If you’re looking for a big bowl of West African comfort, look no further than Mbahal, a popular Senegambian rice dish made with peanuts, black-eyed peas, and okra. “It’s the dish that every single [Senegalese] household has a recipe for,” says chef Pierre Thiam, cofounder of Yolélé Foods. Mbahal—whose name comes from the Wolof verb for boiling—gets its creamy risotto-like texture from simmering rice in a spicy tomato-peanut sauce until it thickens.
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What you’ll need
Dutch Oven
$133 $80 At Amazon
Medium Pot with Lid
$155 At Amazon
Wooden Spoon
$7 At Amazon
Whisk
$10 At Amazon
Slotted Spoon
$11 At Amazon
Recipe information
Yield
6 servings
Ingredients
1
½
3
2
8
1
1
1
4
1
1
2
2–3
2
10
1
2
Preparation
Step 1
Place rice in a medium bowl and pour in water to cover. Let sit 30 minutes.
Step 2
If using dried black-eyed peas, place in a medium pot; add 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt and 1 quart water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until peas are tender, 30–40 minutes. Drain; set aside.
Step 3
Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium-high. Add lamb in a single layer and season with 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt. Cook, undisturbed, until browned underneath, about 3 minutes. Turn and cook until browned on the other side, about 3 minutes longer. Reduce heat to medium. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes and tomato paste and cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes are blistered and softened, about 3 minutes. Using spoon, gently press on tomatoes until they burst. Continue to cook, still stirring occasionally, until tomatoes have released some of their juices and a light sauce forms, about 3 minutes more.
Step 4
Pour in broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer; stir in eggplant, chile, bay leaves, fish sauce, tamarind paste (if using), and remaining 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until eggplant is softened, 7–10 minutes. Add okra and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer eggplant, chile, and okra to a medium bowl; set aside.
Step 5
Add peanut butter to broth; whisk until incorporated. Drain rice, then stir into pot. Reduce heat to low, partially cover pot, and cook, stirring often, until rice is tender and mixture is thickened to the consistency of a risotto, 20–25 minutes. Discard bay leaf and stir in pepper, reserved chile, and reserved black-eyed peas (or canned black-eyed peas). Taste and season with more salt if needed.
Step 6
Transfer to a large bowl and top with reserved eggplant and okra. Serve with lime wedges.
Do Ahead: Mbahal can be made 3 days ahead. Let cool, then transfer to an airtight container. Cover and chill.
Leave a Review
Reviews (27)
Back to TopI made it as per the recipe and thought it was pretty good, if a bit heavy. I used peanut butter that was only ground peanuts, rather than the regular store bought kind which includes sweeteners, and I think that might have been the difference between my experience and those of some other commentators.
Fran Mulderig
Atlanta, GA
9/14/2022
Nice! My family is from the Ivory Coast and while I've never thought of adding black eyed peas and cherry tomatoes, these are flavors that I grew up eating. Cool to see it represented here. Lol at the other commenters that are offended at the idea of peanut butter being in this - it's such a prominent flavor in west African cuisine.
Will
New York
9/1/2022
Wow...worst recipe I think I've ever tried. I guess if you like peanut butter rice, this is for you. Lamb gets totally lost, no point in even adding it. I can see maybe making this without the peanut butter but adding chopped peanuts?
wd
Ann Arbor, MI
3/7/2022
Way too much peanut butter. The flavor combination of lamb, fish sauce, and peanut butter did not taste good. Kind of made me feel sick. This was disappointing and felt like a waste of ingredients and time.
MUC
San Francisco, CA
2/1/2022
Way too much peanut butter. Not enough liquid to cook the rice. There are major flaws with this recipe. What a waste.
Joe
St. Louis, MO
1/27/2022
If you're looking for a recipe that will have your family begging you not to make dinner for awhile, this is it.
Christine
Brooklyn, NY
1/24/2022
Despite the other reviews, I really liked this recipe! The tanginess of the tomatoes balanced the heavy peanut butter. BUT I do agree, too much peanut butter. I only added in 3 tablespoons.
Sol
halifax
1/23/2022