West Africa · Street food
Kuli-Kuli (Deep-Fried Pressed Peanut Cakes)
Crunchy, golden spirals of defatted peanut paste seasoned with ginger, chili, and dried garlic, fried in their own extracted groundnut oil.
The story
Originating among the Hausa people of southern Niger and northern Nigeria, kuli-kuli is an omnipresent street food and vital source of daily protein. It is consumed on its own as a dry snack, crumbled over soaked garri, or pulverized to form the base of dry suya spice rubs. Historically, the extraction process was done entirely by vigorous manual kneading with boiling water to squeeze out the oil, which was then poured into the pot to fry the remaining protein cake.
Cook this next
Dan Wake (Boiled Cowpea and Cassava Flour Dumplings)
Bouncy, bite-sized cowpea and cassava dumplings tossed in seasoned groundnut oil, spicy Yaji suya pepper, and crisp raw vegetables.
Kilishi (Thin Sun-Dried Spiced Beef Jerky)
Paper-thin sheets of beef sun-dried, saturated in a spiced peanut and chili paste, and flash-grilled over glowing acacia coals.
Koko da Kosai (Spiced Fermented Millet Porridge with Bean Fritters)
Silky, ginger-spiced fermented pearl millet porridge served alongside crisp, golden, pillowy black-eyed pea fritters.
Masa (Fermented Rice and Millet Griddle Cakes)
Golden, cloud-soft fermented rice and millet griddle cakes with a crisp exterior, traditionally cooked in cast-iron dimpled pans.