This special recipe is from the heart and mind of singer/songwriter Ruby Amanfu. A native from Ghana, Ruby now calls Nashville home and loves cooking almost as much as singing. Most importantly, she has a heart of gold. Here she is singing alongside some young artist named Jack White.
Follow her on social media @rubyamanfu! #recipesbyruby
1 cup Good Spread organic peanut butter
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2-3 medium cloves of garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp ginger, grated (or use ginger paste)
1 Tbsp ground coriander
1 Tbsp ground cumin
2 tsp paprika (any kind; even smoked)
1 quart chicken broth + 1 extra box (use bone broth for extra luxury)*
1 15-oz can of tomato sauce
1-1.5lbs of raw chicken thighs, cooked to pleasure and cut into bite-sized pieces (or sub sautéed shrimp, diced sweet potatoes, yams, mushrooms)
Kosher salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
Cayenne pepper to taste
Crushed peanuts, scallions, and/or cilantro to garnish, if desired
Place peanut butter in the base of a deep pot first and then bring the pot to medium-low heat. Watch carefully so that it doesn't burn and lower heat as needed, stirring occasionally with a long wooden spoon. Allow the butter to loosen and release a lot of that good peanut oil into the pot. Be patient and let it happen. It may take 10 minutes, but it's the most important step.
Once it looks like your peanut butter has kind of perspired, add in the onion, garlic, ginger, coriander, cumin, and paprika, and stir to combine. Increase the heat to medium-high to release more peanut oil and cook ingredients in the rendered peanut oil and butter until onions are just beginning to soften. Bring the heat down if it looks like it wants to burn. If the peanut butter accidentally gets too dark in the pot, don't worry about it. Just lower the heat and continue on.
Pour in an entire quart of chicken broth in 1 cup increments, stirring each round in until well-combined and smooth. Then simmer and stir for 5 minutes. Add in the tomato sauce, salt to taste (added in pinches at a time so as to not over season), black pepper, and cayenne to taste. Stir, cover, and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure the base isn't burning. If the soup looks to be too thick, add more chicken stock in 1 cup increments until desired viscosity is achieved.
Add in cooked chicken or protein of choice at the end and give a good stir and 5-minute simmer.
You can serve it with a scoop of rice, but some folks spoon it over steamed potatoes of all varieties or just eat it plain. Top with crushed peanuts, sliced scallions, and/or cilantro for extra love.