Nigerian · snack
Kilishi (Spiced Dried Beef)
Kilishi (Spiced Dried Beef) reads umami 7.5, nutty 5.9 and richness 5.7 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Nigerian snack, about 11 hr 40 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.
The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10
- Umami & Savory — 8.1 / 10
- Sweet & Fruity — 4.5 / 10
- Sour & Bright — 0.6 / 10
- Bitter & Earthy — 2.4 / 10
- Rich & Fat — 7.6 / 10
- Aromatic & Spice — 4.9 / 10
The measured notes (of 18)
Umami 7.5 · Nutty 5.9 · Richness 5.7 · Salinity 4.8 · Allium 4.5 · Sweetness 4.3 · Warm Spice 2.5 · Earthy 2.1 · Bitterness 1.5 · Heat 1.1 · Floral 1.0 · Sourness 0.6 · Smoke 0.5
What's in it (12)
- beef — 1000 g
- peanut butter — 250 g
- ground ginger — 30 g
- ground dried chilli — 30 g
- garlic — 15 g
- onion — 180 g
- ground cloves — 5 g
- salt — 15 g
- sugar — 8 g
- ground black pepper — 15 g
- water — 300 g
- ground nutmeg — 5 g
Time & effort: about 11 hr 40 min (55 min active) · effort: medium
Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 165.4 kcal, 15.1 g protein, 8.9 g fat, 6.6 g carbs
Dietary: Contains meat — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.
How it's cooked (7 steps)
- Freeze the beef for 45 minutes so that it firms up enough to cut cleanly.
- Slice it with the grain into broad sheets 2 to 3 mm thick, about 20 minutes of careful knife work. Held up to the light the sheets should be translucent; thickness is what separates kilishi from ordinary jerky.
- Lay the sheets on wire racks and dry them in strong sun for 4 to 6 hours, or in an oven at its lowest setting, 60 to 70 C with the fan on, for 3 to 4 hours, until they are leathery and no longer tacky.
- Whisk the groundnut paste with the water, ginger, ground chilli, garlic powder, onion purée, cloves, salt, sugar, black pepper and nutmeg for 5 minutes into the labu, a loose slurry about the consistency of single cream.
- Steep the dried sheets in the labu 20 to 30 minutes, turning them, until they are saturated and heavy.
- Lift them back onto the racks and dry a second time, another 4 to 6 hours in the sun or 3 hours at 65 C, until the coating is dry to the touch.
- Finish the sheets over glowing coals or under a hot grill, 2 to 3 minutes a side, until the coating tightens, blisters slightly and smells toasted. Cool before tearing into pieces.
Dishes with a similar flavor shape
- Korean Ground Beef Bowl — Korean
- Freekeh Soup (Shorbet Freekeh) — Lebanese
- Gratin Dauphinois — French
- Ground Turkey Fried Rice with Peas and Carrots — Chinese-American
- Vegetable Fried Rice — Chinese-American
Keep reading: what umami, nutty, richness mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.
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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.