Suya
Nigeria's favourite street food: thin beef skewers coated in yaji, a smoky, spicy peanut rub, grilled until charred at the edges.
Method
First make yaji, the suya spice. Grind the peanuts in short pulses in a blender or with a mortar and pestle until fine; stop while it still looks like sand, because grinding too long turns it into peanut butter. Mix in the ground ginger, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, paprika, the crumbled stock cube and the salt, then set a quarter aside for sprinkling at the end.
Add in this stepRoasted unsalted peanuts 45 gGround ginger 1 tspGarlic powder ¾ tspOnion powder ¾ tspCayenne pepper 1 tspPaprika 1 tspStock cube ½Salt ½ tsp
Put the beef in the freezer for 15 minutes to firm it up so it slices thinly. Cut it across the grain into 3 mm thick, palm-sized slices. Toss with half the oil, then add the yaji (minus the reserved quarter) and massage it in with your hands until every slice is coated. Cover and marinate in the fridge for . Meanwhile soak the wooden skewers in water so they don't burn.
Add in this stepBeef sirloin or rump, in one piece 300 gPeanut oil (or vegetable oil) ¾ tbspWooden skewers 6
Set an oven rack about 10 cm below the top element and preheat the oven on its grill (broiler) setting at the highest temperature, about 250 °C, for . Meanwhile, thread the beef onto the skewers, folding each slice like an accordion so it lies flat, with a little space between pieces; packed too tightly it steams instead of charring. Line a tray with foil and set a wire rack on it.
ovenLay the skewers on the rack without overlapping (grill in two rounds if they don't fit) and grill under the oven element for . Pull the tray out, turn the skewers, brush with the remaining oil and grill for more. They are done when the edges are deeply charred and the meat is browned with no red juices. Thin slices cook fast; left longer they turn tough.
Add in this stepPeanut oil (or vegetable oil) ¾ tbsp
ovenSlice the red onion into thin rings, cut the tomatoes into wedges and shred the cabbage finely. Pile the vegetables on a plate, add the suya and sprinkle generously with the reserved yaji. As in Nigeria, you can also slide the meat off the skewers and serve it heaped with the vegetables on paper.
Add in this stepRed onion ½Tomatoes 1White cabbage 80 g
Cook's tip
Slicing thinly across the grain is what keeps suya tender. Make extra yaji and keep it in a sealed jar for up to a month; it is great on chicken and roast vegetables too. The stock cube is salty, so taste before adding more salt.
Cooking it at camp
Suya is a charcoal dish at heart, so it suits camping perfectly. Marinate and skewer the meat at home and carry it in a cooler below 5 °C, then grill over medium coals covered in white ash for 3–4 minutes per side. Wait until the flames die down, because direct flame burns the peanut coating.