BEEF SUYA RECIPE

'Yaji' (Suya spice mix) is one of my favourite African spice mix and I use it most times for my grills, barbecue, garden parties etc (regardless of the weather). Khebab or Chinchinga (known locally in Ghana) is made from diced meat on skewers, marinated in the Suya spice mix, with onions, peppers and it's best charcoal grilled. 

This is a popular street food both in Ghana and Nigeria. The addition of the spice mix to the meat is what makes Suya. 

A perfect addition to an African inspired picnic or barbecue.  

A visit to my local butcher was a great idea as he served me a perfect cut of fillet beef. You can use any cut or type of meat, Goat, Mutton, Lamb, sirloin or ribeye.

 Tip: 

 If you're using a tough cut , tenderise it by hitting the meat with a rolling pin or a tenderiser. This will help soften the meat. 

I prefer to let my meat rest and bring it to room temperature before cooking it. I find this allows an even cook and a juicy steak. 

Serves 4

Ingredients; 

800g of diced meat

8 skewers soaked in water

Green or red sweet peppers cut into chunks 

Red or white onions cut into chunks 

120g of Yaji (Suya spice mix) powder (available in most African grocers)

4 tablespoons of olive oil or sunflower oil 

Salt to taste

Method; 

Enjoy making this easy to follow recipe and please don't forget to leave comments. 

In a bowl, mix 100g of Suya, salt and oil together and set aside.

Using your soaked wooden skewer , insert a cubed meat, onion, pepper and repeat the process on each skewer (as shown above). 

Tip

Soaking the wooden skewers prevents it from burning quickly when placed on a grill.

Pour the marinade over the meat and leave for at least an hour. 

Remove your meat from the fridge and bring it to room temperature, (which should take about 20 minutes).

The best form of grilling this is by using charcoal, which lends its smokiness to the nutty taste of the Suya spice mix. 

Sprinkle half the remaining Suya over the meat and charcoal grill it (for 2 minutes on each side for a medium grilled steak or 3 minutes for a well done steak).

Once cooked sprinkle with the remaining Suya and serve with your favourite green salad. 

In this instance, I served my Chinchinga with rocket and Parmesan shavings which was amazing. The smoky nutty taste of the meat, enhanced by the nutty Parmesan , peppery rocket, crunchy sweet onion and peppers, adds to enhancing the natural flavours. 

Get your guest going 'ohwow' with each bite. Best served with a cold red Sancere, chilled Beer, Cider or Palm wine (A local Ghanaian drink). 

All photos and recipes are by the owner of this blog.