Beef Suya

By Yewande Komolafe

Beef Suya
Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich. Prop Stylist: Paige Hicks.
Total Time
30 minutes, plus marinating
Rating
4(328)
Comments
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Suya is a popular Nigerian street food made of thin strips of meat that are seasoned, skewered and grilled. The term “suya” can refer to the preparation technique or the resulting dish, and can apply to other meats, such as goat and chicken. This recipe is similar in style to the suya made from a fattier cut of beef called tozo, which comes from the hump of the zebu cattle, found in northern Nigeria. A well-marbled piece of boneless short rib is a great substitute. Ask your butcher to thinly slice the meat into strips, or pop it into your freezer for 30 minutes and use a sharp knife to slice. Suya spice, or yaji, is available online or at African groceries, or you can make your own (see Tip).

Featured in: Yewande Komolafe’s 10 Essential Nigerian Recipes

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings (Makes 12 skewers)
  • 1½pounds boneless short ribs, sliced lengthwise into ¼-inch-thick strips
  • ¼cup peanut oil, plus more for grilling
  • 2tablespoons store-bought or homemade ground suya spice blend (see Note), plus more for serving
  • 1(2-inch) piece fresh ginger, grated
  • 2garlic cloves, grated
  • Kosher salt
  • 2medium plum tomatoes, sliced into ¼-inch strips, seeds discarded
  • 1small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced into rings
  • 1lime (optional)
  • ¼cup toasted peanuts, chopped
Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Lay several strips of meat on a piece of plastic wrap, leaving about ½ inch between each slice, and top with another piece of plastic wrap. Pound the meat strips with a rolling pin or the bottom of a heavy frying pan until ⅛-inch thick. Repeat this process until all the meat has been flattened. Set aside.

  2. Step 2

    In a medium bowl, combine ¼ cup peanut oil and 2 tablespoons suya spice blend with ginger and garlic. Add beef, toss to coat and season with 2 teaspoons salt. Cover with plastic wrap, and let marinate in the fridge for 4 to 12 hours.

  3. Step 3

    Heat a gas grill or grill pan over medium-high, and brush with peanut oil.

  4. Step 4

    Skewer the beef pieces on 12 individual presoaked wooden or metal skewers, wiping off any excess marinade. Brush the meat generously with more peanut oil and set the skewers on a baking sheet.

  5. Step 5

    Working in batches if necessary, grill the beef skewers until meat is cooked through and lightly charred on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer the skewers to a platter and sprinkle with more suya spice blend. Repeat until all the beef has been grilled.

  6. Step 6

    Place the tomato and onion slices in a bowl and squeeze lime juice all over. Season with salt and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Strain any excess liquid.

  7. Step 7

    Top skewers with red onion and tomatoes, sprinkle with toasted peanuts, and serve with additional suya spice, for dipping.

Tip
  • To make suya spice blend, combine ¼ cup dry roasted peanut powder, 1 tablespoon ground ginger, 2 teaspoons ground cayenne, 2 teaspoons hot paprika, 2 teaspoons onion powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder and 1 teaspoon fine sea salt. Makes about ½ cup.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
328 user ratings
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Comments

Prakash Nadkarni

No - if you have a dry grinder (I use a repurposed coffee grinder), just grind dry roasted peanuts (any supermarket brand, salted or unsalted, is fine). You'll get a semi-paste rather than a powder because of the peanuts' fat content. In South/West India, a similar all-purpose condiment - ground peanuts, chili (cayenne) powder, smashed garlic and tamarind (as souring agent) - is served with idlis (steamed rice-sourdough batter) and unleavened wheat flatbreads (rotis).

Avery

Is peanut powder the same as powdered peanut butter? Can I make my own, or, if not, where can I find it? Thanks!

mkacz

Not sure if this is what the recipe means, but I blitz unsalted roasted peanuts in a spice grinder. It's always worked well!

lisa

I really loved this and have made it several times. I used flank steak, and one time my butcher sliced it thin for me, and one time I partially froze the flank steak and cut it myself very thin. Both times turned out great. One thing I would say is that it’s not necessarily intuitive but the compliments were really important for the results of the dish. So definitely do the sides. They were refreshing and their flavor complemented the meat very well.

WillKS

This rub/marinade is delicious. I have seen peanut powder for sale, and now I know what it's for! (I'll also seek out Kuli-Kuli.) This time, ground my peanuts in a mortar. Used pounded slices of Picanha/Culotte/Sirloin Cap steak. Grilled in minutes. Outstanding!

Andrew Schiemel

This recipe was AMAZING! Made the Suya by putting 1/4 cup of dry roasted peanuts into my food processor. After I used the S blades to puree into a dry powder, I added the rest of the spices.. hit the pulse button a few times.. and VOILA! Suya. I see another reader got more of a paste using peanuts and doing this.. but mine was as dry as can be. A dry spice rub/blend. Short rib meat was PERFECT for this dish. The tomato/red onion with salt/lime balanced the spice of the meat perfectly! A+

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