Suya
Non-vegetarian
Thin strips of beef coated in yaji — a smoky, nutty spice rub of ground peanuts, chilli and ginger — then grilled on skewers. A late-night street food of northern Nigeria.
Suya is a Nigerian grilled dish, ready in about 1 hour 7 minutes and made with beef sirloin steak and roasted peanuts. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 12 min
- Rest
- 30 min
- Total
- 1 h 7 min
- Serves
- 4
- Level
- Easy
- Calories
- 420
Ingredients
For the yaji spice
Method
Step 1
Mix the ground peanuts with the paprika (opens in a new tab), cayenne, ginger, garlic powder (opens in a new tab), onion powder (opens in a new tab) and salt. Set aside a quarter of the mix for serving.
Step 2
Toss the beef with the oil, then press the spice mix firmly onto every strip. Thread onto skewers (opens in a new tab) and leave for 30 minutes (or chill up to a day).
Food safety: Soak wooden skewers for 30 minutes so they don't burn; refrigerate the meat if marinating longer than 30 minutes.
How it looks · Photo: Malte Luk on Pexels Step 3
Grill over hot coals or under a very hot grill, turning, until charred at the edges and cooked through.
- 10 min
- high heat
- Grill / barbecue (opens in a new tab)
Step 4
Sprinkle with the reserved spice and serve with sliced onion and tomato (opens in a new tab).
- 2 min
How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels
About this dish
- Origin
- Northern Nigeria, Nigeria · Commonly attributedAssociated with Hausa cooking; now eaten across Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon and Niger.Also popular in Ghana, CameroonMore food from Nigeria
- Dish
- Dinner · Snack · Grills & kebabs · Street food
- Cooking method
- Grilled, Marinated / cured
- Taste
- spicy (chilli heat), smoky, nutty, savoury
- Diet
- No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Low-carb · High-proteinWith the listed swaps: Beef-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
All labels
Non-vegetarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Low-carb · High-protein · Calorie-conscious - Good for
- Street food · Portable / lunchbox
- Cook more with
- Beef sirloin steak · Roasted peanuts · Paprika · Cayenne / chilli powder · Ground ginger · Garlic powder
- Techniques
- Grilling · Charcoal grilling · Marinating · Curing
Allergens
- Contains: Peanutsfrom roasted peanuts
Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.
Nutrition
420 kcal per serving
Calculated1 serving ≈ 208 g · recipe makes 4
Where the energy comes from
- Protein 42%
- Carbohydrate 7%
- Fat 52%
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g* |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 420 kcal | 202 kcal |
| Protein | 44.1 g | 21.2 g |
| Carbohydrate | 7 g | 3.3 g |
| Net carbohydrate | 4.3 g | 2.1 g |
| Sugars | 1.3 g | 0.6 g |
| Added sugars | 0 g | 0 g |
| Fibre | 2.7 g | 1.3 g |
| Fat | 24.2 g | 11.6 g |
| Saturated fat | 4.8 g | 2.3 g |
| Trans fat | — | — |
| Cholesterol | 105 mg | 50 mg |
| Sodium | 976 mg | 468 mg |
| Salt equivalent | 2.4 g | 1.2 g |
Vitamins & minerals per serving
- Potassium
- 812 mg
- Calcium
- 64 mg
- Iron
- 3.7 mg
- Magnesium
- 82 mg
- Vitamin A (RAE)
- 57 µg
- Vitamin C
- 1 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.2 µg
- Vitamin B12
- 1.9 µg
- Folate (DFE)
- 45 µg
How these numbers were made
- Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
- *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
- Optional ingredients are not included: red onion, tomato.
- “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
- Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.
Good to know
Tips
- Partly freezing the beef for 30 minutes makes it much easier to slice thinly.
Common mistakes
- Slicing the beef too thick — suya should cook in minutes and char at the edges.
Serve with
- Wrap in newspaper-style paper with onions, tomatoes and extra yaji for the full street experience.
Food safety
- Contains peanuts.
- Keep raw marinated beef refrigerated; thin strips cook through quickly — cook to 71 °C for vulnerable eaters.
Storage
- Refrigerate leftovers up to 3 days.
Reheating
- Reheat quickly in a hot pan so the beef doesn't toughen.
Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated
Recipe DNA
How this dish is built
Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.
What the dish is built around
Main ingredient
- Beef sirloin steak, sliced across the grain into 5 mm strips700 g
- Tomato, sliced, to serve (optional)2 piece · 240 g
Reviews & corrections
Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.
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