LounjeLounjePlan my week

Kilishi

Also known as Kilishi (Dried Spiced Beef — Full Traditional Method)

Kilishi is the supreme expression of Hausa food preservation culture — paper-thin slices of the leanest available beef coated in an intensely spiced groundnut paste and sun-dried to a hard, shelf-stable, deeply flavoured dried meat that is simultaneously a preservation method, a snack food, a gift food and a culinary work of art. This full traditional method follows the authentic Kano Kilishi production process as practised by master Kilishi makers in Northern Nigeria — the s

Kilishi, Nigerian cooking

Ingredients

  • A big piece of the leanest available beef — topside, silverside or rump (absolutely no fat)
  • Metal skewers or bamboo skewers FOR THE KILISHI PASTE:
  • A big cup of roasted groundnuts, ground very fine
  • 2 big big tablespoons of ground ginger
  • 2 big big tablespoons of ground Cameroon pepper
  • 1 big tablespoon of ground dawa dawa (locust beans)
  • 1 teaspoon of ground cloves
  • Half a teaspoon of ground selim pepper (uda)
  • 3 seasoning cubes (Knorr), crushed to powder
  • 2 teaspoons of salt
  • Water — as needed to form a thick paste

Method

  1. 01

    Cutting the Beef Paper-Thin. Freeze the beef for 30 minutes to firm it up. Using the sharpest knife available, cut paper-thin slices — 2 to 3 mm maximum. Slice against the grain. The thinner the slice, the better the Kilishi.

  2. 02

    Making the Kilishi Paste. Combine all paste ingredients with enough water to form a thick, very well-seasoned paste. Taste and adjust — the paste must be intensely spiced as the sun-drying will mellow all flavours.

  3. 03

    First Sun-Drying. Arrange the raw thin beef slices on wire racks in the morning sun. Dry for 3 to 4 hours until partially dried but still flexible.

  4. 04

    Coating with Paste. Coat the partially dried beef slices generously with Kilishi paste on both sides. Press the paste firmly into the meat surface. Return to the wire racks.

  5. 05

    Second Sun-Drying. Continue drying in the afternoon sun for 3 to 4 more hours.

  6. 06

    Day 2 — Full Drying. Leave on the racks for the full second day under direct sun until the Kilishi is completely rigid and brittle.

  7. 07

    Charcoal Finishing. Pass each piece briefly over hot charcoal — 30 seconds to 1 minute per side. The charcoal creates the final caramelisation and characteristic smoky finish.

More food preservation