Kuli-kuli — Nigeria

Kuli-kuli is a West African snack built from peanuts that are roasted, ground and pressed until much of their oil is released, then shaped into small rings, balls or bars and deep-fried until crisp. The resulting cakes are dense, dry and intensely nutty, closer to a savoury cracker than to any wet paste. This version is prepared in Nigeria, where kuli-kuli is sold as street food and found across a wider band of West Africa, including Benin, Niger, Ghana, Cameroon and Togo. It travels well, keeps for days without refrigeration, and is bought by the handful from roadside vendors and market stalls. The peanuts are first roasted, then ground into a coarse paste and worked by hand or machine until enough oil separates out to leave a firm, workable dough seasoned with salt, chilli and sometimes ginger or onion. The dough is shaped into small pieces and deep-fried in batches, in the same oil that was pressed from the peanuts, until deeply golden and crunchy throughout. In Nigeria kuli-kuli is most often eaten dry, on its own or alongside a spicy accompaniment, whereas in Benin and Togo pieces are more commonly crumbled into a bowl with gari, sugar and milk or water to soften them into a porridge-like snack; the degree of crunch, spicing and saltiness also varies from one vendor to another.