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Kuli kuli is ubiquitous snacks and they are very popular in Nigeria, Benin, northern Cameroon, and Ghana.
It is one crunchy snack that brings back lovely childhood memories. If you want an easy crunchy snack to munch on any time of the day, then Kuli kuli is the snack for you. Enjoy!
What Is Kuli Kuli?
Salty, spicy, and very crunchy, kuli kuli is a snack that is widespread in West Africa. It is made exclusively with peanuts, but its preparation requires some special tricks.
Kuli-kuli is traditionally in the form of small sticks, rings, or small pieces of dough. These are the three main forms most prevalent in Africa, but there are also others.
Kuli Kuli is called by various English names such as groundnut cake, groundnut cookies, or peanut snacks; it is not an English recipe, so the English name is based on the different views of individuals.
How To Make Kuli Kuli
Kuli-kuli is made by mixing peanuts in a blender for a few minutes. First, the peanuts are roasted. You can roast the peanuts on a stovetop or in an oven.
Then the roasted peanuts are blended with a powerful blender or food processor into smooth peanut butter without adding any water during the blending process.
The peanut oil is then extracted from the peanut butter by constant stirring and adding a little amount of water at a time. I added 1 tablespoon of water at a time and then stir continuously.
Once the peanut oil is extracted, you are left with a thick peanut paste. In a mixing bowl, add your seasoning: sugar or salt, or ginger powder, and mix with the peanut paste until it is well combined.
Roll the paste into small balls, bars, or cookie-like shapes. The shape depends on you. Heat a pan and add cooking oil; most times, the peanut oil you extracted is also used for frying the peanut snacks.
When the oil is heated, add the molded peanut paste into it and fry. Every 30 seconds, flip them to fry evenly. You don’t need to fry for long. It usually takes about 5 minutes on medium heat to fry your Kuli Kuli.
Remove from the oil and drain over a strainer or paper towel. Allow it to cool. It becomes crispy and crunchy when cooled.
What to Eat With Kuli Kuli
- They are eaten by themselves or served with a mixture of garri (or gari), sugar, and water. Garri is a cassava flour that is very common in West Africa. It enters into the composition of many traditional dishes.
- Kuli-kuli is also eaten with koko or fura. Fura is a typical thick drink made from millet flour.
- Sometimes kuli-kuli are crushed and added to a salad. They add a lot of taste and crunch to seasoning.
Kuli-kuli is also used for suya, spicy meat skewers popular in West Africa and known as chinchinga or tsitsinga in Ghana.
They are usually prepared with beef, goat, or chicken. Offals such as kidneys, liver, and tripe are also used. Kuli-kuli, in the form of uncooked dough, is added to the meat marinade in addition to salt, vegetable oil, and other spices.
It brings a lot of flavors thanks to its concentration of peanuts and makes the particularity of these spicy skewers. Also, there is a variation of these spicy skewers called kilishi. These are skewers of dried meat that come in the form of very thin pieces.
We hope this recipe will pique your curiosity and whet your appetite. If you want an easy crunchy snack to munch on any time of the day, then the Kuli kuli recipe is the snack for you. Enjoy!
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