Suya
Nigeria's spicy night-market skewers. Suya is thinly sliced beef coated in a peanut and chilli spice called yaji and grilled over open flames. Its Hausa roots and a home recipe.
Suya ready for grilling: Kambai Akau, CC BY-SA 4.0
Street food after dark
In Nigerian cities, suya stands light up in the evening, with grill masters called mai suya fanning charcoal under rows of skewers. The dish comes from the Hausa people of northern Nigeria and has spread across the country and neighbouring nations.
The yaji spice
The heart of suya is yaji, a spice mix based on roasted ground peanuts, or the peanut snack kuli-kuli, with chilli, ginger, garlic, onion powder and stock seasoning. Each vendor has a secret blend. Thin slices of beef are rubbed with oil and yaji, threaded on skewers and grilled quickly over high heat.
How it is served
Suya is wrapped in newspaper or paper with raw onion slices, tomato and a little extra yaji for dipping. It is eaten with friends as a snack or late-night meal. Chicken, goat and offal versions are popular too.
Peanut allergy note
Because yaji is made from peanuts, suya is not safe for people with peanut allergies. At home you can make a peanut-free version with toasted sesame or sunflower seeds, though the flavour changes.
Make Suya at home
Ingredients
- 600 g beef sirloin or flank, sliced very thin
- Yaji: 60 g roasted unsalted peanuts finely ground, 2 tsp chilli powder (to taste), 1 tsp ground ginger,
- 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp paprika, 1 tsp salt, 1 crumbled stock cube
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- To serve: sliced red onion, tomato, extra yaji
- Wooden skewers, soaked in water
Method
- Mix all yaji ingredients and set aside a few spoonfuls for serving.
- Toss the beef with the oil, then coat thoroughly with the yaji. Marinate 1 hour or overnight in the fridge.
- Thread the beef onto skewers in thin folds.
- Grill over hot charcoal or under a very hot grill 3 to 4 minutes per side, until cooked through and slightly charred.
- Serve with onion, tomato and extra yaji.
- Suya ready for grilling: Kambai Akau, CC BY-SA 4.0
Text written by Bongara Bongara.
