Nigerian recipe
Beef Suya
Thin slices of beef coated with yaji and grilled until browned at the edges.
About this recipe
Suya is closely associated with skilled street-side grilling. A home grill or very hot oven can reproduce the basic method, but the result will vary with the yaji blend, meat cut and heat source. Check every blend for groundnut and other allergens.
Variations & context
Yaji formulas and grilling practice vary. Home oven suya is an adaptation of a street-food technique, not a claim to reproduce every mai suya's method.
Ingredients
- 750 g beef sirloin or another tender cut
- 3 tablespoons suya spice or yaji, plus extra to finish
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
- 1 small onion, thinly sliced, to serve
- 1 tomato, sliced, to serve
- Salt only if the yaji blend is unsalted
- Wooden skewers soaked in water, if using
Method
- Chill the beef briefly, then slice it thinly across the grain.
- Mix the yaji with oil to make a loose coating. Check the blend for salt before adding any more.
- Coat the beef evenly and leave it covered in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- Thread the slices onto soaked skewers or arrange them flat on a rack.
- Grill over high heat or cook under a hot oven grill, turning once, until browned and safely cooked. Thin slices cook quickly.
- Rest briefly, dust lightly with more yaji if desired and serve with onion and tomato.
Explore the ingredients
Sources & editorial notes
Groundnut allergy warning is essential because many yaji blends contain groundnut.
https://afrifoodlinks.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Suya.pdf
https://www.oluolufoods.com/blogs/recipes/nigerian-beef-suya