Rachel Ama

Since launching her YouTube channel in September 2017 Rachel Ama has amassed a legion of followers who are all hungry for her simple, affordable and delicious vegan recipes and recommendations.

Rachel Ama knows the London vegan scene inside-out but she also looks abroad for flavour inspiration - taking staple Caribbean recipes (inspiration from her Sierra Leonean and St Lucian roots) and make vegan alternatives still packed with traditional spices and flavours.

Rachel grew up in North London with her Mum, who encouraged lots of veggies (there was no “treat drawer” in their house) and was really into holistic living and studied nutrition. A self-confessed KFC addict as a teenager, she decided to go vegan three years ago and hasn’t looked back. As her passion for plants grew and grew, so did her interest in cooking – and her belief that vegan food need not compromise on taste or nutrition.

“This recipe is a definite winner in our house, perfect for when you want a really hearty and comforting dinner with a nice touch of spice to set your taste buds tingling. My favourite way to eat this is with plantains and coleslaw”.

Vegan African peanut stew:

Ingredients:

1-2 tbsp peanut oil

500g sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

1 x 400g tin black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed

½ fresh red Scotch bonnet chilli, deseeded and kept whole (optional)

3 tbsp tomato purée

1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes

500ml vegetable stock

125g natural smooth peanut butter

200g spinach, chopped

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

A handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped

2 x spring onions, finely chopped

1 x fresh red chilli, deseeded and finely slicedSalt and black pepperFor the paste:

2 x onions, roughly chopped

5 x garlic cloves, roughly chopped

Thumb-sized piece fresh root ginger, peeled and roughly chopped

1 tsp paprika

2 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground turmeric

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground fenugreek

½-1 fresh red Scotch bonnet chilli (to taste), deseeded and roughly chopped

A pinch salt

Instructions:

You will need: a food processor and a large, heavy-based saucepan or shallow frying pan.

Place all the paste ingredients in a food processor and blitz into a coarse paste.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the peanut oil in a large, heavy based saucepan or shallow frying pan. Add the paste and sauté over a medium–low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally and adding a little more oil if the paste starts to stick to the pan.

Add the sweet potatoes, black-eyed peas, Scotch bonnet chilli (if using – see introduction) and tomato purée and mix to combine. Pour in the tinned tomatoes and vegetable stock, add the peanut butter, season with salt and pepper and stir in well. Cover the pan with a lid and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from the heat and stir in the spinach, leaving it to wilt in the pan for 5 minutes. To finish, add the lemon juice, coriander, spring onions and sliced chillies and check the seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if needed.