Choukouya

Ingredients

Meat

• 1.5 kgbeef or mutton
• in thin flat slices
• 2 teaspoonssalt
• 3 tablespoonsoil

Kankankan spice

• 150 groasted peanuts, ground
• 2 tablespoonsground chilli
• 1 tablespoonground ginger
• 1 tablespoononion powder
• 1 tablespoongarlic powder
• 1stock cube, crushed
• 1 teaspoonground cloves
• 1 teaspoonsalt

To serve

• sliced raw onion
• sliced tomato
• lemon or lime wedges
• attieke, fermented cassava couscous
• or fried plantain

Directions

1. Roast the peanuts in a dry pan if they are raw. Stir them constantly over a medium heat. Give them about ten minutes until deep gold.
2. Let them cool completely before grinding. Rub the skins off between your palms. Grinding the peanuts needs care. Grind them in short pulses in a processor. Do not run it continuously at any point.
3. Mix the ground peanut with the chilli. Add the ginger, onion and garlic powders. Crush the stock cube into the mix. Add the ground cloves and the salt. Mix it all together thoroughly. Taste a pinch and adjust the chilli. It should be hot, savoury and strongly nutty.
4. Cut the meat into thin flat slices. Cut across the grain of the muscle. That shortens the fibres and keeps it tender. Beat them out with a mallet if they are thick. Season them with salt and rub with a little oil.
5. Wait until the coals are covered in grey ash. Spread the coals into an even bed. Oil the grill bars before the meat goes on. Cooking it is fast and needs attention.
6. Lay the slices flat over the coals. Give them about three minutes a side. Take the meat off the fire now. Dust kankankan over it generously. Return it to the fire for thirty seconds. The meat should be charred outside and juicy within. Taste a piece and adjust the salt. Serving it is done hot on paper.
7. Cut it into bite-sized pieces. Pile it onto paper or a plate. Scatter sliced raw onion over it. Add sliced tomato alongside it. Cold beer is the fixed accompaniment.

Technique

• The dry-grilling technique came south to Abidjan with Sahelian butchers from Mali and Burkina Faso, and the same tradition gives Nigeria its suya.
• Kankankan is a dry peanut-based spice powder, called yaji in Hausa, and every seller has their own blend.
• The powder is built on ground peanut and cannot be brushed off, so anyone with a peanut allergy must be told plainly.

Substitutions

• Any grillable beef or mutton works, cut thin and across the grain.
• Ground peanut can be replaced with ground melon seed for a version free of peanut.

Variations

• Some maquis grill chicken or fish the same way.
• A version with more chilli is made for those who want heat.
• Suya in Nigeria and Ghana is the closest relative.

History

Dry-grilled meat brought south by Sahelian butchers from Mali and Burkina Faso; Abidjan maquis adopted it alongside the peanut spice powder.

Frequently asked questions

What is Choukouya?

Choukouya is a street food from Côte d’Ivoire: dry-grilled beef or mutton dusted with spicy kankankan peanut powder. Dry-grilled meat brought south by Sahelian butchers from Mali and Burkina Faso; Abidjan maquis adopted it alongside the peanut spice powder.

How long does Choukouya take to make?

Choukouya takes 30 minutes plus resting of preparation and 30 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 6. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Choukouya?

Yes, within limits. Any grillable beef or mutton works, cut thin and across the grain. Ground peanut can be replaced with ground melon seed for a version free of peanut.

What is the most important thing to get right in Choukouya?

Let them cool completely before grinding. Rub the skins off between your palms. Grinding the peanuts needs care. Grind them in short pulses in a processor. Do not run it continuously at any point.