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🌍 World Kitchen West African 🥜 Groundnut Cook Together

West African Groundnut Stew for Dogs

Groundnut stew — the rich, peanut-based one-pot that has fed families across Ghana, Senegal, Nigeria and beyond for generations — translates into an exceptional dog meal. Chicken, sweet potato, kale and natural peanut butter in a warming broth. You add the chillies and spices; your dog gets the pure, nourishing base.

West African groundnut peanut stew for dogs

🌍 West Africa — Where the Groundnut is Everything

Groundnut stew (known as Maafe in Senegal and Mali, Nkate Nkwan in Ghana) is one of the most universally loved dishes across West Africa. Peanuts — the groundnut — arrived via Portuguese traders in the 16th century and embedded themselves completely into the region's cooking. The stew is rich, thick, deeply savoury and endlessly varied. Every family has its version.

Why This Recipe Works for Dogs

🥜

Peanut Butter — Healthy Fats + Protein

Natural peanut butter (no xylitol) provides niacin, vitamin E, healthy monounsaturated fats and plant protein. A genuine nutritional addition — not just a flavouring.

🍗

Chicken — Complete Amino Acids

Chicken thigh provides all essential amino acids including taurine precursors methionine and cysteine. Rich in B vitamins and easily digestible.

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Sweet Potato — Vitamin A + Fibre

Beta-carotene (converted to vitamin A), potassium, and soluble fibre for gut health. Balances the richness of the peanut base beautifully.

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Kale — Iron + Antioxidants

Cooked kale or spinach adds iron, calcium, vitamins K and C, and a broad spectrum of phytonutrients. Always cook leafy greens to reduce oxalates.

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Brown Rice — Sustained Energy

Brown rice provides complex carbohydrates and manganese. Its fibre content slows digestion, supporting steady blood glucose over time.

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Niacin (B3) — Coat Health

Peanuts are one of the richest food sources of niacin, which supports skin integrity, coat condition and energy metabolism in dogs.

⚠️ Critical: Check Your Peanut Butter Label Use only natural peanut butter with ONE ingredient: peanuts (and possibly salt — rinse or use an unsalted variety). NEVER use peanut butter containing xylitol (also labelled "birch sugar") — it is acutely toxic to dogs. Many sugar-free peanut butters contain xylitol. Check every time.

The Groundnut Story

Across West Africa, the groundnut stew is home. It varies by country and by cook — in Senegal they call it Maafe and use lamb alongside the chicken; in Ghana it tends to be richer and more tomato-forward; in Nigeria it might come with a fiercer heat. But the soul is always the same: a thick, peanut-based broth with meat and vegetables, served over rice, made to be shared.

The dog-safe version strips out what harms them — the onion, the garlic, the hot pepper, the salt — and keeps everything that genuinely nourishes. What remains is a deeply flavoured, high-protein, healthy-fat meal that dogs love and that you can cook in the same pot, portioning off their portion before you season yours.

Cook Together

🍲 Cook the Base Together — Season Yours After

🧑‍🍳 You Add (After Portioning Dog's Bowl)

  • Scotch bonnet or cayenne pepper
  • Garlic (2–3 cloves, minced)
  • Onion, diced and sautéed
  • Fish sauce or salt to taste
  • Extra tomato paste
  • Ground cumin and coriander
  • Fresh ginger (extra, to taste)

🐕 Dog's Bowl (Safe Base)

  • Chicken + peanut broth base
  • Sweet potato, soft-cooked
  • Kale, cooked and chopped
  • Brown rice, cooked
  • Tiny piece of ginger only (optional)
  • + Salmon oil cold (after cooling)
  • + Eggshell calcium cold
  • No salt, no onion, no garlic, no chilli

Ingredients by Dog Size

  • Chicken thigh, boneless 65g
  • Natural peanut butter (no xylitol) 1 tsp
  • Sweet potato, diced 25g
  • Kale or spinach, chopped 15g
  • Brown rice, cooked 30g
  • Unsalted chicken broth 150ml
  • Salmon oil (add cold) ¼ tsp
  • Eggshell calcium (add cold) ¼ tsp
⚠️ Peanut butter provides omega-6 fats, NOT omega-3. Salmon oil is essential — add cold to the cooled bowl.
  • Chicken thigh, boneless 120g
  • Natural peanut butter (no xylitol) 2 tsp
  • Sweet potato, diced 50g
  • Kale or spinach, chopped 25g
  • Brown rice, cooked 55g
  • Unsalted chicken broth 280ml
  • Salmon oil (add cold) ½ tsp
  • Eggshell calcium (add cold) ¼ tsp
⚠️ Never heat salmon oil — heat destroys the DHA and EPA your dog needs. Stir in cold, into a cooled bowl.
  • Chicken thigh, boneless 190g
  • Natural peanut butter (no xylitol) 1 tbsp
  • Sweet potato, diced 75g
  • Kale or spinach, chopped 40g
  • Brown rice, cooked 85g
  • Unsalted chicken broth 420ml
  • Salmon oil (add cold) 1 tsp
  • Eggshell calcium (add cold) ½ tsp
🥚 Eggshell calcium goes in cold — never into hot food. Stir well to combine.

Method

1
Place chicken thighs in a pot with unsalted broth. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook 20 minutes. Remove, allow to cool slightly, then shred. Reserve all broth.
2
Return broth to a gentle simmer. Whisk in natural peanut butter until fully dissolved. This is the base of your groundnut stew.
3
Add sweet potato and kale. Simmer 12–15 minutes until sweet potato is completely tender. Add shredded chicken back in.
4
Cook brown rice separately in plain water until tender (about 30 minutes). Drain and set aside.
5
Portion your dog's serving: stew over rice. Allow to cool fully to room temperature before adding cold supplements.
6
Once cool: stir in eggshell calcium and salmon oil. Serve or refrigerate up to 3 days.
7
To your own pot: add your onion (sautéed separately), garlic, scotch bonnet, tomato paste, spices and salt. Simmer a further 10 minutes. Your Maafe — properly seasoned and deeply warming.

Recipe Info

Prep time15 min
Cook time35 min
Cuisine🌍 West African
ProteinChicken thigh
Fat sourceNatural peanut butter
Omega-3Salmon oil (cold)
Storage3 days refrigerated
FormatCook Together

⚠️ Omega-3 Note

Peanut butter is rich in omega-6 fatty acids — not omega-3. This recipe has no fish or fish oil in the cooking process. Salmon oil MUST be stirred in cold after the bowl cools. Without it, the omega fatty acid balance in this meal is incomplete.

🐕 Featured Breed: Basenji

The Barkless Dog of Central Africa

The Basenji is one of the oldest dog breeds known to science — cave paintings in Libya dating to around 6000 BC depict dogs of unmistakable Basenji type. Originally from Central Africa (Congo/DRC), Basenjis were prized by Egyptian pharaohs and traded across the continent. They are uniquely cat-like: fastidiously clean, independent, and notable for not barking (they yodel instead). For a Basenji, a high-protein, moderate-fat meal like this groundnut stew is well-matched to their lean, athletic build and active temperament. The niacin from peanut butter supports their notably short, dense coat.

Nutrition Highlights

Protein
Healthy Fats
Fibre
Carbohydrates
Niacin (B3)