African · Dinner · Lunch · Snack
Suya
Thin strips of lean beef rubbed in a smoky, peanut-rich yaji spice blend and grilled until charred at the edges. Served with crisp raw onion, tomato and cucumber for a fiery, protein-packed street-food favourite.
- Prep
- 55 min
- Cook
- 10 min
- Total
- 65 min
- Serves
- 4
Calories come from: Carbs 17% · Fat 41% · Protein 42%
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Ingredients
For 4 servings- 600 glean beef sirloin, trimmed
- 1/3 cup50 gunsalted dry-roasted peanuts
- 1 tbsp5 gground ginger
- 2 tsp6 ggarlic powder
- 2 tsp5 gonion powder
- 1 tbsp7 gsmoked paprika
- 2 tspcayenne pepper
- 1 tsp6 gsalt
- 1 tbsp14 gpeanut oil
- 1 medium150 gred onion
- 2 medium240 gtomatoes
- 1/2 large200 gcucumber
- 167 glime (optional)
Steps
- 1
Soak 8-10 wooden skewers in water for at least 30 minutes so they do not burn.
- 2
Place the beef in the freezer for 15 minutes to firm it up for easier slicing.
- 3
Slice the beef against the grain into thin strips about 5 mm thick.
- 4
Pulse the peanuts in a spice grinder or food processor until finely ground, stopping before they turn into paste.
- 5
Mix the ground peanuts, ginger, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cayenne and salt to make the yaji spice.
- 6
Set aside 2 tablespoons of the yaji for serving.
- 7
Toss the beef with the peanut oil, then add the remaining yaji and rub it in until every strip is well coated.
- 8
Cover and leave the beef to marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- 9
Thread the beef strips onto the soaked skewers in a zigzag, keeping them flat.
- 10
Heat a grill, barbecue or grill pan to medium-high.
- 11
Grill the skewers for 8-10 minutes, turning every 2-3 minutes, until charred at the edges and the beef reaches at least 63 °C / 145 °F.
- 12
Rest the skewers for 3 minutes off the heat.
- 13
Thinly slice the red onion, tomatoes and cucumber while the beef rests.
- 14
Sprinkle the reserved yaji over the skewers and serve with the fresh vegetables and lime wedges, if using.
Swaps, storage and make-ahead
Swaps
- Use boneless skinless chicken thighs instead of beef sirloin, grilling until they reach at least 74 °C / 165 °F.
- Swap the peanuts for toasted sunflower seeds and the peanut oil for sunflower oil to make a peanut-free version.
- Replace the beef with thick slices of firm tofu or king oyster mushrooms for a vegan version, pressing the tofu dry first.
- Use sweet paprika and halve the cayenne for a milder spice blend.
Storage
Refrigerate leftover beef off the skewers in an airtight container within 2 hours and eat within 3 to 4 days, reheating until steaming hot; the sliced raw vegetables are best eaten fresh and do not freeze well.
Make ahead
Mix the yaji spice up to 2 weeks ahead and keep it in an airtight jar in the fridge, since the ground peanuts can go stale. You can also slice and coat the beef up to 24 hours ahead, then keep it covered in the fridge until you grill it.
Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.
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Allergens and nutrition
Contains: Peanuts
Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.
Full nutrition
| Per serving (322 g) | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 357 kcal | 111 kcal |
| Protein | 38.3 g | 11.9 g |
| Carbohydrates | 15 g | 4.7 g |
| of which sugars | 5.6 g | 1.7 g |
| Fiber | 4.2 g | 1.3 g |
| Fat | 16.5 g | 5.1 g |
| of which saturated | 4 g | 1.2 g |
| Sodium | 675 mg | 210 mg |
Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.
