TIGADEGENA (MEAT STEW WITH PEANUT BUTTER)

Original name: Tigadegena

Origin: Mali

Ingredients
0.5 kg basmati rice, washed
3 tablespoons of peanut paste
0.5 kg mutton, cut in cubes of 3 cm
100 ml corn oil
2 small maggi (bouillon cube commonly used in Africa)
1 big onion, chopped finely
2 shallots, chopped finely
2 cloves of garlic, grated finely or smashed
1 big round eggplant, cut in cubes of 2 cm
200 ml canned diced tomatoes
200 gr okra, heads (called gombo in Africa)
6-8 fresh green chilis chopped (served aside)
1 tablespoon of salt (for the rice)
2 tablespoons of corn oil for the rice

Preparation
Add 1 liter of water in a pot and put it on high heat. When it starts boiling, add the salt and the rice and cook it at medium heat. When the rice is cooked, drain the remainig water, add two tablespoons of oil, mix it well and the rice is ready. You can keep it aside.

To prepare the okra, get the washed okra and trim stem end without cutting into pod (cut off the “head”).

Heat the oil in a pot on medium-high heat until the oil gets very hot. Add the onion and the garlic and stir occasionally until the onion gets transparent for 5 minutes. Add diced tomatoes and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add the peanut paste and the meat and cook for 5 minutes. Add the okra and the eggplant and cook for another 5 minutes. Add 1 liter of water and maggi slowly to the pot. Cook it at medium heat slowly for about 1 hour until the gravy gets thick and the peanut paste takes a brownish color. Taste the dish and adjust salt if needed.

The rice and the stew are served separately. When you eat, you can put the stew on top of your rice.

You can serve chopped green chilies aside for whom would like to add some spicy taste to her or his plate.