Sɔ̀sɔ fɛ̀ kɔ̀ nɛgɛ dɔ̄ sɔ̀sɔ ni bulu sɔ̀sɔ – Chicken in Peanut Sauce
(Traditional Bambara / Malinké Recipe)

An ancestral dish cooked according to the authentic methods and know-how of the Manding region — an oral tradition passed down through generations.

In the Bambara and Malinké cultures of Mali, cooking is not just a daily activity: it is the transmission of memory, social bonds, and connection to the land. Preparing a dish like chicken in peanut sauce or leaf sauce is to reenact ancient gestures to the rhythm of the mortar, the fire, and the seasons.

Traditional Peanut Sauce Chicken

Ingredients (homemade or from small-scale farming):

• 1 local chicken (often free-range, with firmer, more flavorful meat)

• Unsalted peanuts, roasted then crushed (or handmade peanut paste)

• 1 to 2 local onions (optional depending on availability)

• 2 to 3 fresh or dried chili peppers (whole, to flavor without making it too spicy)

• 1 spoon of raw or rock salt

• African bay leaves, if available

• Well or spring water

• Cooking over wood fire or a three-stone hearth

Preparation steps:

1. Prepare the chicken
   After slaughtering, the chicken is plucked, flamed over fire, gutted, then washed.
   It is cut into pieces and lightly grilled dry in an iron or clay pot. This initial cooking concentrates the juices.

2. Prepare the peanut paste
   Peanuts are dry roasted, cooled, then ground extensively in a wooden mortar until an oily paste forms. This is a skill: too much grinding makes the paste bitter, too little prevents the sauce from binding properly.

3. Cooking the sauce
   Put the chicken in a pot with some water, chili, and salt. Let simmer.
   Add crushed onion (optional).
   When the meat is half cooked, add the peanut paste diluted in some hot water.
   Simmer slowly for a long time until the sauce reduces and the natural peanut oil rises to the surface — a sign the cooking is done.

Traditional accompaniments:

• To (steamed millet or sorghum dough, then stirred)

• Fonio, an ancient cereal increasingly valued

• Local steamed rice (rare at the time, but used by some river communities)

2. Chicken in Leaf Sauce (Local green leaves)

This recipe is popular mainly in villages during the rainy season when green leaves abound. It can also be vegetarian, but chicken is often used on festive days.

Traditional leaves used:

• Sweet potato leaves

• Peanut leaves

• Cassava leaves (in some regional variants)

• Sometimes bean or baobab leaves (depending on the season)

Ingredients:

• 1 local chicken

• 2 handfuls of fresh leaves (washed, drained)

• 1 to 2 chili peppers

• Salt

• Crushed peanuts (optional, but adds creaminess)

• Crushed onions (optional)

Preparation:

1. Prepare the leaves:
   Leaves are carefully washed then crushed in a mortar into a coarse paste.
   Some communities boil these leaves briefly to remove bitterness, especially cassava leaves.

2. Cook the chicken:
   As with peanut sauce, the chicken is pre-cooked with salt, chili, and a little onion.

3. Add the leaves:
   Add the crushed leaves to the pot.
   Optionally add a bit of peanut paste to bind the sauce.
   Cook slowly for a long time until the sauce reduces and the leaves are well blended into the juice.

Cultural symbolism:

These dishes are served to honored guests during festivals or major family ceremonies.

Peanuts symbolize the richness of the soil and the nourishing strength of women (who cultivate, harvest, and process them).

Local chickens are often raised by women, and their consumption is a sign of honor.