As expected, this stew COOKS. It's made of super simple ingredients and the flavors go together beautifully. It is extremely simple to make, and you can make the malawah while the stew simmers! I did add in the peppers to the stew 5-8 minutes early with the lid on so they cooked a bit more. Although a bit messy to eat (I also am on CICO so I'm not being generous with the malawah), it's worth it! You could skip the malawah and eat this with a spoon, but what is the fun in that?