Chichinga

Ingredients

Meat

• 1 kgbeef sirloin, sliced very thin against the grain
• 2 tbspgroundnut oil

Yaji spice

• 150 groasted peanuts
• 2 tbspground ginger
• 1 tbspgarlic powder
• 1 tbsponion powder
• 1 tbspcayenne or ground dried chilli
• 1 tspground cloves
• 1 tspground nutmeg
• 2 tspsalt
• 1stock cube, crumbled

To serve

• sliced raw onion
• sliced tomato
• extra yaji

Directions

1. Make the yaji first. Grind the roasted peanuts, then wrap the meal in a cloth or kitchen paper and press it hard to squeeze the oil out.
2. Pressing that oil out is essential. Oily peanut meal clumps into a paste and will not coat anything; what you need is a dry, sandy powder.
3. Mix the pressed meal with the ginger, garlic powder, onion powder, chilli, cloves, nutmeg, salt and crumbled stock cube.
4. Slice the beef as thinly as you possibly can and thread it onto skewers in loose folds rather than tight blocks, so the heat reaches all of it at once.
5. Brush the meat lightly with groundnut oil, then dust it heavily with yaji, pressing the powder on with your fingers.
6. Rest the skewers for 20 minutes so the spice adheres properly.
7. Grill over hot coals for 3 to 4 minutes a side and no longer. Sliced this thin the meat is done almost immediately, and overcooked suya is dry and stringy.
8. Take the skewers off the fire and dust them with a second heavy coat of yaji while they are still hot.
9. That second dusting is what people actually taste. The first coat cooks into the meat and largely burns away; the raw layer applied afterwards is the sharp, fresh one.
10. Serve wrapped in paper with raw onion and tomato and a small pile of extra yaji for dipping.

Technique

• Press the oil out of the peanuts, and dust the meat twice. Those two things are the recipe.
• It is northern Ghana’s skewered grilled meat, closely related to Hausa suya and using the same spice mix.
• Yaji keeps for months in a sealed jar and is worth making in quantity.

Substitutions

• Powdered peanut butter, which is already defatted and saves the pressing.
• Chicken or liver in place of beef, cut equally thin.

Variations

• With offal, which is sold alongside the beef at every stand.
• Kilishi, the dried and re-spiced version that keeps.
• Folded into a slice of bread as a street sandwich.

History

Northern Ghana’s skewered grilled meat, closely related to Hausa suya and dusted with the same roasted-peanut chili powder.

Frequently asked questions

What is Chichinga?

Chichinga is a street food from Ghana: suya-style kebabs rolled in spiced peanut powder. Northern Ghana’s skewered grilled meat, closely related to Hausa suya and dusted with the same roasted-peanut chili powder.

How long does Chichinga take to make?

Chichinga takes 30 min of preparation and 10 min of cooking. The recipe makes 8 skewers. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Chichinga?

Yes, within limits. Powdered peanut butter, which is already defatted and saves the pressing. Chicken or liver in place of beef, cut equally thin.

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

Slice the beef as thinly as you possibly can and thread it onto skewers in loose folds rather than tight blocks, so the heat reaches all of it at once.