Lunch · West African
Beef Suya Skewers
Thin beef in a roasted peanut spice crust, straight off the grill.
- Prep
- 25 mins
- Cook
- 10 mins
- Total
- 35 minsplus 2 hours marinating
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
Suya is street food at its best: thin beef, a dry rub built on roasted peanuts, and a fire hot enough to char the edges before the inside overcooks.
The spice blend, yaji, is the whole dish. Make more than you need — it keeps for months and is very good on chicken, potatoes and roasted vegetables.
Instructions
-
Blitz the peanuts in a food processor in short pulses until they resemble coarse sand. Stop before they turn to butter — a few seconds too long and the oil releases.
-
Tip the ground peanuts onto kitchen paper and press to absorb excess oil, then mix with the paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder, ginger, bouillon and salt. You now have yaji.
-
Slice the chilled beef against the grain as thinly as you can manage, about 3mm. Chilling the meat firms it up and makes thin slicing far easier.
-
Toss the beef with the oil, then add about two thirds of the yaji and massage it in until every piece is evenly coated.
Massage the yaji in so every surface is coated. -
Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight. Soak wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes while you wait.
-
Thread the beef onto the skewers in loose folds rather than packing it tight, so the heat reaches every surface.
Thread loosely — packed meat steams in its own heat. -
Heat a charcoal grill or griddle pan to high. Brush the grate with oil.
-
Grill the skewers for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until the edges char and the meat is just cooked through. Thin beef goes from perfect to tough in under a minute, so stay with the grill.
-
Sprinkle with the remaining yaji while still hot and serve with raw onion, tomato and lime.
Tips from our kitchen
- Freeze the beef for 30 to 40 minutes before slicing. It is the single easiest way to get thin, even slices.
- Press the ground peanuts with kitchen paper. Too much peanut oil makes the rub clump instead of forming a crust.
- Cayenne is where the heat lives — start with half if you are unsure, and add more to the finishing sprinkle.
- Leftover yaji keeps in an airtight jar for up to 3 months away from light.
