Suya is Nigerian street food at its best — spicy, smoky grilled beef coated in a peanut-based spice blend called yaji. I grew up watching suya being grilled on the side of the road, and this is my attempt at bringing that same smell into a home kitchen.
What you need
For the yaji spice blend:
- 1/2 cup roasted peanuts, finely ground
- 2 tbsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 halal bouillon cube, crushed
- Salt to taste
For the skewers:
- 2 lbs halal beef sirloin or ribeye, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- Wooden or metal skewers
- Thinly sliced onion, tomato, and cabbage, to serve
How to make it
Mix all the yaji spice ingredients together in a bowl. This blend is the entire soul of suya, so don’t rush it — taste as you go and adjust the heat to what you can handle.
Toss the sliced beef with the oil, then coat it generously in about two-thirds of the yaji mix, pressing the spice into the meat. Thread the beef onto skewers and let it marinate at least 30 minutes, though a few hours in the fridge makes a real difference.
Grill over high heat (or use a hot grill pan or broiler if you don’t have access to an outdoor grill) for 3–4 minutes per side, until charred at the edges and cooked through.
Sprinkle the remaining yaji over the hot skewers right after they come off the heat. Serve with sliced onion, tomato, and cabbage on the side.
Tip: If you can’t find yaji-specific dry pepper (kilishi pepper) locally, this cayenne-based version gets you very close. A lot of Nigerian and West African grocery stores also sell pre-made yaji if you want to skip the blend step entirely.
