🍢 SNACK
Kilishi (Nigerien Spiced Dried Beef)
Paper-thin sheets of lean beef dried until leathery, coated in a spiced groundnut paste with chili, ginger and onion, dried again and flashed over high heat into crisp, fiery jerky.
Nigerien · medium · serves 8
prep 40 min · cook 380 min · plus 1 h hands-off time
~458 cal · 39g protein · 8g carbs · 30g fat · 2g fiber · 3g sugars · 9g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Kilishi is the dried meat of Hausaland, the region that spans southern Niger and northern Nigeria. It is a popular street food in Niger, and it keeps for months without much change in taste.
It is said to have grown out of the need to preserve meat when cattle were moved about for safety during the jihad period. The lean beef is sliced into sheets so thin you can almost see through them and dried in the sun. Each sheet is then dipped in labu, a paste of ground roasted groundnuts loosened with water and seasoned with salt, onion, ginger, chili and other spices, sometimes sweetened with a little honey or , and dried again.
Finally the sheets are roasted for a few minutes over high heat, which toasts the coating and gives kilishi its smoky edge. Camel, goat and lamb are used too, but beef is the classic. A low oven stands in for the Sahel sun.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally gluten-, dairy-, egg- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 8
- 1 kg lean beef (topside or silverside), trimmed of all fat
- 1 1/2 cups (about 180 g) roasted groundnut (peanut) powder, or finely ground dry-roasted peanuts
- 1 small onion, grated to a pulp
- 1 tbsp ground ginger
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 to 2 tbsp ground dried chili
- 1 tbsp sweet paprika
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp sugar, optional
- about 1/2 cup warm water
Instructions
- 1Freeze the beef for 1 hour to firm it, then slice it with the grain into very thin sheets, about 3 mm or thinner. Lay each sheet on a board and flatten it further with the side of a knife or a rolling pin.✎ Chef’s noteThe thinner the sheets, the better kilishi dries and the crisper it gets. Butchers will often slice it for you on a machine.
- 2Heat the oven to 70C (160F), fan on if you have it. Lay the sheets flat on wire racks set over trays and dry them in the oven for 3 to 4 hours, turning once, until they are dry and leathery but still flexible.
- 3Meanwhile mix the groundnut powder, onion, ginger, garlic powder, chili, paprika, salt and sugar with enough warm water to make a thick, creamy paste that spreads easily.
- 4Dip each dried sheet into the paste, or spread it on both sides, so it is fully coated, and shake off the excess. Lay the sheets back on the racks and dry in the oven for 2 hours more, until the coating clings firmly and is dry to the touch.
- 5Finally, roast the sheets under a hot grill or over a charcoal fire for 2 to 3 minutes per side, until the coating toasts and the edges crisp. Cool completely, then break into pieces. Store airtight.
Hausa tradition of Niger and northern Nigeria.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Niamey. Niamey sits on the Niger River and steams dambou, couscous of millet or another grain tossed with boiled moringa leaves, peanut, and oil. Nigerien cooking is Sahelian: millet porridge, groundnut sauces, dried okra, and grilled mutton.
🗺️
Niger. Dambou is steamed couscous of millet or another grain with boiled moringa leaves, peanut and oil, and it is not made from cassava. It belongs to the Zarma and Songhai of the southwest and is festive rather than everyday. Fura da nono is the Hausa and Fulani drink-meal: millet balls crumbled into soured milk and drunk from a bowl.
🌍
Africa. Africa's fifty-four nations hold cuisines as different as Morocco's slow-cooked tagines and South Africa's open-fire braai, yet shared threads run through them: ancient grains like millet, sorghum, and teff; stews thickened with groundnut, okra, or palm; and fiery condiments from Tunisian harissa to Ethiopian berbere. Staple starches, fufu, injera, ugali, couscous, anchor communal meals often eaten by hand from a shared dish, where hospitality is a point of honor.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Niger
DambouSteamed grain tossed with moringa leaves, tomato, and oil, a light, nourishing dish of Niger.
Fura da NonoSpiced millet dough balls broken into cool soured milk and sweetened, the iconic Hausa-Fulani breakfast drink-meal of Niger.
Dan WakeSoft bean-flour dumplings tossed with oil, spice, and onion, a popular Hausa street lunch of Niger.
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Good to know
You’ll need: Oven, Grill or barbecue, Rolling pin.
Storing it: Fried food is best eaten fresh while crisp. Re-crisp leftovers in a hot oven or air fryer; the microwave makes them soft.
Make it a Niger meal
Kunun Aya (Tiger Nut Milk)Drink
Alkaki (Fried Wheat Sweet)Dessert
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Cuisine
Diet
Frequently asked questions
What is Kilishi (Nigerien Spiced Dried Beef)?
Paper-thin sheets of lean beef dried until leathery, coated in a spiced groundnut paste with chili, ginger and onion, dried again and flashed over high heat into crisp, fiery jerky.
Where does Kilishi (Nigerien Spiced Dried Beef) come from?
Kilishi (Nigerien Spiced Dried Beef) is a Nigerien dish from Niamey, Niger.
Can Kilishi (Nigerien Spiced Dried Beef) be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Kilishi (Nigerien Spiced Dried Beef) recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions. Treat the substitutions as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Kilishi (Nigerien Spiced Dried Beef) safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we still count coconut as a tree nut to be cautious, although the FDA stopped listing it as one in 2025), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Kilishi (Nigerien Spiced Dried Beef) take to make?
About 8 h in all: 40 minutes prep and 380 minutes cooking, plus 1 h of hands-off waiting the method needs, serving 8.
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