Name: Nigerian Suya
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 15 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: نيجيرية
Ingredients: 800 g beef (sirloin or ribeye), sliced very thinly; 2 tbsp vegetable oil; For the spice mix (yaji suya): 1 cup roasted peanuts, skinned and finely ground; 2 tbsp paprika; 1 tbsp ground cayenne pepper; 1 tsp garlic powder; 1 tsp ginger powder; 1 tsp onion powder; 1 crushed beef stock cube; Salt, to taste; To serve: sliced onion, sliced tomato, sliced cabbage

A famous Nigerian street food: thin slices of beef coated in a spicy peanut spice blend called yaji suya, grilled over charcoal until crisp-edged and juicy inside.

خطوات التحضير

Grind the roasted peanuts in a food processor until finely powdered (not a paste, so avoid over-grinding).

Mix the ground peanuts with the paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, ginger powder, onion powder, crushed stock cube and salt to form the spice blend.

Brush the thin meat slices with vegetable oil on both sides.

Generously coat the meat slices with the spice blend on all sides, pressing to help it adhere.

Thread the meat slices onto metal or wooden skewers (pre-soaked in water if wooden).

Let the meat rest for 20-30 minutes at room temperature, or refrigerate if longer.

Heat the grill or charcoal to high heat.

Grill the skewers for 3-4 minutes per side until cooked through with slightly charred, crispy edges.

Serve immediately hot with fresh sliced onion, tomato and cabbage.

نصيحة

Slice the meat genuinely very thinly — this allows for fast grilling that keeps the inside juicy while the outer spice coating chars quickly. The dry spice mix can be stored in an airtight container for several weeks for later use.

Suya is one of the most famous street foods in Nigeria and West Africa broadly, with roots traced to the Hausa people of northern Nigeria, where nomadic cattle herders devised a quick way of grilling thin strips of meat on skewers over charcoal, coating them in a dry spice mix that preserved the meat and gave it a bold flavour.

The true secret of suya lies in the spice mix known as «yaji suya», a blend of finely ground peanuts with hot pepper and a number of other spices such as ginger and garlic powder, coated onto the meat right before grilling. The ground peanuts give the outer surface a light crispiness when grilled, while the meat inside stays tender and juicy, traditionally served with slices of raw onion and tomato.