MEAT RECIPES (SUYA)

Suya  is mostly prepared in the northern part of Nigeria (Hausa’s) and the spice known as Yaji in Hausa, is the best kept recipe secret, only known by the top Mallams of Hausaland.

Every Mai Suya and his team have their own unique blend of kuli kuli (groundnut/peanut butter deep-fried till crunchy), ground ginger, pepper flakes, stock cubes and salt to come up with the Suya spice that draws people out of their homes at dusk to have some tasty Suya.

Ingredients you need for Suya

• Beef: The best cut with as little fat as possible.
• 5 tablespoons crushed kuli kuli (110g)
• 5 tablespoons ginger powder (75g)
• 2 tablespoons cayenne pepper flakes (6g)
• 10 strands of African Negro pepper known as Uda in Igbo
• 1 small stock cube (4g)              
• ½ teaspoon salt

Tools you'll need: Skewers or sticks

Notes about the ingredients

1.     If you do not have groundnut oil (peanut oil), use any tasteless and odourless vegetable oil, eg sunflower oil.

Before you make  Suya

1.     You can soak the Suya sticks in cold water for at least 5 hours. This ensures that the sticks do not burn during the roasting of the Suya.

2.     Cut the beef into very thin fillets. The butchers have the perfect appliance for this. All you have to do is tell them how thin you want the fillets and it is done for you in no time. If you don't have butchers that will do this for you, just do your best.

Usually, if you freeze the beef a little bit, it makes the cutting easier, but Suya Mallams say that if you want to make the best Suya, do not refrigerate or freeze the beef.

3.     If the fillets are long and large, cut them into small pieces such that when you thread them on the sticks, they will not flap too much.

4.     Now thread the fillets of beef on the Suya sticks. Putting the beef on sticks is optional but if it's not on a stick, it's not Suya. 

                                                                

5.     Put some groundnut (peanut) oil in a bowl, add a small quantity of salt and stir. Using a cooking brush, rub the groundnut (peanut) oil on the threaded fillets of beef. This is what helps the Suya spice stick to the meat so make sure you do not leave out any part of the meat. 

6.     In a wide dish, spread the suya spice and dab the threaded fillets of beef in the spice so that the beef takes up as much of the spice as possible. All the beef will be covered with the Suya spice when you are done.

7.     Place all the now spiced beef in a flat plate, cover with a thin plastic film and leave to marinate for 1 hour. We usually put beef in the fridge to marinate but the Suya Gurus, the Mai Suyas, say beef to be used for Suya should not be put in the fridge.

The Making of Suya

1.     Once the beef has marinated for 1 hour, set your oven to preheat for 10 minutes. The settings should be Grill at 150°C or about 300°F

2.     Place the beef flat on the oven rack and put in the oven to roast.

                                                                    

3.     After 15 - 20 minutes, flip the beef to roast the underside as well. The length of time you'll roast each side depends on how thick the fillets are. So total roasting time for both sides of the beef is 30 - 40 minutes.

4.     Rub some of the remaining groundnut oil on both sides of the beef. Increase the oven temperature a bit and roast either side of the beef for 5 minutes each.

5.     That's it!

Serve with chunks of onions, tomatoes ,cabbage and cucumber, and chilled drinks.