1
Start the base
Heat oil in a large pot. Cook onion until soft, then add tomatoes and scotch bonnet if using. Cook until the tomatoes collapse.
Cook base
10:00
Chad | Stew
Daraba
A Chadian peanut-okra stew with greens, tomato, sweet potato, and a creamy sauce made for boule or rice.
Country
Chad
Region
Central Africa
Time
65 min
Serves
6
Level
easy
Recipe overview
What to know before you cook
Daraba is the kind of stew that feeds a table without fuss. Okra gives it body, peanut butter gives it richness, and greens turn the pot earthy and generous.
What the dish tastes like
A Chadian peanut-okra stew with greens, tomato, sweet potato, and a creamy sauce made for boule or rice.
When to cook it
Best for Everyday meals, communal dining, with a easy cooking level and about 65 minutes total.
What to serve alongside it
Boule (millet porridge) or rice
Follow the collection
Vegetarian Africa is the easiest collection to explore after this dish. Vegetarian Africa
Regional lane
Chad national table. A verified Chad dish in the AfroKitchen archive.
Chef watch-outs
- Adding too much liquid after the rice goes in.
- Stirring too often once the grains should be steaming.
- Stopping the base before the pepper, onion, or spice edge has mellowed.
How you know it is ready
- The grains should be tender but still distinct, with steam carrying the seasoning upward.
- The sauce should coat the spoon and taste rounded, not watery or raw.
- Greens should be cooked through but still look alive and glossy.
Recipe photos
See the dish before you cook
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Chef board
Build the table around Daraba
Boule (millet porridge) or rice
Best route from here
Chad national table
Collections to keep cooking
How to cook it
Step-by-step method
Keep the rhythm calm, watch the texture, and adjust seasoning at the end.
5 steps
65 min total
easy
2
Simmer the firm vegetables
Add sweet potato, eggplant if using, okra, and water or stock. Simmer until the sweet potato is almost tender.
Simmer vegetables
20:00
3
Stir in the peanut
Whisk peanut butter with a ladle of hot broth, then stir it back into the pot until the sauce turns creamy.
Loosening the peanut butter first keeps the sauce smooth.
Blend peanut
05:00
4
Add the greens
Fold in the chopped greens, cover, and cook until tender. The stew should be thick enough to sit on boule.
Cook greens
15:00
5
Finish
Season with salt and black pepper. Serve hot with boule, rice, or sorghum.
Sweet potato, pumpkin, or eggplant can move in and out of the pot depending on the market.