Kilishi also pronounce as kilichi is a great spicy beef jerky from the north. I will say it’s a gift from the northerners. This is one of those Nigerian snacks that you can eat till your chin gets hurt and yet you won’t give up.

It is often mistaken for suya. They are both prepared with the same ingredients but with comes out with texture

Kilishi can be prepared with or without an oven. It can be dried under intense sun for 3 days but with an oven, you can achieve under an hour.

Kilishi – Photo Source: https://www.justorder.com.ng

Ingredients For Kilishi

a. 10 pieces  of wafer-thin beef

b. 1 tablespoon of  suya spice (suya pepper)

c. 3 cloves of garlic

d. 1 teaspoon of  cloves (Kanafuru)

e. A small piece of ginger

f. 1 small stock cube

g. ¼ teaspoon of  salt

h. 1 teaspoon of  dry cayenne pepper seeds

Directions For Kilishi

1. The meat used for kilish should be free from fat and should gotten from the reddish part of the beef

2. This beef should be sliced so thinly, as thin as 3mm. some skillful butcher can handle this. They usually have an appliance which can help

3. The suya spice used can be gotten from any African food store

4. Cloves gives the kilish a unique aroma

5. Fresh or dried ginger can be used

6. Salt is needed for making kilishi but just a little quantity but if you detest salt you might just skip it . becareful while adding salt so you don’t get an overseasoned kilishi

7. Dry cayenne pepper seeds are removed

8. Prepare the Kilishi Spice Solution

9. Grind the gloves and set aside

10. Peel garlic and ginger , wash and blend/grind

11. Add the grind cloves and stock cubes to the garlic/ginger paste

12. Add some water to the paste, stir and apss it through a sieve to extract the spices and seasoning

13. Then add the cayenne pepper seeds and the suya spice , stir and set side

14. Cut the beef into thin fillets

15. Removes all traces of fat from beef

16. Preheat oven. Set to the highest possible setting and also the fan of the oven should be turned on. This helps dry the meat faster. I set mine to 250^oC (475F)

17. Rub tiny quantity of salt on the fillets of the beef and spread them around. You may likewise skip the salt

18. The baking tray should be covered with a baking sheet then the pieces of beef laid flat on it

19. The tray should be placed in the oven and bake for 15mins, flip the beef from time to time for even drying

20. out the meat after 15 mins and rub the kilishi all over it , making sure both side are well covered

21. It should br dried under the sun for two days then soak it in the kilishi solution and sun again till its dried or better still grill

22. Then put them back in the oven and bake for another 10 -15minutes , flip from time to time

23. Kililiwhio becomes more dried when it has cooled

Served with more pepper