West African Peanut Sauce

I was intrigued by this recipe for West African Peanut Soup and decided to make it but with a twist. One of the comments on the recipe said this was typically served in Africa on a bed of rice with chicken instead of all mixed up in a hearty soup. This sounded intriguing so I thought I'd give it a whirl.....

Ahhhh, a common image on the foodiestudent blog. Hello onion. I peeled you, cut you into manageable pieces, and sliced you in the food processor. Now I'm sauteeing you.

After adding some red and green peppers we end up with something I like to call "Christmas in a pot".

I added diced tomatoes, chicken broth, and some spices. That simmered for a while before I added the key ingredient....

Peanut Butter! Say what? Peanut Butter! Oh yeah.

I was skeptical... peanut butter with veggies in a sauce? Let's see what happens....

I whisked in the peanut butter to get it blended in. The peanut butter gave the sauce a richness and texture.

Some wild rice, a salad, and some peanuts for garnish completes the meal.

Honestly, the first bite or two I didn't know what to think. I had never tasted those flavors in combination before. But then I got into it and dove in with gusto. It turned out to be a great meal.

There is one thing I would change... I'd cut back on the chicken stock just a little as it made the sauce too thin. This is to be expected as the recipe was originally a soup recipe. However, the end result was far too thick to be considered a typical soup.

As served above, this is a vegetarian recipe (if desired, vegetable stock could be substituted for chicken stock in the recipe). I served leftovers the following day with chicken which was also a big hit. This will definitely be made again in the foodiestudent kitchen.