Caldo de Mancarra

Guinea-Bissau's food almost never appears in American cookbooks, and caldo de mancarra is the dish Bissau-Guineans abroad name first, so it is the honest place to start. I want to learn how a peanut stew differs across West Africa: Senegal's mafé, Mali's tiguadege na, Gambia's domoda and this caldo are cousins, and I expect the Portuguese-Kriol touches, the bay leaf, the lemon, the name caldo, to be what sets it apart. It is weeknight-feasible because it is one pot plus rice, the peanut butter does the thickening with no roux or reduction, and the chile is a single whole pod I can leave out of my son's bowl. It uses nothing I cannot get at a regular supermarket.

• Natural peanut butter: The sauce base. Use unsweetened, salted or unsalted; the kind with only peanuts and salt on the label. Sweetened peanut butter will make the stew taste like dessert.
• Bone-in chicken thighs: Chicken on the bone is the traditional cut and gives the sauce body. Boneless thighs work and save ten minutes.
• Bay leaf and lemon: The Portuguese-side seasonings that distinguish this from other West African peanut stews. Use fresh lemon juice at the end, not bottled.
• A whole habanero or jalapeño: Left whole, it adds aroma and almost no heat; chopped, it makes the dish properly hot, which is how Bissau-Guinean cooks lean.
• Bouillon cube: As across coastal West Africa, a Maggi or Knorr cube is expected. Reduce the added salt.

1. Pull the skin off the chicken thighs (a paper towel gives you grip). Season with 1 teaspoon salt, black pepper and the juice of half a lemon; set aside.
2. Dice the onions. Mince the garlic. Chop the tomatoes, or drain the can. Dice the bell pepper. Leave the chile whole, or mince it if everyone wants heat.
3. Dissolve the bouillon cube in 2 1/2 cups hot water. Whisk the peanut butter into 1 cup of that liquid in a bowl until smooth; this prevents lumps later.
4. Start the rice: rinse 1 1/2 cups rice, cook with 2 1/4 cups water and a pinch of salt by the package timing. Keep covered off the heat until dinner.

1. Heat the oil in the Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken in one layer, about 4 minutes per side, then move it to a plate.
2. Lower the heat to medium. Add the onion and bell pepper with a pinch of salt and cook 6 minutes until soft and lightly golden. Add the garlic and tomato paste and stir 1 minute.
3. Add the tomatoes and bay leaves and cook 6–8 minutes, stirring, until they collapse into a thick sauce.
4. Pour in the remaining 1 1/2 cups bouillon water and the peanut butter mixture. Stir until the sauce is uniform. Return the chicken to the pot with the whole chile, bring to a gentle simmer, and partially cover.
5. Simmer 25–30 minutes, stirring every 8 minutes or so and scraping the bottom, because peanut sauce likes to stick. The sauce will thicken and darken and a sheen of peanut oil will rise to the top; that is the sign it is done. If it gets thicker than heavy cream, add a splash of water. The chicken should reach 165°F and pull easily from the bone.
6. Remove the bay leaves and the chile. Season with salt, black pepper and the juice of half a lemon. Taste: it should be nutty, savory and bright, not sweet.

Mound white rice in shallow bowls and ladle the stew over, one or two thighs per adult, and finish with chopped parsley and a lemon wedge. The stew as written is mild; put the softened whole chile on a saucer so adults can smash a little into their bowls while my son's stays gentle. Caldo de mancarra is better the next day; it keeps three days and reheats slowly with a little water stirred in, and leftover sauce is good over boiled sweet potatoes.