Nigerian Beef Suya

Author Notes

Suya. Home food. One thought and my mouth begins to water—its deliciousness is engraved in the heart, mind, and tummy of my 7-year-old daughter who left Nigeria for the Netherlands four years ago as a mere toddler. The flame-grilled, peanut-spiced pieces of beef are one of the few memories she’s preserved, along with the tropical heat.

Suya is Nigerian street food at its most popular; it's never made at home. Well, almost never. The exceptions? If you invite the suya man himself into your humble abode to rustle some up, and if you are (like me) away from home, in diaspora, and hankering after spicy meats of years past, then of course permission is granted to try this at home.

On the street, it's prepared by Mallams, men from the north of the country, trained in the art and spice of meat preservation. It has very humble origins, being the preserve of pastoral nomads who travelled with their herds of cattle and often had to use the meat of the animals both for food and trade. Thanks to the ‘wandering' of these men, every nook and cranny in every Nigerian city boasts a suya spot.

So what is suya? It's similar to Asian satay. Thin strips of steak (sirloin, flank, or topside) are coated in a dry peanut rub, flavors heightened by a balanced combination of powders: ginger, garlic, paprika, chili, and salt. The cut of meat matters, but not that much as the marinade tenderizes it wonderfully. Of course each mallam has his own special spice mix. Hours later and meat threaded onto sticks, they're cooked over hot coals 'til ready, then set aside to await the onslaught of clients at the end of a hard day’s work.

At 4 or 5 p.m., the suya spots are suddenly transformed into a hive of activity. Amongst the crowds are boys trying to woo girls (rarely the reverse), parents treating kids, colleagues, friends, and everyone in between. No one is too rich, too poor, too southern or western, of the right name, wrong height to get suya from the same open-flamed shop—it's a delicacy that cuts across every social level one can think off.

As soon as the orders are in, the suya sticks are warmed up again and served in newspapers, meat on sticks or sans, with a sprinkling of the marinade mix, fresh tomato wedges, slices of red onion, and for the brave only, slices of fresh hot chiles.

Some tips:
It's easier to slice the beef if you freeze it for 1 hour prior to use. You can use store-bought peanut butter, but you will need to thin it by gentle heating. Add a dash of coconut milk or water to create a thick pouring consistency. The spice measurements are a guide; adjust them to suit your taste. And the best tasting suya is cooked, left to rest for a couple of hours, and then reheated gently over the flames...of your grill! —Kitchen Butterfly