FUSE TV - How To Make Vic Mensa's Groundnut Stew From Scratch

It’s been a huge year for Vic Mensa. At the end of 2018, he dropped his EP Hooligans. This year, he launched 93PUNX, a new punk/rap group and clothing line, and dropped a whole new album.

For the latest episode of Made From Scratch, we caught up with the “Camp America” artist in a rare moment of relaxation as he cooked one of his favorite meals growing up with his sister Lizzy: Omo Tuo and Ghanaian groundnut stew. Check out the recipe below and try it out for yourself!

INGREDIENTS 

• 4 Chicken Legs
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 leek, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ inch ginger root, grated
• 4 plantains, cut into diagonal rounds about ½ inch thick
• 1 habanero or hot African pepper, minced
• 1 can diced tomatoes, drained, but not squeezed dry
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 3 tbsp peanut butter
• ¼ cup red palm oil
• 1 smoked herring filet
• Coconut oil
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 1 Bottle of Red Palm Oil
• Coconut oil
• Canola oil
• African Hot Pepper
• 1½ cups rice
• 4 plantains

METHOD 

Rub 1 tsp of salt into each chicken leg. Heat up 2 tbsp canola oil in pan or skillet to medium-high. Brown chicken legs (about 8 minutes per side). Remove from heat and set aside.

In a large stew pot, heat up 2 tbsp coconut oil to medium high. When hot, add diced onions. Saute for 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until they just begin to soften. Add leeks, yellow bell pepper, and red bell pepper. Add 1 tsp salt, and cook for another 5 minutes. Add habanero, garlic, and ginger, and continue to cook for 1-2 more minutes or until fragrant. 

Add diced tomatoes and 1 tbsp of tomato paste. Stir to evenly distribute. Add 1½ cups water, and let it simmer for 10 minutes. In a bowl, add 1 - 1½ cup of the vegetable mixture from the pot. Add 3 heaping tbsp of peanut butter to the bowl and mix thoroughly until the peanut butter is well blended. Add the peanut butter mixture to the vegetable mixture in the pot, and stir thoroughly.

Add browned chicken to the stew pot, making sure all legs are fully covered. Add bay leaves, cover and let cook on medium-low for about 40 minutes. Remove chicken, remove meat from the bones. Cut into strips and return to the soup. Add ¼ cup red palm oil. Add smoked herring filet, and let it cook for 5 minutes. Remove herring and bay leaves.

OMO TUO 

In a small-medium pot, cook 1½ cups white rice in 3 cups water (rice should be overcooked for correct consistency). When cooked, lightly mash the rice. Scoop roughly ¾ cup cooked rice and shape into a ball. Repeat with the remaining rice. 

PLANTAINS

Cooked sliced plantains in fat from the browned chicken (may require extra oil), about 90 seconds per side.

Serve Groundnut chicken stew with Omo Tuo, Plantains, and Blackeyed Peas for the true Mensa experience. 

Check out some of our other recipes like Ally Brooke's Enchiladas, Dave East's Steak and Eggs, Rick Ross' Spaghetti and Catfish, and Saweetie’s Gumbo!