AlpineAire Spicy African Peanut Stew with Sweet Potatoes

This is a really different, generally satisfying meal. It won't become a go-to in my cookbox, but it certainly has a place as a change of pace.

This was an absolutely intriguing offering. I was definitely concerned about the idea of a peanut stew—would this be like eating watered-down peanut butter with some vegetables thrown in? Was is going to be a basic vegetable stew with whole peanuts floating in it? There was only one way to find out: buy it and try it.

Tearing open the bag for the first time did little to assuage my concerns—the scent of peanuts was all but overwhelming. But I was in the middle of a 12-mile hike, and I was hungry.  There was no going back.

Preparation:

I followed the instructions on the bag: 2 cups of boiling water, stir and stand for 12 minutes. I did add an additional stir at the 6-minute mark, because that never hurts.

Nutrition and Satiety:

Pleasantly low sodium at just 38% rda for the whole meal.  Lots of plant-based protein at 28g. Plenty of identifiable vegetables. It was filling, but not over-filling.  My only complaint is that by the end of the meal, it was a little boring on my palate. Split this with another (meaty?) meal at the end of a backpacking day, and I reckon it's a complete winner.

The Experience:

I dug in. It was not a "watered-down peanut butter soup" with some vegetables floating around. Nor, as you can see in the photos above, are there any whole peanuts in it. It was in fact a proper, moderately spicy, vegetable stew. There was a good peanut flavor, but it was not overwhelming. It wasn't even the primary flavor, but rather came in somewhere around the third thing I tasted. Vegetables were primary, then spice, then peanut. Very interesting.

The rice was fully rehydrated, as were all the veggies. I was just a little disappointed that the sweet potatoes were not diced into larger chunks, as I do love me a good sweet potato—but perhaps the smaller dice-size is down to the requirements of rehydration. It was at any rate a very pleasant meal, and just right for the middle of a longer day hike. I think it would by itself be sufficient at the end of a backpacking day, although better perhaps shared to not overload the palate. All in all, a solid addition to the rotation.