When the thought of suya comes to mind, one starts to salivate. Its deliciousness is created in almost every Nigerian’s mind, heart, and belly. My unforgettable memory was when I moved to Abuja.
In 2016, three years after relocating to Abuja to stay with my uncle, my craving for suya increased because where I came from, suya is not that rampant. However, I noticed that in the northern part of Nigeria, everyone knows suya like they know their names, especially among the Hausa and Fulanis.
One of the most popular Nigerian street foods is suya, and it is never made at home. But you can invite a “Mai suya,” meaning suya man or suya seller, to your house to help you rustle some for a party whether you are far from home or still in your homeland.
Suya is often made with peanut butter instead of using Yaji or Tankora, which are usually hot-dried peppers used as suya spice. It’s not easy to find this dry rub made of peanut powder, ginger, garlic, paprika, chili, salt, and a few other things.
Grilled meat on sticks is a common street food in most cultures. For example, Shish Kebabs come from Turkey and are now common in the Middle East, the Eastern Mediterranean, and even South Asia. Shashlik, on the other hand, comes from Russia and is very popular at Christmas markets all over Germany. On a cold night in Cologne, when it was around -13 degrees Celsius.
Based on historical records, the Suya and their relatives came from pastoral tribes in West Africa (Fulani and Hausas from Cameroun to Niger and parts of Sudan) and North Africa (Tuareg and Berbers). These groups move with groups of animals that are like them, and they often trade and eat the meat of certain animals. People used to cook grilled foods on skewers made of swords and knives while sitting around campfires.
The suya men in Nigeria are called Mallams. They are men who know how to preserve and cook meat with spices. I have never met a female suya maker, so I’m not sure if they exist. Anyway, because these guys wander, every corner of every city in Nigeria has at least one right “suya spot.”
So what is suya? Generally, it is grilled pieces of beef and other meats such as chicken, guinea fowl, etc., wrapped in Yaji or Tankora. This mixture works as a tenderizer and tastemaker, and as one can guess, every Mallam has his special blend.
Hassan Usman, my suya vendor, who now provides me with his wonderful blends, makes two kinds—a slightly coarser, darker red blend for preserving the meat and a lighter, finer blend for putting alongside the cooked beef.
Most suya preparation starts early in the morning with the purchase of fresh cuts of meat (some do kill theirs themselves), cooked in the way of halal, meaning, pure means. Meat is sliced with a technique to make soft cuts—though the perception of tenderness varies—and then it’s seasoned. What follows is the sewing on sticks and cooking over hot coals till ready. The sticks of suya are then set away, expecting the rush of customers at the end of a hard day’s work.
By evening, around 4 pm to 6 pm, the suya spots come alive. They placed naked bulbs outside and in glass display cases housing row after row of cooked beef, as well as chicken, ram, goat, gizzards, and offal—tripe, kidney, and liver—even assorted suya.
In the most popular suya spots, you might meet a crowd, thick with couples and friends; parents getting some for their children, who aren’t a common sight at these spots; coworkers; and everyone in between. Here, there is nothing like being too rich, too poor, tribalism of any kind, gender-based, wrong height, or whatever to get suya from the same open-flamed shop—it is a treat that cuts across all social levels.
As soon as you order your suya, the suya mallam will warm up the suya stick or cut it directly from the one on fire and set it upon newspapers. You can choose to have the meat expertly cut off or to stay on sticks. You usually get a dusting of the yaji, fresh tomato pieces, slices of red onion, and for the brave only – slices of fresh hot chili pepper. White cabbage appears in some spots.
This is often enough except if you want to add some other snacks to it such as masa or gurasa. In the Northern part of the country Nigeria, which is the home of Suya they include Masa made from rice and also Gurasa, similar to Arabic Khubz/ pita. This specialty of Kano is cooked in a tanderu, (cousin to the tandoor?) clay oven and served for stuffing.
However, if you live in the diaspora, Nigerian or not, and want to rustle some up in your kitchen, know that peanut butter homemade or storebought would do nicely.
Ingredients to make suya at home
- Get skewers/sticks as many as possible
- Get your beef steak (sliced against the grain into thin (slightly thicker than carpaccio), wideish portions
- Three quarters – one cup peanut butter, gently cooked with ¼ cup of water to loosen
- One teaspoon of chili pepper
- One teaspoon of sea salt
- One teaspoon of ground ginger
- One teaspoon of onion powder
- One teaspoon of sweet paprika
- One – two tablespoons of lime juice
To serve: Fresh tomatoes, red onions, cabbage, chili peppers and coriander leaves, to serve
Some hints:
It’s simpler to slice the beef if you freeze it for an hour before usage.
Feel free to substitute chicken or other meats; this has worked nicely with swordfish!
Add a splash of coconut milk or water to the peanut butter and slowly boil until it reaches a thick pouring consistency.
Adjust the spices to your liking; my measurements are only a suggestion.
To avoid scorching on the grill, soak wooden skewers for at least a half-hour.
How to make suya at home
- To make the peanut paste, combine all of the ingredients and mix thoroughly. Make adjustments to suit your tastes.
- Fill a big bowl with meat strips. Pour the peanut sauce over it, then mix thoroughly with your hands to ensure that all of the meat is covered.
- Allow to marinate for a few hours or overnight. When ready to cook, thread them onto (wet wooden) skewers in an accordion pattern, so the meat is spread out rather than bunched together.
- You may cook them in a skillet, in the oven, or on the barbecue. I’ve tried all of the above, but the most genuine approach is, of course, over the fire.
- Heat your grill until the coals are red hot and covered with gray ash. Place the skewers carefully on an oiled grill rack.
- Allow to cook for a few minutes before turning over and cooking the other side. The sticks should be ready in less than 10 minutes, depending on how thick your meat pieces are.
- If they are not cooked after 10 minutes – and you should see a color shift – remove them from the fire and cook gently, monitoring for doneness every couple of minutes.
Serve as desired, using the specified components or those of your own choice. Whatever happens, have fun.