Domoda is the national dish of The Gambia, it is a delightful rich stew made using Peanut Butter. It is cooked with a base of rich caramelise tomato sauce which is the bedrock of Gambian Cuisine. Domoda is delicious, flavourful and perfect for Autumn and winter weather.
Domoda is cooked with simple wholesome ingredients that you can find in any supermarket. This is a family staple I grew up eating and this recipe is foolproof and can be cooked within an hour. This recipe is cooked using my Mum's and Aunt's recipe back home in The Gambia. I have made this dish countless times with the same delicious result. The combination of chicken, tomato sauce and peanut butter creates a magical combination. They complement each other and merge into the most delicious stew.
Domoda is perfect for autumn and Winter but can be enjoyed in any weather. This is the queen of all stews. Yes I know, that is a bold statement to make but I stand by it. If you love peanut butter this is for you, if you do not love peanut butter this is for you too. Give it a try and let me know what you think.
If you want an authentic Domoda dish, this recipe is for you. If you are a Gambian or have ever visited you will know that cumin, cinnamon, coriander, ginger or paprika is never added to a Domoda recipe. Domoda is served over steamed Jasmin rice, fonio and sometimes couscous. If you enjoyed this recipe then please do try the Smoked Mackerel salad and Fish Yassa (Yassa poisson)
Ingredients
- Rape seed oil: I used Rapeseed oil because it can be heated to a high temperature when cooking. It is also low in saturated fat and contains omegas, 3, 6 and 9 which is good for health benefits.
- Chicken thighs: When you are cooking Peanut butter stew it is important to have a good broth as a base, using meat with bone adds richness to the broth which enhances the flavour.
- Yellow onions: Use yellow onions because back home that is what my mum and aunties used for cooking this particular dish.
- Tomato paste: This is essential, get a good quality tomato paste. The tomato paste needs to be caramelised because it is one of the best flavour boosters to transform a dish.
- Fresh tomatoes: Get fresh ripe tomatoes of your choice.
- Sweet peppers: This will balance the stew by creating a slightly sweet taste that will help balance the tomato tartness.
- Garlic: It is essential.
- Scotch Bonnet or Chilli flakes: A little bit of kick is needed for this dish. However, if you cannot stand some heat please leave it out, it will not alter the taste.
- Carrots: It will help balance out the stew due to its sweetness.
- Potatoes: This is an essential when you are cooking peanut butter stew with meat potatoes are a most.
- Sweet Potatoes: Sweet potatoes add a bit of sweetness too, which is essential to balance the flavour profile.
- Bay Leaves: Bay leaves are one of those essential herbs that just elevate any dish and for this dish, it binds everything together.
- Black pepper: It balances the dish and rounds it together. This is one of the most important components of the dish.
- Chicken bouillon or Knorr seasoning: I use Knorr seasoning however you can substitute it with your favourite chicken bouillon.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
- Step 1: Heat the oil and sear the chicken on both sides until brown then set aside.
- Step 2: Now add the blended vegetables in the oil and saute until caramelise.
3. Step 3: Add the tomato paste and saute until caramelised, with a rich dark red colour.
5. Step 5: When the oil has started floating on top of the stew, it is ready to be served over rice.
4. Step 4: Add the water, peanut butter, vegetables, season and leave to simmer.
Substitutions
- Smooth Peanut Butter - Traditionally we do not use crunchy peanut butter to cook Domoda., and neither have I ever. So I will advise you to stick to smooth peanut butter if you want an authentic taste. Then garnish it with roasted peanuts. However, if you prefer to use a crunchy peanut butter paste please do go ahead, it will not alter the taste.
- Scotch bonnet - A little bit of kick is needed for this dish. However, if you cannot stand some heat please leave it out, it will not alter the taste. But you can cook the scotch bonnet as a whole to add its beautiful aroma to the dish.
- Vegetarian - Chicken thighs can be replaced with pulses or mushrooms to make this vegetarian.
Storage
Fridge: Store the dish in an airtight sealable container or containers and store it in the refrigerator for a week. Domoda is even better the day after.
Freezer: Store it in an airtight sealable container or containers and store it in the freezer for a maximum of a month. Remove and thaw in the fridge overnight when removed from the freezer, then reheat it in the microwave or over a stove. Please do not refreeze it again after defrosting it.
FAQ
Domoda is cooked using smooth peanut butter with a rich base of caramelised tomato sauce. Then you add the protein of your choice and some vegetables to round it up together. The stew is part of the Mandinka tribe's staple food. The Mandinka tribe trace their origins to a country in West Africa called Mali. The Mandinka tribe is predominately found in The Gambia and Senegal apart from Mali. In The Gambia Peanut stew is called "Domoda" and in Senegal, it is called "Maafe". It can be cooked using fish, beef, pork or beans (Vegan). There are different variations of the dish depending on the protein used to cook it. This dish is a staple in Gambian and Senegalese house wholes.
It is eaten with freshly steamed Jasmin rice, basmati rice or any white rice of your choice. We also eat it with couscous and Fornio which is also delicious. But, for a low-carb alternative, you can eat with cauliflower rice.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these Senegambian recipes.
Pairing
These are my favourite dishes to serve with, Thiakry (Chakry) and Baobab Juice (Bouye).
Recipe
Domoda
Description
Domoda is the national dish of The Gambia, it is a delightful rich stew made using Peanut Butter. It is cooked with a base of rich caramelise tomato sauce which is the bedrock of Gambian Cuisine. Domoda is delicious, flavourful and perfect for Autumn and winter weather.
Ingredients
- 100ml of Rapeseed oil
- 4 Skinless Chicken Thighs (Bone in)
- 1 Red Sweet Pepper (Blended or thinly chopped)
- 4 Garlic Cloves (Blended or thinly chopped)
- 2 Small Yellow Onions (Blended or thinly sliced)
- 1 Scotch Bonnet (Optional) (Blended or thinly chopped)
- 2 Medium Fresh Tomatoes (Blended or thinly chopped)
- 3 Tablespoons of Tomato Paste
- 1000 ml of Water
- 2 Teaspoons of Black pepper
- 1 Teaspoon of Chili Flakes
- 1 Teaspoon of Italian herb seasoning (optional)
- 3 Teaspoons of Knorr Seasoning (Aromat) or Chicken bouillon of your choice (Maggi or Jumbo)
- 1 Teaspoon of Salt
- 2 Bay leaves
- 6 Tablespoons of Peanut Butter
- 5 Baby Potatoes (Cut in halves)
- 4 Sweet potatoes (Cut in halves)
- 4 Carrots (Cut in halves or leave as whole)
Instructions
- You can begin by lightly adding salt to the Chicken and then set aside. Thinly slice or blend the onions, garlic, tomatoes, sweet pepper and scotch bonnet and set aside. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the chicken and sear both sides until brown then set aside.
- Add the blended vegetables and bay leaves to the oil and sauté until softened and translucent. Add the tomato paste, stirring often and continue to sauté until it has caramelised and significantly darkened in colour (deep crimson). This will take about 1-3 minutes, once the vegetables and the tomato paste have caramelised, add the chilli flakes, Italian herb seasoning and black pepper, then stir to combine.
- Now add 1000ml of water to the pan to deglaze, add the knorr seasoning and salt, stir and taste. Add the peanut butter to the pan, and stir until combined. Add the sweet potatoes, potatoes and carrots and leave to simmer for about 10 minutes. Add the chicken to the pot and leave it to simmer for 10 minutes with the pan lid closed.
- After the 10 minutes, stir the stew and cover the pot half close with the lid. Reduce the heat to low and leave to simmer until the oil has separated and flooded on top of the stew. Turn off the heat. The stew is ready. Serve with cooked rice. Bon appetite!
