Suya

Ingredients

• 700g beef sirloin, rump or skirt
• 120g roasted unsalted peanuts
• 1 tbsp ground ginger
• 1 tbsp sweet paprika
• 1 to 2 tbsp cayenne pepper, to taste
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 stock cube, crumbled
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 tbsp groundnut oil, plus more for brushing
• 1 large onion, sliced into rings
• 2 tomatoes, sliced
• 1 lime or lemon, cut into wedges
• Metal or soaked wooden skewers

Before you cook

• Put the beef in the freezer for 30 minutes so it firms up and slices cleanly.
• Blitz the peanuts in a food processor in short pulses until they are a coarse powder. Stop before they turn to butter.
• Tip the ground peanuts onto kitchen paper and press hard to blot out as much oil as you can.
• Mix the blotted peanut powder with the ginger, paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder, crumbled stock cube and salt to make the yaji.
• Soak wooden skewers in water for 20 minutes if using.

Steps

1. Take the beef out of the freezer and slice it across the grain into sheets about 5mm thick.
2. Thread the slices onto the skewers in loose folds, so the meat ripples rather than lies flat.
3. Brush the skewers all over with groundnut oil.
4. Sprinkle two-thirds of the yaji over the skewers and press it into the meat with your fingers on both sides.
5. Leave the skewers to sit for 20 minutes at room temperature.
6. Light a charcoal grill and let it burn down to glowing coals, or heat a griddle pan over high heat until it smokes.
7. Lay the skewers over the hot coals and grill for 3 minutes without moving them, until the underside is charred at the edges.
8. Turn the skewers and grill the second side for 2 to 3 minutes. The meat is thin, so it cooks fast and dries out if you leave it.
9. Move the skewers to a plate and dust them with a little more of the remaining yaji while they are still hot.
10. Rest the suya for 3 minutes.
11. Pile the sliced onion and tomato onto a platter, lay the skewers on top and serve with lime wedges and the last of the yaji in a small bowl for dipping.