Ghana's cousin of suya: cubes of beef or goat rolled in tankora powder (roasted peanut, ginger, and chile) both before and after grilling, giving a double crust of spice. A Hausa trader's dish that became street-food standard across the country.
Also known as chichinga, chinchinga, Ghanaian kebab.
Reference video
Ingredients
- 600 g beef sirloin or goat, in 2 cm cubes
- 80 g roasted peanuts, ground to a dry powder
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 0.5 tsp ground grains of selim or extra black pepper
- 1 stock cube, crumbled (the authentic street move)
- 60 ml groundnut oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 onion, in wedges
How to make it
- 1
Blitz the peanuts with ginger, chilli, selim, stock cube and salt into tankora powder, stopping before it turns to butter.
- 2
Oil the meat, roll it in half the powder and rest 2 h.
- 3
Thread onto skewers with the odd onion petal.
- 4
Grill over medium coals 10-12 min, turning steadily.
- 5
Brush with oil and roll through the remaining tankora while still hot, so the second coat toasts on.
Pro tip: The double dusting is the Ghanaian signature: the pre-grill coat cooks in, and the post-grill coat toasts on residual heat, giving two distinct layers of peanut.
Where Kyinkyinga comes from
It arrived with Hausa traders moving south and became a Ghanaian standard, sold from small charcoal grills in Accra, Kumasi and every market town. Where Nigerian suya is thin-sliced, Ghanaian kyinkyinga is cubed and often threaded with onion and pepper between the meat, which is the visible local divergence.
Kyinkyinga: Ghana's cubed, double-coated suya
Kyinkyinga keeps the suya idea and changes the cut: 2 cm cubes of beef or goat instead of thin ribbons, so the skewers need 10 to 12 minutes over medium coals rather than a quick sear. The spice, called tankora here, is peanut, ginger and chilli, often with grains of selim, and it goes on twice: once before the rest and again while the meat is still hot. Cameroon's soya is the other chunky cousin, with thick strips or 3 cm pieces cooked for 12 to 15 minutes, while Nigerian suya stays thin and fast.
Compare: Suya · Soya (Cameroonian Suya)
How Kyinkyinga is cooked
Tankora is Ghana's version of yaji, but far lighter on ginger: Nigerian street yaji measures ginger spoon for spoon against the peanut, while tankora, like the recipe on this page, takes about a teaspoon per batch. The double application is the same principle: one coat toasts into a crust on the fire, one goes on after and stays raw and aromatic. Ghanaian vendors are generous with the second coat.
Because the meat is cubed rather than sliced, it needs longer over the coals than suya, and the onion and pepper threaded between the cubes both season it and shield it slightly. The cubes are small — around two centimetres — so they cook through before the spice crust burns.
Ingredients and shopping
Beef or goat in two-centimetre cubes, with some fat. Goat is common and worth using. Tankora powder is sold ready-made in Ghanaian groceries; otherwise grind roasted peanuts blotted of oil with chilli powder, a little ginger, grains of selim or black pepper, a stock cube and salt, as in the recipe above. Garlic powder, ground coriander and a pinch of cloves are optional extras.
Onion and green pepper in squares for threading between the cubes. Groundnut oil for brushing. Soaked wooden skewers, since Ghanaian street vendors use them almost exclusively.
How Kyinkyinga is served
Off the skewer with raw onion, extra tankora and sometimes a slice of bread, from a roadside grill in the evening. Kelewele — spiced fried plantain — is a common companion. A cold beer or a malt drink.
Common mistakes
Cubes too large
They need to cook through before the peanut crust burns. Two centimetres is the working size.
Skipping the second coating
The post-grill dusting is where the aromatic heat lives. One coat only gives a toasted, muted flavour.
Unsoaked wooden skewers
They burn through over a small charcoal grill. Soak them well.
A very hot fire
Peanut powder burns fast. Moderate coals and frequent turning.
Kyinkyinga: questions and answers
Is kyinkyinga the same as suya?
They are close relatives. Ghanaian kyinkyinga is cubed and threaded with onion and pepper; Nigerian suya is thin-sliced and fanned on the skewer. The spice principle is shared.
What is tankora powder?
Ghana's version of the peanut-and-chilli kebab spice, a close relative of Nigerian yaji with far less ginger in the mix.
What is it also called?
Chichinga. The two names are used interchangeably across Ghana.
Sources and further reading
- Kyinkyinga — Wikipedia
- Chichinga (suya) goat kebabs — Jamie Oliver
