Easy does not have to be boring. Simple does not have to taste boring! This has been my life gospel and a principle that I have been raised on. We all love quick, simple meals but they too need to pack flavor and make your mealtimes interesting. I would think one of the most common stews in Kenya would be this pea and potato stew. I personally love it too, and I prepare it more times than I could count. It is simple to put together and super hearty too.
I switch thing ups and add different flavor notes depending on my mood. On the day I made this one, I decided to film it and I do hope you enjoy this beaut as much as I did when I made it.
PREP TIME: 10 min COOK TIME: 25 min SERVES: 4
Ingredients
2 large potatoes (500g)
1 large carrot (160g)
1 red onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup of chopped chives
1 tomato, cubed
1 ½ tablespoons of tomato paste
½ teaspoon of turmeric
1 ½ cup of cooked peas
½ teaspoon of cumin
1 heaped tablespoon of curry
1 heaped tablespoon of onion powder
Salt and pepper to cook
Dania leaves to garnish
Method
Before the cooking begins, everything must be prepped. The potatoes are the star of this dish. For the potatoes, I love cutting mine small. You can see the size relative to that of my hand in my video at …. This allows one to have a scoop of everything on one spoonful and also allows the stew to cook very fast. You can chop yours in whichever size you like but remember the smaller the size, the faster they cook.
In your sufuria that has some oil and salt and pepper, add in your red onion, garlic and chives and sautee until fragrant and softened. Dania stems would work splendid in place of chives, or if you have both, you can use both too.
As I always emphasize, a great herby base makes for a good foundation to build flavor upon.
Add in the tomatoes, tomato paste and the rest of the spices and cook this down until the flavors have come together and the mixture is nice and thick.
For any potato dish, I always have turmeric as part of the spices. Turmeric has a ton of health benefits however aesthetically, it amps up that yellow color making your food look nice and vibrant. A little goes a long way but it makes your stews extra appealing and beautiful.
The tomatoes need to adequately cook down. The mchuzi should be nice and thick so that your stew is thick too. You can see the consistency of mine from…. If you cook stews and you always end up with tomatoes floating like jellyfish on your plate, that is as a result of rushing their cooking. Just be a tiny bit more patient and you will always have a great result.
Add in the potatoes, the carrots and a bit of water/stock to facilitate the cooking down of the potatoes.
If you have some cooked meat, and you fancy some for this stew, you can add it at this stage.
Because the potatoes are chopped small, they will cook fast. Time will vary depending on the size of your potatoes. Therefore, ensure you check the doneness by poking a fork through.
Let this simmer for about 15 minutes and once the potatoes are just done, add in the cooked peas. Because the peas are cooked, they will be added at the very end.
For your stews to be thick, be mindful of the amount of water/stock you add. A watery stew is as a result of being too zealous with the amount of water added for cooking. You are in control, so please be in control. Add 1/4 cup of hot water/stock at a time, adding more only when necessary and stopping once it is as thick as you fancy. That way your stews will always be gorgeously thick.
Give them a minute or two on the heat and then garnish with your dania.
And with that, you are done and we are ready to eat! I served my stew with some carrot-courgette and some fresh super soft chapatis!! I am super curious to see what you would pair this with
I love how the creaminess of the potatoes simply melted in my mouth. The warmth of the garlic stood out and the spices – in particular the onion powder- really added a gorgeous richness to this. The stew is super delicious, super yummy and absolutely comforting especially now that the weather is changing.
Nothing short of heavenly! Simple, speedy and crazy delicious!
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-Kaluhi
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Hey there! My name is Kaluhi and I love food! Through my blog, I am happy to share with you my self-taught recipes, steeped in nostalgia and the happiest of memories. I hope each recipe you try out is as addictive as the previous one and is shared on a table full of love and hearty laughs!
I almost forgot how the good old days in Kenya were… Potato and peas stew was one of my faves with chapati. I an definitely going to give this recipe ago because I know how good it is 😊.
Asante Kaluhi.
Glad it reminded you of home!
I have been searching for veggie stew recipes and I am so glad I came across this recipe. It is definitely going to be in rotation in our home.
You will all enjoy it for sure!!
We loved this curry pea and potato stew so much! The cumin and curry added so much warmth and depth of flavor, it was like eating a hug from grandma!
awwwww! What a lovely description! So happy you loved it!
A must try this weekend
Enjoy!!
After going off the rails a bit with respect to eating and drinking, I needed to double down on consuming vegetables. I appreciated this dish because it was as flavorful as it was nutritious.
Nothing like a great homey veggie stew to bring anyone back to earth lol!! I am so glad you enjoyed!
This curry held deep flavor! Luckily, I had all the ingredients at home, so it was the perfect weeknight dinner to feed my hungry family. Super filling and tasted even better the next day!
Stews do taste better the next day!!!
Talk about TASTY and PACKED WITH FLAVOUR!! I can eat this stew year round, summer winter, spring and fall…so simple to put together, hearty, filling and so yummy!
You described it so perfectly!! I am so glad you enjoyed!!
We loved this recipe so much! Even my baby who just started eating solids tore this up. It was so flavorful and hearty. I’m going to bookmark this and make it all the time!
Awww! So so happy to know that baby loved this! It is always such a great sign when babies love a recipe!
The smell alone of just the onions, garlic and chives cooking together made my mouth water. I’m always looking for more vegetable recipes to add to my list of foods to make and this was absolutely perfect. Thank you so much for a great recipe.
You are most welcome!! The initial stage of cooking is trully so so magical!
This stew is so filling and flavorful! We made it for dinner on Sunday and enjoyed the leftovers for the next couple of days. I was sad when I ate the last bowl!
And left over stew does taste even better!! glad you all enjoyed!