As a late teen, I spent three years in the Ghanaian capital, Accra. On arrival nothing can prepare you for the sweaty chaos, the melange of hip-hop/ zouk and the sweet, intoxicating aromas of sea, spice & West Africa coming at you from every corner! You can’t say you’ve experienced the gold coast until you’ve chopped (Ghanaian English for ‘eaten’) at a modest Chop-Shop (a road side fast food stall). The genuine warmth & generosity inherent in the natives is to be witnessed best at a Chop-Shop. Come sun down, the wobbly wooden tables & cracked plastic chairs quickly fill up with regular patrons having been enticed by the large torn sign advertising a tempting, cool bottle of Star beer. The rapid sounds of Twi & Ga fill up the little shack as friend’s joke and exchange news. Around you cars honk, music resonates, hawkers shout and flies buzz over head languidly creating an almost ironic atmosphere – laid back yet full of action!
As you sip on your own cold brew, mouth watering smoky wisps escape through the kitchen setting off a general buzz of eager anticipation. The rumble in your tummy grows louder as you take in the palatable odours of garlic, lime & chilli tempered Tilapia - roasted on an open grill to a smoky, succulent finish, Kele Wele - plantains marinated in ginger, garlic, onion & chilli and then deep fried to a crisp, caramelised golden brown, Watkye pronounced “watchie” - a rich, fragrant, colourful mishmash of spices, tomatoes, beans, meat or fish and rice cooked slowly and a personal favourite, Kyinkyinga pronounced "chin-chin-ga" - piquant & moist beef kebabs seasoned with a medley of spices & dry roasted peanuts.
In West Africa, you can buy a portion of Kyinkyinga seasoning from the local food market. As this is not an option in Ireland, I have had to adapt the original recipe with readily available ingredients to achieve best results.
Grilled Beef With Peanut Flour / Kyinkyinga
Serves 4
FOR THE BEEF AND MARINADE:
1 ½ -2 pounds boneless beef steaks, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 large onion, roughly chopped
1 green pepper, stemmed, seeded and cut into chunks
6 cloves garlic, peeled
4 jalapeno chillies, coarsely chopped (deseed for a milder version).
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, chopped
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
¼ cup peanut oil
FOR THE KEBABS:
2 green peppers, stemmed, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 onion, large, cut into 1-inch pieces
1-¼ cups dry roasted peanuts
¼ cup plain flour
Long wooden skewers
Method:
1. Set aside the beef in a large bowl.
2. In a food processor, finely chop peppers, onion, garlic, chillies, ginger, salt & pepper. Now add the peanut oil & continue to grind all ingredients to a thick paste.
Mix the marinade paste thoroughly into the beef & refrigerate for 3 hrs (or overnight preferably).
3. Preheat the grill to 250 degrees. Note* grilling these kebabs on a BBQ gives much tastier results.
4. Thread beef onto the skewers, alternating with pieces of pepper and onion.
5. In a clean food processor, grind roasted peanuts & flour as fine as possible. Take care not to over grind; peanut flour quickly becomes peanut butter.
6. Place the flour on a large plate and roll the kebabs in it so that all sides are generously covered.
7. When ready to cook, oil the grill grate. Arrange the skewers on the grate and place under hot grill. Turn the kebabs every 3 mins, until the beef is cooked (approx. 12 mins)
8. Serve immediately with chips & a salad.
