Suya

Name: Suya
Cook time: 128 min
Total time: 128 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Nigerian
Ingredients: 2 u Tomato; 1 u Onion; 1 teaspoon Salt; 2 teaspoons Paprika; 1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper; 2 teaspoons Ground Ginger; 700 g Beef Fillet; 1 u Chicken Stock Cube; 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder; 100 g Roasted Peanut; 1 teaspoon Ground Onion; 3 tablespoons Peanut Oil

Easy

Contains allergens

Cereales con gluten(may contain)Leche(may contain)Apio(may contain)Cacahuetes

Author: Equipo Cocinoa
Preparation time: 2 hr
Servings: 4

Summary

Thin strips of beef threaded onto skewers, coated in yaji, a spicy mix of roasted peanuts, ginger and chilli, and grilled over fierce heat. The street-stall grilled meat of Nigeria, served with onion and tomato.

Ingredients

4 servings

Add to Bring!

2 u Tomato (sliced)
1 u Onion (red or white, sliced into thin rings)
1 teaspoon Salt
2 teaspoons Paprika (sweet)
1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper (or more, to taste)
2 teaspoons Ground Ginger
700 g Beef Fillet (or rump or topside: a lean piece with no sinew)
1 u Chicken Stock Cube (crumbled) (optional)
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
100 g Roasted Peanut (unsalted, or ground kuli-kuli)
1 teaspoon Ground Onion
3 tablespoons Peanut Oil (or vegetable oil)

Instructions

Put the meat in the freezer for half an hour to firm it up so it is easier to slice thinly. Meanwhile, soak the wooden skewers in water.
30 min
Make the yaji: grind the peanuts in short bursts to a sandy powder, stopping before it becomes a paste. If it is very oily, press the powder between two sheets of kitchen paper to remove some of the oil. Mix it with the ginger, paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, ground onion, crumbled stock cube and salt. Set a third aside for serving.
10 min
Cut the meat across the grain into slices about 3 or 4 mm thick, then into wide strips about 4 cm across. If any slice is thick, flatten it with a meat mallet between two sheets of cling film.
10 min
Rub the strips with 2 tablespoons of the oil and coat them in the rest of the yaji, pressing with your hands so that a thick layer sticks. Leave to marinate in the fridge for at least an hour, or overnight if you plan ahead.
60 min
Thread the strips onto the skewers, folding them like a ribbon and keeping them well spread out. Light the barbecue or heat a griddle pan or hotplate until very hot.
10 min
Grill the skewers for 3 or 4 minutes per side, brushing with the remaining oil, until the edges are browned and lightly charred but the meat is still juicy. Sprinkle with a little of the reserved yaji as soon as they come off the heat.
8 min
Serve hot with the onion rings, sliced tomato and the rest of the yaji in a small bowl for dipping.

Notes

Suya was born in northern Nigeria, where Hausa grillers make it at dusk on stalls with charcoal grills, and today it is eaten all over the country and in much of West Africa. There it comes wrapped in paper, with raw onion, tomato and extra yaji for dipping. Traditional yaji is made with kuli-kuli, crunchy cakes or sticks of pressed and fried peanut paste that are ground to a powder; if you can find it in African shops, use it instead of the peanuts. Grind the peanuts in short bursts: go too far and they turn into peanut butter. A stock cube is common in Nigeria but optional; without it, add a little more salt. Slice the meat as thinly as you can (half an hour in the freezer helps) and don't overcook it, or it will dry out. It is also made with chicken, lamb or liver. Without a barbecue, use the oven grill on full, about 10 cm from the heat, for 4 or 5 minutes per side. Leftover yaji keeps for several weeks in an airtight jar. Note: it contains peanuts, a major allergen.