Sunday is one of the days that many families and friends gather and eat together. This Sunday stew is also prepared often in West Africa for a relaxing day like Sunday and hence its name. Despite of its red, thick and creamy appearance, this Sunday stew is definitely very hearty. The sauce is tomato and onion based. Make no mistake that this is also not a curry or rendang dish(it definitely looks so much like it). Not much fuss to prepare this stew at the kitchen for sure. Sunday stew is usually prepared fiery hot, but this can be adjusted to your taste of course.
We followed the suggestion from the cookbook, South of Sahara, to eat the Sunday stew with mashed black-eyed-peas and plantains. I like the mashed black-eyed-peas and plantains dish on its own. I like the salty and slightly sweet taste of the dish, which at the same time, make it kinda tastes “odd” to pair it with the Sunday stew. I still prefer to eat the Sunday stew with rice or rice tuwo, but this is just a personal preference.
SUNDAY STEW
Ingredients
- ½ cup (125 ml) peanut or palm oil
- 2 lbs (1 kg) beef for stew, cut into chunks
- 2 onions , 1 sliced and 1 coarsely chopped
- ½ tsp thyme
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp ground red peppercorns
- 3 large tomatoes , coarsely chopped
- ½ cup (100 g) tomato paste
- 1 tsp daddawa or maggi sauce (or substitute with a liquid bouillon)
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large, heavy pot. Add beef, sliced onion, thyme, salt and red pepper. Cook over medium-high heat until meat is browned, about 10 minutes or longer
- Grind the coarsely chopped onion and tomatoes in a food processor until they become a smooth paste
- Add the ground vegetables, tomato paste, daddawa to the meat. Cook for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until the beef is tender over low to medium heat, uncovered
- Serve with rice, fufu or mashed beans and plantains
