Kilishi Spice

Name: Kilishi Spice
Yield: About 1 cup paste (enough to coat a substantial batch of thinly sliced meat)
Ingredients: Roasted — 1/2 cup; ground peanuts; Ground ginger — 2 tbsp; Paprika — 2 tbsp; Cayenne — 1 tbsp; Garlic powder — 1 tbsp; Onion powder — 1 tbsp; Ground cloves — 1 tsp; Bouillon powder — 1 tsp; Salt — to taste; Similar base to suya spice/yaji — ground peanut; ginger; cayenne; garlic — but formulated as a coating paste for meat that will then be sun-dried; rather than a rub applied just before grilling

The Quirky Foodster Team

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About 1 cup paste (enough to coat a substantial batch of thinly sliced meat)

Servings

Ingredients

Roasted — 1/2 cup
ground peanuts
Ground ginger — 2 tbsp
Paprika — 2 tbsp
Cayenne — 1 tbsp
Garlic powder — 1 tbsp
Onion powder — 1 tbsp
Ground cloves — 1 tsp
Bouillon powder — 1 tsp
Salt — to taste
Similar base to suya spice/yaji — ground peanut
ginger
cayenne
garlic — but formulated as a coating paste for meat that will then be sun-dried
rather than a rub applied just before grilling

Method

Combine the ground spice mixture with a small amount of water or oil to form a thick paste, coat thin meat slices, then sun-dry (traditionally) or oven-dry at low heat.
The peanuts must be well-roasted before grinding; the other spice components are typically used as pre-ground, without further toasting. As for suya/yaji spice, for the peanut and spice components; the meat itself undergoes a drying process rather than a spice-toasting one.

Origin: Nigeria and the broader Sahel region (Niger, Chad) — the spice blend for kilishi, a dried, spiced meat product similar in concept to jerky.

Use: A coating applied to thin meat slices before the extended drying process that produces kilishi.

Classic Dishes: Kilishi (dried, spiced meat, a significant regional snack and preserved-food tradition across the Sahel).

Storage: The spice paste itself keeps only a few days before use; the finished dried kilishi product, once fully dried, keeps for months without refrigeration, reflecting its traditional role as a preservation method.

Variations: Closely related to suya spice in ingredients, differing primarily in application (coating for drying versus rub for grilling) rather than fundamental composition.

Substitutions: No close substitute given the essential ground-peanut component; peanut butter powder in a pinch, understanding the texture will differ from freshly ground roasted peanuts. Suya spice/yaji as a direct substitute for the paste component.