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Suya
Suya: northern Nigerian beef skewers in peanut-chilli yaji spice
Suya comes from the Hausa north, from Kano and Kaduna, but now every Nigerian city has a mai suya grilling beef over charcoal by the roadside once the sun goes down. Thin slices of beef are threaded onto skewers, rubbed with yaji, a fiery mix of roasted peanut powder, chilli, ginger and stock spices, and grilled until charred at the edges. It comes wrapped in newspaper with sliced raw onion, tomato and extra yaji for dipping. The common mistake is cutting the beef thick; it needs to be thin enough to see light through, so it cooks fast and stays tender. Chef's tip: put the beef in the freezer for 30 minutes first, and it will slice wafer thin with ease.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the yaji spice
For the skewers
To serve
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (5)
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Grind 3 ½ oz roasted unsalted peanuts in a food processor in short pulses until they turn into a fine, dry-looking powder. Stop before it turns into peanut butter. Tip into a bowl and mix with 1 tbsp cayenne pepper, 1 tbsp smoked paprika, 2 tsp ground ginger, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder and 1 ½ tsp salt. Set aside 3 tablespoons for serving.
Step 2: Slice 1 ½ lb beef sirloin or rump steak against the grain as thinly as you can, 3–4 mm. Lay the slices flat between baking paper and tap with a rolling pin to thin them a little more.
Step 3: Toss the beef with 3 tbsp groundnut oil, then with the yaji until every slice is thickly coated. Thread onto 8 wooden skewers in loose ripples.
Step 4: Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour, or up to overnight.
60 minStep 6: Rest the skewers for 3 minutes. Slices this thin are cooked through when no red juice remains.
3 minStep 7: Serve on a board with 1 red onion, 2 tomatoes and 3 ½ oz white cabbage, and the saved yaji for dipping.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 390 kcal
- Protein
- 42 g
- Carbs
- 9 g
- Fat
- 21 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does suya take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of smoked paprika?
- Sweet paprika + a pinch of chipotle or a drop of liquid smoke.
- What can I use instead of ground ginger?
- 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger per ¼ tsp ground.
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