Beef Suya
- Total Time
- 30 minutes, plus marinating
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1½pounds boneless short ribs, sliced lengthwise into ¼-inch-thick strips
- ¼cup peanut oil, plus more for grilling
- 2tablespoons store-bought or homemade ground suya spice blend (see Note), plus more for serving
- 1(2-inch) piece fresh ginger, grated
- 2garlic cloves, grated
- Kosher salt
- 2medium plum tomatoes, sliced into ¼-inch strips, seeds discarded
- 1small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced into rings
- 1lime (optional)
- ¼cup toasted peanuts, chopped
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Preparation
- Step 1
Lay several strips of meat on a piece of plastic wrap, leaving about ½ inch between each slice, and top with another piece of plastic wrap. Pound the meat strips with a rolling pin or the bottom of a heavy frying pan until ⅛-inch thick. Repeat this process until all the meat has been flattened. Set aside.
- Step 2
In a medium bowl, combine ¼ cup peanut oil and 2 tablespoons suya spice blend with ginger and garlic. Add beef, toss to coat and season with 2 teaspoons salt. Cover with plastic wrap, and let marinate in the fridge for 4 to 12 hours.
- Step 3
Heat a gas grill or grill pan over medium-high, and brush with peanut oil.
- Step 4
Skewer the beef pieces on 12 individual presoaked wooden or metal skewers, wiping off any excess marinade. Brush the meat generously with more peanut oil and set the skewers on a baking sheet.
- Step 5
Working in batches if necessary, grill the beef skewers until meat is cooked through and lightly charred on both sides, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer the skewers to a platter and sprinkle with more suya spice blend. Repeat until all the beef has been grilled.
- Step 6
Place the tomato and onion slices in a bowl and squeeze lime juice all over. Season with salt and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Strain any excess liquid.
- Step 7
Top skewers with red onion and tomatoes, sprinkle with toasted peanuts, and serve with additional suya spice, for dipping.
- To make suya spice blend, combine ¼ cup dry roasted peanut powder, 1 tablespoon ground ginger, 2 teaspoons ground cayenne, 2 teaspoons hot paprika, 2 teaspoons onion powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder and 1 teaspoon fine sea salt. Makes about ½ cup.
Private Notes
Comments
No - if you have a dry grinder (I use a repurposed coffee grinder), just grind dry roasted peanuts (any supermarket brand, salted or unsalted, is fine). You'll get a semi-paste rather than a powder because of the peanuts' fat content. In South/West India, a similar all-purpose condiment - ground peanuts, chili (cayenne) powder, smashed garlic and tamarind (as souring agent) - is served with idlis (steamed rice-sourdough batter) and unleavened wheat flatbreads (rotis).
Is peanut powder the same as powdered peanut butter? Can I make my own, or, if not, where can I find it? Thanks!
Not sure if this is what the recipe means, but I blitz unsalted roasted peanuts in a spice grinder. It's always worked well!
This recipe was AMAZING! Made the Suya by putting 1/4 cup of dry roasted peanuts into my food processor. After I used the S blades to puree into a dry powder, I added the rest of the spices.. hit the pulse button a few times.. and VOILA! Suya. I see another reader got more of a paste using peanuts and doing this.. but mine was as dry as can be. A dry spice rub/blend. Short rib meat was PERFECT for this dish. The tomato/red onion with salt/lime balanced the spice of the meat perfectly! A+
One recommendation : if you can find Kuli Kuli, sometimes available in african grocery stores, grind it up and use it instead of the ground peanut powder. It has been years i have been looking for a Suya recipe that can come close to what I find in Cameroon. This is a winner! It is so tasty and flavorful, and definitely stands on it's own.
This was DELICIOUS and EASY. Instead of Step 1, I bought Korean-style short ribs which are already cut really thin. Instead of grilling in Step 5, I just put them under the broiler for 6-7 minutes per side. Turned out great. It was my first time having Suya, and I didn't find it too spicy, but it was incredibly flavorful and savory. Will definitely make again.
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