How To Make Your Own Suya

Suya is a popular Nigerian shish kebab (roasted skewered meat). Suya is usually made with beef, however, chicken or veal or pork can also be used. Although Suya has it origins in the Northern part of Nigeria, it is very popular all over Nigeria and across West Africa.

You don’t have to wait till your favourite Suya vendor or Mai Suya arrives in the night, now you can make your own suya:

The Suya Spice

• 3 teaspoons finely ground roasted peanuts
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper or red pepper, or red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

First, grind the roasted peanuts into a fine powder, then add other spices and mix well. Ensure not to grind the peanuts into a paste. Your Suya spice is now ready.

Grill Your Own Suya Meat

Wash and slice the beef into very thin fillets. If you are using chicken, you don’t need to cut, except you want it in small chunks.

Stake the beef on the sticks and sprinkle the mixed spice all around it, sprinkle evenly on both sides

You can also dab the threaded fillets of beef in the spice so that the beef takes up as much of the spice as possible.

Once the beef has marinated for 1 hour, set your oven to preheat for 10 minutes. The settings should be Grill at 150°C or about 300°F

Place the beef flat on the oven rack and put in the oven to roast.

After 15 – 20 minutes, flip the beef to roast the underside as well. The length of time you’ll roast each side depends on how thick the fillets are. So total roasting time for both sides of the beef is 30 – 40 minutes.

Rub some of the remaining groundnut oil on both sides of the beef. Increase the oven temperature a bit and roast either side of the beef for 5 minutes each.