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Kilishi
Spiced dried beef
Kilishi: the paper-thin, peanut-spiced dried beef of Kano and Sokoto, made the safer oven way
Long-distance travellers in the Hausa north have carried kilishi for generations: beef sliced so thin you can see light through it, coated in a fiery paste of ground roasted groundnuts, ginger, onion and chilli, dried, then flashed over a fire until it crackles. It is sold in Kano and Sokoto markets in stacked sheets and eaten as a snack or with a cold drink. Traditionally it is sun-dried raw; this home version heats the meat to 71 °C in the oven before drying and is stored in the fridge, which makes it safer. Sun-dried, uncooked kilishi is not for pregnant women, young children or anyone with a weakened immune system. Chef's tip: freeze the beef for an hour before slicing; firm meat is the only way to get sheets 3 mm thin at home.
- Total time
- 240 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the beef
- 2 ¼ lb lean beef topsideall fat and sinew trimmed
- 1 tsp salt
For the groundnut paste
- 7 oz roasted groundnutsskinned, unsalted; or kuli-kuli
- 1 oniongrated
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp dried chilli powderor to taste
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 stock cubecrumbled
- ¾ cup wateras needed
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Method
0/10 doneStep 1: Wrap 2 ¼ lb lean beef topside in cling film and freeze until firm but not rock-hard.
60 minStep 2: Slice the beef with the grain into sheets about 3 mm thick and as wide as you can. Lay each sheet between baking paper and beat with a rolling pin until about 2 mm thin. Keep the sheets in the fridge as you go.
30 minStep 3: Heat the oven to 325°F (fan 275°F) and line two or three baking trays with wire racks. Season the sheets lightly with 1 tsp salt and lay them flat on the racks without overlapping.
Step 4: Bake until no pink remains and the meat reaches 160°F; a thermometer pushed into a folded sheet works. This heat step makes the jerky safer and is the one to keep even if you skip others.
10 minStep 5: Lower the oven to 176°F (fan 158°F) and dry the sheets with the door slightly ajar, propped with a wooden spoon, until they are leathery and dark but still bend without snapping.
90 minStep 6: Meanwhile, grind 7 oz roasted groundnuts finely, then mix with 1 onion, 2 tsp ground ginger, 2 tsp dried chilli powder, 1 tsp garlic powder, ¼ tsp ground cloves, 1 tbsp sugar and 1 stock cube. Add ¾ cup water a little at a time to make a paste as thick as yoghurt.
10 minStep 7: Dip each dried sheet into the paste, or brush it on, so both sides are thinly coated. A common mistake is a thick coating: it stays soft and spoils quickly, so scrape off the excess.
15 minStep 8: Return the coated sheets to the racks and dry again at 176°F until the coating is set and dry to the touch.
60 minStep 9: Heat the grill to high and toast the sheets, a few at a time, for about 1 minute a side, until they sizzle, darken at the edges and smell nutty. Watch them closely, as they burn quickly.
10 minStep 10: Cool completely on the racks, then pack into an airtight box. Keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 44 g
- Carbs
- 9 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kilishi take?
- About 240 minutes in total: 50 minutes to prepare and 190 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of ground ginger?
- 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger per ¼ tsp ground.
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