Since summer is basically grilling season, I figured this would be a good time to share my recipe for suya spice. Suya (pronounced soya) spice is a mouthwatering peanut-based spice rub that is used to season meat in Ghana and Nigeria. The meat is typically grilled on skewers like a kebab. In Ghana, we call these skewered meats chichinga (suya in Nigeria) and they are quite popular as street foods in Ghana and Nigeria.
While suya spice is mainly used as a spice rub for grilling meat, it can also be used to season other foods. For instance, you can use it to season tofu, which you can grill or pan fry; extra firm tofu works best. This spice can also be used to season root vegetables like carrots, potatoes, and parsnips before baking. Just toss the tofu or vegetables in a bit of canola oil before adding the spice to get the spice to stick better to them. You can also use this spice to season jollof rice. I’ve used it in place of curry powder in my jollof rice recipe.
Suya spice does add a bit of heat to food, so if you’re sensitive to spicy food, lower the amount of cayenne pepper that this recipe calls for to make it more suitable to your taste. You can also add more peanuts to make the suya spice milder. If you love spicy food and you want it to be spicier, then feel free to increase the amount of cayenne pepper. The recipe is on the printable recipe card below. Enjoy!
Suya Spice
Ingredients
- ¾ cup roasted unsalted peanuts
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Put the peanuts in a food processor and grind into a fine mixture.
- Pour the ground peanuts into a bowl. Add the other ingredients and mix everything together using a spoon.
- Pour the suya spice into an airtight container and use as needed.
Notes
- This suya spice mixture lasts for about 3 months. After this time, it starts to harden and become stale.
No Comments