SUYA SUYA RECIPES

Steps:

• Lay several strips of meat on a piece of plastic wrap, leaving about 1/2 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 1/8-inch thick. Repeat this process until all the meat has been flattened. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, combine 1/4 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.
• Heat a gas grill or grill pan over medium-high, and brush with peanut oil.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Top skewers with red onion and tomatoes, sprinkle with toasted peanuts, and serve with additional suya spice, for dipping.

Steps:

• 1. Eaten straight off the grill, these sizzling beef skewers are a popular and delicious Nigerian street food snack.
  2. Around 1 hour before you start, soak 32 wooden skewers in plenty of cold water.
  3. Very finely slice the beef, flatten slightly with the flat side of your knife, then place on a plate. Cover and place in the fridge until needed.
  4. To make the marinade, bash the uda pods in a pestle and mortar. Remove and discard the seeds, then place the pods into a liquidiser with the peanuts and spices. Crumble in the stock cube, then blitz for 5 to 10 minutes to a rough powder, stopping and stirring the mixture from time to time. Transfer the ground spices to a large bowl.
  5. Peel and roughly chop the onion, garlic and ginger. Trim and deseed the chillies and pepper, then roughly chop. Trim and roughly chop the spring onion. Add it all to the liquidiser and blitz until smooth. Transfer the mixture to the ground spices and stir well. Turn the beef in the marinade until well coated, then thread 4 to 5 slices onto each soaked skewer. Place on a tray, cover and pop in the fridge to marinate for around 3 hours.
  6. To make the salad, finely slice the tomatoes, then trim and finely shred the cabbage. Peel and finely slice the onion, then finely slice the cucumber. Place into a large bowl with a squeeze of lemon juice, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper.
  7. Preheat a large griddle pan over a medium-high heat. Drizzle the skewers with a little olive oil, then place on the griddle for 1 to 2 minutes, or until beautifully gnarly and golden, turning regularly (you’ll need to do this in batches). Drizzle over a little extra virgin olive oil, then serve with the salad and extra lemon wedges for squeezing over.
  8. Jamie's Tip: Uda pods add a lovely sharp, peppery taste to dishes and are used a lot in West African cooking. If you can’t get hold of them, Szechuan peppercorns are similar in flavour.