Kansiyé

Ingredients

Meat

• 1 kgbeef, in cubes
• or 1 kg goat or lamb
• 2 teaspoonssalt
• black pepper

The base

• 3onions, chopped
• 6garlic cloves, crushed
• 4tomatoes, chopped
• 3 tablespoonstomato paste
• 4 tablespoonsred palm oil
• 2chillies, chopped
• 2stock cubes
• about 1 litre water

Groundnut

• 250 ggroundnut paste
• or 250 g unsweetened peanut butter
• warm water, to loosen

To finish

• juice of 1 lemon
• or 2 tablespoons tamarind water
• salt and black pepper

To serve

• plenty of plain rice
• chilli sauce

Directions

1. Warm it gently to melt it before use. Never let it smoke or bleach in the pan. Discard any nuts that are shrivelled or discoloured. Discard any that smell musty or taste bitter. Cut the meat into even sized cubes. Aim for about three centimetres. Season them with salt and black pepper. Warm the palm oil gently in a large pot.
2. Add the meat in batches without crowding. Brown it well on each and every side. Lift the pieces out and set them aside. Keep the heat moderate rather than fierce. It should not smoke at any point. Add the chopped onions to the pot. Cook them for a good ten minutes.
3. Add the crushed garlic and the chillies. Cook them for a good two minutes. Stir the tomato paste in as well. Fry it for a good three minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes to the pot. Cook them down for about ten minutes. Return the meat pieces to the pot. Pour in about half of the water.
4. Crumble in the stock cubes as well. Bring it up to a gentle simmer. Cooking the meat takes real time. Cover it over and simmer slowly. Give it about forty-five minutes.
5. Put the paste in a bowl first. Add warm water a little at a time. Whisk it smooth between each addition. Keep going until it is a thin cream. Pour the loosened paste into the pot. Stir it through the pot thoroughly. Add the rest of the water to it. Bring it back to a gentle simmer. Cooking it on takes real attention.
6. Let it simmer for about thirty minutes. Stir it every few minutes without fail. Use the lowest heat that keeps it moving. It should coat the back of a spoon. Add hot water if it goes too thick.
7. Oil separates and rises to the surface. The colour should be deep red-orange. Squeeze in the lemon juice off the heat. Taste it and adjust the salt now. It should be rich, savoury and clearly tangy. Add more acid if it tastes heavy. Serving it is done hot over rice.
8. Spoon plenty of plain rice onto plates. Ladle the stew over one side of it. Put chilli sauce on the table. It keeps three days refrigerated.

Technique

• Most West African groundnut stews use peanut with tomato alone, while kansiye adds red palm oil as well, and those two fats together are what make it distinctive.
• The stew is deliberately tangy as well as rich, with lemon or tamarind added at the end to cut through the double fat; without that acid it is heavy and flat.
• Never add groundnut paste straight to a hot pot, since it seizes into lumps that never disperse; loosen it in a bowl with warm water added gradually until it is a thin cream.

Substitutions

• Unsweetened peanut butter stands in for groundnut paste, checked for added sugar.
• Goat, lamb or chicken all work in place of beef.

Variations

• Lemon juice and tamarind water are both used for the tang.
• Some cooks stir the separated oil back in and others leave it on top.
• Similar groundnut stews are made right across West Africa without the palm oil.

History

A Malinke dish of the Kankan region that combines groundnut paste with tomato and palm oil; it is served over rice at family gatherings.

Frequently asked questions

What is Kansiyé?

Kansiyé is a soup & stew from Guinea: tangy palm-oil and peanut stew with meat, from Upper Guinea. A Malinke dish of the Kankan region that combines groundnut paste with tomato and palm oil; it is served over rice at family gatherings.

How long does Kansiyé take to make?

Kansiyé takes 30 minutes of preparation and 1 hour 30 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Kansiyé?

Yes, within limits. Unsweetened peanut butter stands in for groundnut paste, checked for added sugar. Goat, lamb or chicken all work in place of beef.

What is the most important thing to get right in Kansiyé?

Warm it gently to melt it before use. Never let it smoke or bleach in the pan. Discard any nuts that are shrivelled or discoloured. Discard any that smell musty or taste bitter. Cut the meat into even sized cubes. Aim for about three centimetres. Season them with salt and black pepper. Warm the palm oil gently in a large pot.