Ghanaian Chichinga (Spiced Beef Skewers)

About This Recipe

Ghanaian Chichinga is a real, traditional Ghanaian dish, known as Spiced Beef Skewers. Thin beef skewers coated in a spiced, ground peanut suya spice blend, grilled over open flame, a popular Ghanaian street food.\n\nChichinga, closely related to Nigerian suya, reflects the shared West African tradition of skewered, spice-crusted grilled meat, historically sold by roving vendors and now a fixture of evening street food markets across Ghana.\n\nThe result is a dish worth making on its own merits: it rewards patience with the technique and delivers real, specific flavor rooted in Ghanaian home cooking, not a generic stand-in for a search term.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 800 gbeef sirloin(thinly sliced)
• 3 tbspneutral oil
• 100 gground roasted peanuts
• 2 tbspground ginger
• 1 tbspcayenne pepper
• 1 tbsppaprika
• 1 tspgarlic powder
• 1 tspground bouillon or stock powder
• 1 tspfine sea salt
• 1onion(sliced, to serve)
• 2tomatoes(sliced, to serve)

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the suya spice

   Combine ground peanuts, ginger, cayenne, paprika, garlic powder, bouillon powder and salt into a dry spice blend.

2. 2

   Skewer the beef

   Thread the thinly sliced beef onto skewers, weaving it slightly for good surface contact with the spice.

3. 3

   Coat lightly

   Brush the skewers with oil, then coat generously with the peanut spice blend, pressing it on.

4. 4

   Rest

   Let the coated skewers rest for at least 20 minutes to absorb the flavor.

5. 5

   Grill

   Grill over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes per side until charred at the edges and cooked through.

6. 6

   Serve

   Serve hot with sliced raw onion and tomato on the side, and extra spice blend for dipping.

Variations

• •

  Use chicken instead of beef for a lighter, quicker-cooking version.

• •

  Some vendors add a bit of ground crayfish to the spice mix for extra umami.

• •

  Adjust the cayenne quantity to control the heat level to taste.

Storage

Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave with a splash of water or stock to loosen the texture.

Frequently Asked Questions