Benin

Beninese Lamb in Peanut Sauce and Kuli-Kuli

I made this meal on Tuesday, November 10 for Andy and myself. I chose this meal because kuli-kuli is the national dish of Benin. I decided to make the lamb dish so we would have something of more substance.

The lamb stew is something that I could see myself making on a regular basis. It was hearty and savory. It also was quite simple to prepare (although it took a long time) and was also really good. The peanut flavor is really subtle. More than adding peanut flavor, the peanut butter serves to make the stew a little creamy.

The kuli-kuli is by far not worth the effort. It takes forever to crush the peanuts into a paste, and the result is a fried patty that tastes like crushed up peanuts. They ended up in the trash. The recipe calls for 2 cups of peanuts, but I got sick of using the mortar and pestle after about 2/3 cup.

Kuli-Kuli recipe, modified from the original

Ingredients:- 2 c. peanuts
- salt to taste

Directions:
1) Pound the peanuts in a pestle and mortar or grind to a smooth paste.
2) Add a little salt then collect into a ball and squeeze to remove any excess oil (add a little water if necessary).
3) Shape the pulp into rounds then heat the oil extracted (I couldn't get any oil from the peanuts, so I used peanut oil) from the peanuts until hot and fry the shaped balls in this until brown.
4) To serve, drain and serve cold as a snack or crushed on a salad.


Mouton aux Arachnides (Lamb in Peanut Sauce)


Ingredients:- 3 lbs. lamb, cubed
- 6 T. natural peanut butter
- 4 c. water
- 1/4 c. peanut oil
- 2 onions, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 3 c. canned diced tomatoes
- 2 sprigs thyme
(- 1 T. powdered shrimp - I couldn't find this)
- 8 carrots, peeled and chunked
- 3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 1 small cabbage, shredded
- salt to taste

Directions:
1) Bring water to a boil in a large pan. Mix in peanut butter and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.
2) Meanwhile, brown lamb in peanut oil. Add onions and cook until soft.
3) Add garlic, thyme, powdered shrimp and tomato. Season with salt and stir.
4) Add carrots and cabbage. Fry for 1 minutes.
5) Add peanut butter mix. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.
6) Add sweet potatoes. Cook for 40 more minutes until vegetables are tender.
7) Serve on a bed of rice.