Ainsley Harriott’s Sweet Potato, Spinach and Peanut Stew
Heady with spices and Scotch bonnet chilli, this hearty sweet potato, spinach & peanut stew from Ainsley Harriott makes for an easy vegan midweek meal.
Introduction
This is a hearty vegan version of one of my favourite one-pots, peanut butter chicken stew. It’s so simple to make and yet it’s incredibly flavourful. Peanut butter is a fantastic ingredient for flavouring and thickening stews and I like to use a crunchy version so there are extra nuts in the sauce. For the series I visited the Funky Nut Company in Birkenhead and they made me a peanut butter flavoured with Scotch bonnet chilli just for this recipe – fantastic! Serve with your favourite grains or roti.
Ingredients
| 2 tbsp | coconut or olive oil |
| 1 | red onion, roughly chopped |
| 3 | garlic cloves, minced |
| 4cm piece of | fresh root ginger, peeled and finely chopped |
| 1 | Scotch bonnet chilli, left whole (or 1 red chilli, finely chopped) |
| 1 heaped tsp | sweet paprika (unsmoked) |
| ½ tsp | ground turmeric |
| 5 | cloves, ground |
| 2 | bay leaves |
| 700g | sweet potato, peeled and cut into large chunks |
| 1 | red pepper, de-seeded and cut into chunks |
| 1 x 227g tin | chopped tomatoes |
| 1 tbsp | tomato purée |
| 1 x 400g tin | black-eyed peas or black beans, drained and rinsed |
| 150g | crunchy peanut butter |
| 350–400ml | vegetable stock |
| 180g | baby spinach leaves |
| 2 tbsp | chopped coriander, plus extra leaves for serving |
| ½ | lemon, for squeezing |
| sea salt and freshly ground black pepper |
Essential kit
You will need: a heavy-based lidded saucepan or Dutchie pot.
Method
Heat the oil in a heavy-based lidded saucepan or Dutchie pot over a medium heat and add the onion. Cook for 4–6 minutes until softened but not coloured. Add the garlic, ginger, chilli, spices and bay leaves and cook for a further 2 minutes, adding a splash of water if needed. Add the sweet potato and red pepper and cook for 2–3 minutes to combine the flavours. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato purée, black-eyed peas, peanut butter and 350ml stock until well combined. Season to taste.
Cover the pot and gently simmer over a low-medium heat for 20–25 minutes or until the sweet potato is tender. Stir every now and then, to prevent anything sticking to the base of the pot, adding a little more stock if needed. Stir in the spinach until just wilted. Stir in the coriander then finish with a good squeeze of lemon and check the seasoning. Remove the Scotch bonnet and bay leaves before serving.
Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with your favourite
grains or my roti.
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