Foodie Blogroll

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Suya ~West African Shish Kabobs~

First off I do apologise for the lousy photos. Really no excuse for that other that I was in a hurry and was lucky to catch any shots of the food at all. I am back at work and I'm getting back into the work schedule. It's hard not blogging or catching up as often as I would like to. Maranda and the kids at my school start back on Monday! I will try to squeeze a post in when I can.


I first saw these when Ozoz posted it on her blog Kitchen Butterfly now over there you'll always see stunning photos! I love her site, she puts such care and love into everything she makes. As you know I love trying foods from different regions and this was one from her home of Nigeria. I was excited to try it when I found some nice sliced sirloin, so this made it super easy, if you slice your own she had a great suggestion to putting the meat in the freezer a bit for easier slicing.


It seems the suya spice uses shelled and de-skinned (groundnuts) peanuts and is ground to a powder careful not to grind it into a paste. They even go to the point of removing as much oil as you can and spices a added to this, such as paprika, cayenne, ginger, garlic, onion. I had some fresh made natural peanut butter (I usually make my own but I found this one cheaper at my health food store). I t was fairly oily a lot oilier than my is so i thought I would use it in the marinade, since you add oil to it. I added a little macadamia nut oil to make it a thick cream consistency, actually I made it a little thicker.


Ingredients:
3 T or fresh-ground roast peanuts, or naturally ground peanut butter
1 tsp cayenne or chili pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 T fresh lime juice
1 lb meat (beef, chicken, lamb etc) cut into slices.
Of course the seasoning is adjustable to your taste, and you can use fresh ginger and garlic if you prefer. I love onion powder with my beef so I always stick with that, you can't go wrong there.


Mix all ingredients, add the meat, and coat well with the mixture, it easiest to just dig in and use your hands, marinate for at least 30 minutes, but try to go longer.


Thread the meat on skewers, place on a hot grill and cook until done.


It was raining and when Wade gets home later for dinner it's hard to time something out on the grill... So again I took the easy way out and just baked it in a 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes.

Yeah I know...but you get the idea right? By the time I remembered to take a photo it was already in the oven so I opened the oven door to snap a click, I was afraid the lens was going to steam up! That's some cauliflower that I threw in the mix to roast along side it.

These West African shish kebabs are popular all over Nigeria, and are often served with red onions and tomatoes.

I had caramelized parsnips, roasted cauliflower and a salad with mine.
Maranda didn't think it sounded very good with peanut butter in it, but she did try it and loved it. The peanut taste didn't overpower it at all. I even added some ground peanuts to give it a little more chunks...I guess it would be like "chunky" peanut butter. It was really good. I just wish I made more so I could use some leftovers for lunch! I will definitely be making this again, but on the grill!

18 comments:

  1. The kebab is looking really good! I don't mind the fuzzy pictures. The food looks good~

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  2. I love the spice mixture in your recipe! Good idea to try for a family barbecue!!!

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  3. This kebab looks so delicious especially with adding roasted ground peanuts and it is good to goes with beer.

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  4. Looks lovely, not unlike our local satay except we serve our cooked meat into the peanut sauce instead of marinating the meat with it.

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  5. wow this is so cool that you made them i also adore her blog YUM

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  6. Utterly yum and great to share our food cultures via blogging!

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  7. Lyndz, the peanut marinade sauce sounds like satay sauce. hehe... But totally different in flavour. The skin looks so crunchy and flavourful. Wish I can take a bite on it right now! Lucky Maranda! So, hubby likes it? Hope you're having a wonderful day.
    Love, Kristy
    p/s so fast! school reopen again! Wow, busy busy day. Write when you're free.

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  8. The caramelised parsnips make me hungry without anything else though I am sure the Kabobs are delicious. Diane

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  9. That sounds beyond amazing da. irresistable clicks.

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  10. This is like West African satay! Looks absolutely to die for!

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  11. this look very similar to our Satay here, sound good.

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  12. Another tasty looking recipe - yum ! That's a great tip re. putting the meat in the freezer first to make it easier to slice. Am off to check out Kitchen Butterfly blog now ....

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  13. such a nice blend of seasonings, the peanut butter does work well, I have used it with chicken skewers, it add such a nice flavor and you never really know its peanut butter! Great job with this dish!

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  14. Between the caramelized parsnip and the peanut sauce...I could only imagine the aroma at your table.
    I haven't experimented with this type of food yet...will bookmark for later ;o)

    Flavourful wishes,
    Claudia

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  15. This sounds so tasty - this reminds me of satay, a variety of Malaysian street food.

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  16. Oh yes. Thank you Lyndsey for the shoutout...........what joy to have people make recipes from 'home'!It looks GOOD. Even though in Naija (Nigeria for short), they use the peanut in its powdery form, I liked the idea of using peanut butter cause everyone can find pb. Well done

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  17. Cool Lassi(e) - Thanks, nice of you to say!

    Victoria - yes, great for a family barbecue!

    Anncoo - yes! great with beer!

    Jeannie very similar, and just as good I'm sure!

    Rebecca, I can't stay away from her blog...very addictive!

    the lacquer spoon - My favorite part of blogging is to share our food culture! Yum!

    Kristy - Yes it reminded me of satay too! Yes everybody loved it and I will make it again for sure! Busy busy busy with school starting1

    Diane - I know my husband loves parsnips!

    Jay - thanks so much!


    3HT - a lot like West African satay!

    Sweet and Savory and Sonia - thanks and yes very much like satay!

    Lynda - thanks, I know you'll enjoy her blog!

    Chef Dennis - thanks, I did like the peanut butter and my daughter loved it too!

    Claudia - thanks you are a pleasure to know here! I love what you do with food!

    Jen - yes it reminds me of that too! It's so good!

    Ozoz! Oh good I'm so glad you are happy with my post! Thanks for the compliment. am going to try more Naija foods from your blog!

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