fresh carrots to add a bit of color. This version will be especially appealing to fish lovers.
The whole thing as a video
And as a download…
Mafé Poisson frit | West African peanut sauce with fried fish
Ingredients
- 1-2 Tilapia fish
- 3 tbsp peanut butter
- 2 carrots
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 100g fresh mini Roma tomatoes (or other varieties)
- 1 Onion
- 1/2 tsp garlic paste
- 1 tbsp Magic Sauce
- approx. 30 ml cooking oil
- approx. 300 ml frying oil
- approx. 600 ml water
- Salt
Instructions
- First, clean the fish and cut it into steaks, then place it in a bowl with salt, a little oil, and Magic Sauce. Mix well and let it marinate
- Meanwhile, dissolve the peanut butter in some warm water and let it soak
- Now fill a pan with frying oil and heat it. Then fry the well-marinated fish steak in it until golden brown on all sides and set aside
- Meanwhile, heat a pot with cooking oil, add onions, garlic, salt and pepper, and sauté for about 2 minutes until very soft
- Add the tomato paste, roast for another 2 minutes, and then add the fresh sliced tomatoes and the carrots, cut into any shape
- Mix everything well and roast for another 2 minutes
- Now add water, and once it starts to boil, add the dissolved peanut butter and simmer, covered, over medium heat for about 15 minutes. Optionally, add a few fresh habanero peppers.
- Stir frequently to prevent anything from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Then add the fried fish steak, stir gently so the fish doesn't fall apart, cover, and simmer for another 15 minutes until some oil appears on the surface. Done
- Serve with your choice of side dish and enjoy hot
