Small Chops

Beef Suya

Name: Beef Suya
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 67 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Nigerian
Ingredients: 600 g beef sirloin (Boneless; sliced across the grain 3 mm thick); 45 g unsweetened roasted peanut powder (Or finely ground kuli-kuli); 2 tsp ground ginger; 2 tsp sweet paprika; 1 tsp onion powder; 0.5 tsp garlic powder; 0.5 tsp cayenne pepper (Adjust to taste); 0.13 tsp ground cloves; 0.75 tsp salt; 2 tbsp groundnut oil; 1 medium red onion (Thinly sliced, for serving); 2 medium tomatoes (Sliced, for serving)

Thin beef skewers coated in groundnut, ginger and chilli seasoning, grilled until browned and cooked through. Suya’s Hausa associations sit alongside its nationwide popularity. Specialist vendors turn thin meat over hot grills and serve it with sliced onion and extra spice. The seasoning is not one fixed formula: different cooks build different balances of groundnut, pepper and aromatic spices. Cultural context: Associated with Hausa grilling specialists and now a widely shared Nigerian street food; spice blends differ by vendor.

Spice-coated beef suya slices with red onion and salad garnish

Steak Suya.jpg by Wikipedianaija, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Image details

None by this package; original downloaded file bytes preserved. Source-file adaptations, if any, are credited separately.

Full source and image record

25 minPreparation

12 minCooking

4Servings

Allow 30 additional minutes for resting / soaking. Total: 67 minutes.

What you’ll need

4 servings

Let’s get cooking

1
Use metal skewers, or soak wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes. Combine peanut powder, spices and salt; set aside 1 tablespoon in a clean dish for serving.
2
Toss the beef with oil and the remaining seasoning. Thread loosely onto skewers, keeping the thin strips spread out. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
3
Heat a grill to medium-high and oil the grate. Grill the skewers for roughly 8–12 minutes, turning several times and moving away from flare-ups.
4
Check several pieces, especially folded ones, are fully cooked. Use a thin-tip thermometer where possible: reach at least 63°C and rest for 3 minutes. Time alone is not a safety check.
5
Transfer to a clean platter and serve with onion, tomato and the reserved untouched spice. Discard seasoning or oil that contacted raw beef.

A little kitchen wisdom

Briefly firming beef in the freezer makes thin slicing easier If substituting chicken, cook it to 74°C throughout; the beef timing no longer applies Kuli-kuli and yaji labels may list additional allergens Timing: active preparation 25 min; cooking 12 min; additional passive time 30 min; conservative planning allowance 67 min. Some stages may overlap. For Recipe.ng display, prep_minutes includes the additional passive time; it is not all hands-on work. Recipe status: Research draft; not kitchen-tested. Allergens and checks: peanuts

Recipe notes & sources

Research draft; not kitchen-tested

Also known as: Suya, Tsire

Associated with Hausa grilling specialists and now a widely shared Nigerian street food; spice blends differ by vendor.

Allergens: peanuts