Ask any Zimbabwean to name their most-missed dish from home, and a large proportion will say dovi before anything else. Not sadza itself — dovi. The groundnut butter stew that makes sadza more than just sustenance, that fills a kitchen with a nutty warmth that instantly signals home. It is Zimbabwe's most loved relish, and it's worth going out of your way to find it in Dubai.
The good news: you can find dovi in Dubai. The less good news: almost no restaurant calls it by that name. The dish appears at East African, West African and pan-African restaurants under several aliases — groundnut chicken, peanut stew, mafe, egusi-adjacent stews — and you need to know what you're looking for to identify the real thing.
What Is Dovi?
Dovi is a thick, rich stew made by slow-cooking bone-in chicken (or occasionally beef) in a sauce built from natural groundnut paste (similar to unsweetened peanut butter), tomatoes, onions, garlic, and sometimes leafy greens. The groundnut paste is dissolved into the cooking liquid and thickens as it simmers, creating a sauce that is simultaneously rich, slightly sweet, and deeply savoury.
The key ingredient is natural groundnut paste — made from nothing but roasted peanuts. Commercial peanut butter (Skippy, Jif) is technically usable but produces a sweeter, less complex result. In Zimbabwe, groundnut paste is made at home or purchased from markets. In Dubai, natural peanut butter (no additives) from health food shops or Middle Eastern brands works well as a substitute.
Dovi is related to West African groundnut soups (mafe in Senegal/Mali, groundnut soup in Ghana/Nigeria) but differs in key ways: it's typically less spicy, thicker in consistency, and less likely to contain tomato paste as a primary flavour base. The Zimbabwean version tends toward a purer peanut flavour, with heat coming from fresh or dried chilli used sparingly.
Dovi vs. Similar Groundnut Stews Across Africa
| Dish | Country | Protein | Spice Level | Key Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dovi | Zimbabwe | Chicken / Beef | Mild | Pure groundnut flavour, thick consistency, often includes muriwo greens |
| Mafe | Senegal / Mali | Lamb / Beef | Mild-Medium | Heavier tomato base, sometimes includes sweet potato |
| Groundnut Soup | Ghana / Nigeria | Goat / Chicken | Medium-Hot | Fermented locust beans, palm oil, habanero-level heat |
| Groundnut Stew | Uganda / Rwanda | Chicken / Beans | Mild | Closest to dovi in texture and flavour |
| Peanut Curry | Various / Fusion | Various | Medium | Often uses curry spices — not traditional in any country |
Where to Find Dovi (or the Closest Thing) in Dubai
Kibo African Kitchen, Al Quoz
Kibo's groundnut chicken stew is the dish that most closely replicates dovi in Dubai's restaurant scene. It's rich, thick, properly nutty — made with natural groundnut paste rather than commercial peanut butter, which makes an enormous difference to the final flavour. The chicken is bone-in (correctly) and the sauce has the right consistency: thick enough to coat sadza (or their ugali) without being pasty.
Order it with ugali rather than rice for the most authentic experience, and ask for extra muriwo (they sometimes have sukuma wiki, the closest local equivalent). The portion is generous — one order of groundnut chicken plus ugali feeds two moderate eaters. Service is warm and knowledgeable; this is a place where the staff understand what they're cooking.
East Africa Lounge, International City
East Africa Lounge doesn't always have a groundnut-based stew on the menu — it varies by day and chef availability — but when it does, it's very good and very affordable. Call ahead and ask if they're serving anything with groundnut (they'll understand what you mean). On days it's available, it's served with ugali, which makes the whole thing feel unmistakably Zimbabwean, even though the restaurant doesn't market itself that way.
This is also the cheapest route to anything approaching dovi in Dubai — the price points here are genuinely local-market affordable, not tourist-zone African food pricing. Go on a Friday when the kitchen is running at full capacity.
West African Alternatives in Dubai
Nigerian and Ghanaian restaurants in Deira serve groundnut-based soups that share DNA with dovi. They're spicier and slightly different in flavour profile, but if you're craving the groundnut satisfaction and can't access Kibo, these are valid alternatives. Look for "groundnut soup" on menus at Nigerian restaurants near Al Rigga in Deira — it's served with pounded yam or fufu rather than ugali, but the sauce itself is deeply satisfying.
Making Dovi at Home in Dubai
Every ingredient needed for authentic dovi is available in Dubai — often at significantly lower cost than eating out. Here's a recipe using Dubai-available ingredients:
Authentic Dovi (Serves 4)
Ingredients (all available at UAE supermarkets)
- 1 kg bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks (Al Maya, Carrefour, Spinneys)
- 200g natural peanut butter — no added sugar or oil (Waitrose has Whole Earth; Carrefour has organic brands)
- 2 large tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 1 large onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated (optional but recommended)
- 1 small chilli, sliced (Zimbabwean dovi is mild — use half if preferred)
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 250ml water or chicken stock
- 2 handfuls fresh spinach or collard greens (for muriwo wa nhopi variant)
Method
- Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Brown in a little oil in a heavy pot until golden — don't rush this step, the colour adds flavour. Remove and set aside.
- In the same pot, fry onion until soft and translucent (5–6 minutes). Add garlic and ginger, fry another 2 minutes until fragrant.
- Add chopped tomatoes. Cook down until the tomatoes break apart and the mixture thickens — about 8 minutes.
- Dissolve the peanut butter in 250ml warm water or stock. Stir until smooth. Add to the pot along with the sliced chilli.
- Return the chicken to the pot. The peanut sauce should nearly cover the meat — add a little more water if needed. Bring to a simmer.
- Cover and cook on low heat for 35–45 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce will thicken significantly — don't let it stick. Add water in small amounts if it thickens too fast.
- If adding greens, stir them in 10 minutes before the end of cooking. Season with salt.
- Serve over sadza (ugali/nsima). The dovi should coat the sadza thickly — not runny like a soup.
The peanut butter brand matters enormously. Natural peanut butter from health food stores (just peanuts, nothing else) produces a dovi that tastes like Zimbabwe. Commercial peanut butter with sugar makes it taste like peanut sauce from a Thai restaurant. Invest in the right product — it's available at Waitrose, Organic Foods & Café, and many health stores across Dubai.
Where to Buy Natural Groundnut Paste in Dubai
- Waitrose — stocks Whole Earth and own-brand natural peanut butter
- Organic Foods & Café — freshly ground peanut butter available in-store
- Carrefour — international and organic sections carry suitable products
- African grocery stores, Deira Al Murar — sometimes stock pure groundnut paste imported from East Africa
- Lulu Hypermarket — own-brand natural peanut butter, most affordable option
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