8SunchokesScrub, slice, fry crispy, salt + chopped
4TPeanut oil
1Ccilantrochopped
1Cpeanutschopped (not salted)
1CSunchokesS;ived, fried crispy, salted + chopped
Instructions
Mise en Place
If you keep your peanut butter in the fridge move to the kitchen counter so it gets warmer and thus more pliable. (I prefer Adams natural peanut butter, it has nothing but the peanuts in its mix.)
Prep the cumin seeds by crushing them using a mortar and pestle.
Zest ginger, peel and all. Mince the garlic. Dice onion.
Peel and dice the sweet potato into 1/2" cubes.
Chop red bell pepper into 1/2" sizes. Dice one jalapeno pepper. Slice the sweet peppers after removing the cap, include seeds and all. Slice the yellow (or green) zucchini. Cut carrots into bite sized chunks.
Prep collard greens by removing the stem (to compost), and stacking the leaves for cutting into 1/2" strips. Place the strips in a colander and rinse well.
Chop the peanuts and cilantro, but set aside for a garnish.
Make enough rice to give every person served 3/4C of red rice. (Use red or brown for a chewy texture).
Wash sunchokes with a brush to get the skin very clean. Slice thinly while heating up the peanut oil in a skillet. Fry the "chips" until crispy and drain on paper towells, salting slightly. Then set aside to cool. Once cool to the touch, roughly chop and use as a topping. (I like these chips a bit charred, so mine appear a bit blackened, it is your choice on how brown you want the cips to be.)
Stew
Sauté the ginger, onion, and garlic in a preheated and oiled skillet until the ingredients are fragrant and the onions are translucent. Add the crushed cumin seeds and red pepper, and add the carrots and sweet potato.
Add tomato paste and peanut butter as well, stirring as them mix with the veggies and start getting a bit aromatic.
Add the broth and mix until the ingredients are combined into the broth. Then add the bell and sweet peppers, and jalapeno. Place a lid on the slow cooker and cook until the sweet potatoes are as soft as you want them. (I cooked ~20 minutes and checked for doneness.)
Once the sweet potatoes are done, stir in the collard green strips. Let the stew simmer for about 5-10 min more, then mash a few sweet potatoes with a potato masher (or your fork against the side of the pot) to thicken the liquid. Mix well.
Taste the stew and add salt, pepper, cumin or dried red pepper flakes, if desired. (I added one small red Thai chili, which was great.)
Serve + Toppings
Put 3/4C rice in a bowl and cover with a cup of stew. Add a few chopped peanuts, fresh chopped (or leaf plucking) cilantro and fried sunchokes..
For those who like additional heat, add some hot sauce to the table for self-serve. I also added bowls of additional chopped peanuts, cilantro, and left over sunchokes.
Notes
This dish takes a West African dish that I like, and modifies it to add more heat and veggies to up the taste. It is a comfy dish that surprisingly is not overwhelmingly peanut butter tasting.