Nigeria | Snack

Suya

Name: Suya
Prep time: 50 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 65 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Nigeria, West Africa
Ingredients: 600 g beef sirloin, ram, or chicken, thinly sliced; 2 tbsp vegetable oil; ½ cup kuli-kuli powder or roasted peanut powder; 1 tbsp cayenne or ground chili; 1 tsp ground ginger; 1 tsp onion powder; 1 tsp garlic powder; 1 tsp smoked paprika; ½ tsp white or black pepper; 1 tsp salt; 1 whole onion, sliced; 2 whole tomatoes, sliced; 2 cups cabbage or cucumber, sliced

Nigerian suya, thin beef skewers coated in yaji, the smoky Hausa spice blend of kuli-kuli, chile, ginger, onion, garlic, and salt.

Country

Nigeria

Region

West Africa

Time

65 min

Serves

Level

easy

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01 / Get ready

Everything you need

Tap each ingredient as you gather it. Illustrations are visual guides; follow the ingredient names and quantities.

Servings 4

Scale the dish before you shop, then use the checklist while you cook.

Jump to method My cookbook

Ingredients

For 4 servings

Snack

A few kitchen essentials

Suggested from the recipe method. Use equivalent equipment you have.

Knife & board

Wooden spoon

02 / Let’s cook

One step at a time

Keep the rhythm calm, watch the texture, and adjust seasoning at the end.

Back to Nigeria

5 steps 50 min prep 15 min cook (check method) 65 min total easy

Make the yaji spice

Combine groundnut powder, cayenne, ginger, onion powder, paprika, and salt. Mix thoroughly.

Kitchen noteToast the groundnuts in a dry pan first for deeper flavour.

Prepare the meat

Thread thinly sliced beef onto wooden skewers. Brush with oil and coat generously with yaji spice on all sides.

Kitchen noteSoak wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes to prevent burning.

Marinate

Let coated skewers rest for at least 30 minutes, or refrigerate up to 2 hours.

Marinate 30:00

Grill the suya

Grill over high charcoal heat, turning every 2-3 minutes, until charred on edges but juicy inside. About 8-10 minutes total.

Grill suya 10:00

Serve

Sprinkle extra yaji spice over the grilled suya. Serve with sliced onions, tomatoes, and fresh cabbage.

Every household has small variations. Start here, then adjust seasoning, heat, and serving sides to your kitchen.

Cooking notes, photos & serving ideas

Recipe context

More about this dish

Serving ideas, regional context, and cooking cues for when you want more detail.

When to cook it

Best for Evening snack and street food. Plan on a easy cook. Allow about 65 minutes total.

What to serve alongside it

Raw onion, tomato, cabbage, cucumber, extra yaji, or jollof rice

Follow the collection

Street Food is the easiest collection to explore after this dish. Street Food

Regional lane

Northern Nigerian table. Hausa and northern dishes made with grains, rice swallows, dried spices, groundnut, baobab leaves, and street foods.

Chef watch-outs

Skipping the resting time after grilling.
Rushing the base before the raw edge has cooked out.
Adding all seasoning early and forgetting to adjust at the end.

How you know it is ready

The surface should be deeply colored while the center stays juicy.
The aroma should smell rounded rather than raw or sharp.
Oil, sauce, broth, or steam should look settled and deliberate.

Pantry lane

palm oil, crayfish, iru or ogiri, scotch bonnet, melon seed

Recipe photos

See the dish before you cook

Take a closer look at the dish and its serving ideas.

Suya recipe from Nigeria — Suya finished dish

Chef board

Build the table around Suya

Raw onion, tomato, cabbage, cucumber, extra yaji, or jollof rice

Best route from here

Northern Nigerian table

Collections to keep cooking

Nigerian Regional Table Northern Nigerian Comforts West African Street Food

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