Nigerian Suya is a spicy and savoury snack made up of heavily seasoned grilled meats served together with freshly sliced tomatoes, onions, and other condiments.
If you have ever tried beef or chicken suya and loved it, then you will absolutely enjoy this lamb suya.
This lamb suya is great as an appetizer before your main course or simply as a snack. I must warn though, it can be pretty spicy. If you don’t like spice, you may want to go easy on the amount of suya spice used.
What is Suya Spice?
Suya spice aka yaji is a unique spice blend containing kuli-kuli. Kuli-kuli is a roasted peanut snack eaten in Nigeria, this and other other spices make up suya. Suya is used to coat and marinate different types of meats- chicken, beef, fried fish, etc.
The moment a meat comes into the equation, that protein automatically becomes suya e.g. chicken suya, beef suya, or like today’s recipe, lamb suya.
What is Suya Spice Made of?
Authentic suya seasoning is a combination of finely ground Kulikuli (a roasted peanut snack), cayenne pepper, ginger powder, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, beef bouillon cubes, salt, cloves and negro pepper. Its unique blend of spices gives it an aromatic and nutty flavour.
That being said, if you want a shortcut, you can check for already-made suya spice at your local African or Caribbean market. Traditionally, roadside suya sellers use outdoor grills to prepare the meats, however, we will be making this using the oven as the grill.
When the meats are ready, it is served with a side of freshly cut vegetables such as tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, etc.
How is Lamb Suya Made?
To make lamb suya, the meat is thinly cut into pieces to allow easy penetration and shorter cooking time. We then rinse, pat dry, and marinate with onion powder, cayenne pepper, paprika, bouillon cubes, salt, and a generous amount of suya spice.
Marination should be nothing less than 2 hours to ensure it soaks up the flavour properly after which, the meat pieces are then skewered onto skewers and then grilled in the oven. The process is fairly simple and straight to the point!
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