To make groundnut stew, raw peanuts are roasted and then ground into a smooth paste — similar to peanut butter, but with a deeper, nuttier flavour. This paste is stirred into a base of cooked tomatoes and onions, then simmered with chicken, beef or fish until everything comes together into a rich, thick stew that coats the rice wonderfully.
Groundnuts have been grown in West Africa for centuries, and Sierra Leone has ideal growing conditions for them. Because they grow underground, peanuts are also a nitrogen-fixing plant — they actually put nutrients back into the soil rather than taking them out, which makes them a very valuable crop for farmers who rotate what they plant each year.
Groundnut stew appears at almost every important gathering in Sierra Leone. It is often the dish that people request for special occasions, and many Sierra Leoneans say that the smell of groundnut stew simmering is the smell of celebration. Like all the best Sierra Leonean dishes, it is a meal that brings people together around the pot.