African dinner recipes

West Africa stretches from Senegal to Nigeria and beyond, and each country and community has its own dishes, names and arguments about how things should be done. Some threads run through many kitchens, though. A cooked base of tomatoes, peppers and onion often carries the flavour of a dish. Rice, yams, plantains and cassava are important staples. Groundnuts, the local name for peanuts, are used to thicken and enrich stews and to season grilled meat.

Jollof rice is the best-known example abroad. Rice cooks directly in a rich, spiced tomato and pepper sauce until it absorbs every bit of flavour, and families serve it at everyday dinners as well as celebrations. Nigerian and Ghanaian cooks have a famously good-humoured rivalry over whose version is best, and versions are also made across the wider region.

Suya is a Nigerian street-food favourite, closely associated with Hausa grill vendors in the north of the country. Thin slices of beef are coated in a peanut-based spice blend, grilled over high heat and served with sliced onion, tomato and cucumber. Peanut stews appear in many forms across the region, and they are often how people first fall for this style of cooking.

A few jars and tins cover these dinners. Tinned chopped tomatoes and tomato paste form the backbone of jollof and the peanut stew. Long-grain parboiled rice is the usual choice for jollof because it holds its shape; basmati suits the stew. Natural peanut butter, ideally just peanuts and salt, gives the stew its creamy body without extra sugar.

For spice, dried thyme, curry powder and bay leaves are classic in many Nigerian-style jollofs. Suya spice can be bought ready-made in African grocers, but the recipe here builds it from finely ground roasted peanuts, ginger, garlic powder, smoked paprika, cayenne, onion powder and a crushed stock cube. Cumin and coriander season the peanut stew.

Fresh shopping is simple: onions, red peppers, garlic, ginger and greens such as kale or spinach. Scotch bonnets bring the traditional heat to jollof; a milder red chilli works if you want a gentler pot. Peanuts appear in two of these three dinners, so anyone with a peanut allergy needs to choose carefully. Check stock cubes and ready-made spice blends for allergens too, as their ingredients vary between brands.

Jollof Rice with Chicken roasts seasoned chicken thighs in the oven while the jollof base cooks on the hob: blended tomatoes, peppers, chilli and onion are fried down with tomato paste until thick, then rice, stock, bay leaf and spices go in and cook gently under a tight lid. It takes 60 minutes, is rated medium and needs some confidence with the heat under the rice pan. It is labelled gluten-free and dairy-free.

Suya Beef Skewers tosses thinly sliced beef with oil and most of the peanut spice, threads it onto skewers and chars it under a hot oven grill, with the remaining spice sprinkled over at the end. It takes 30 minutes, is beginner-friendly and is rated hot. It is labelled low-carb, gluten-free and dairy-free, and contains peanuts.

West African Peanut Stew simmers sweet potato and chickpeas in a creamy tomato and peanut sauce with cumin, coriander and chilli flakes, then stirs in greens before serving with rice and chopped roasted peanuts. It is vegan, rated medium and takes 35 minutes in one pot. It is also tagged for meal prep and budget cooking, so a double batch makes sense.

None of these dinners is rated mild: the jollof and peanut stew are medium, and the suya is hot. To soften the jollof, use a milder red chilli in place of the Scotch bonnet or reduce the amount in the blend. For the stew, start with fewer chilli flakes and add more at the table. With suya, make a gentler spice mix by cutting back the cayenne, or coat a few skewers lightly for cautious eaters.

Children often enjoy the sweet potato in the peanut stew, and the creamy sauce is approachable even at medium heat. Jollof rice and plain roast chicken can be served separately on the plate. Fresh tomato, onion and cucumber alongside the suya give everyone something cool to balance the spice.

For mixed diets, the peanut stew is vegan and makes an easy shared base: meat-eaters can add suya skewers alongside. All three dishes are labelled gluten-free and dairy-free. Peanuts are the main allergen to watch, so for a peanut-free household, the jollof is the safest choice here. Check each recipe's allergen list and the labels on stock cubes and spice blends. Solo cooks can portion and chill leftover stew for another dinner.