Suya

By Kwame Onwuachi

Suya is "the grandfather of American barbecue," says Chef Kwame Onwuachi. Grilled, smoky meat, pickled vegetables, and a homemade spice blend make up this incredible Nigerian dish.

Yield: 6
Prep: 1 hr
Cook: 4 hr

Ingredients

Suya

1 lb large (16– 20 size) shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 lb boneless ribeye steak, excess fat trimmed, sliced into ¼-inch strips
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, sliced into¼- inch strips
4 ½ tbsp Suya Spice, Kwame makes this from scratch, but you can find it at most grocery stores or online. Kwame’s recipe is included in the cookbook.
1 ½ tsp kosher salt
¼ Cup roughly chopped fresh parsley
Tomato-Ginger Soubise, to serve
Pickled Tomatoes and Onions, to serve
lime wedges, to serve

Tomato-Ginger Soubise

1 roma tomato, roughly chopped
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt, to taste
2 tbsp grapeseed oil
3 tbsp Ginger-Garlic Purée (GGP), Kwame makes GGP from scratch, but you can find it at most grocery stores or online. Kwame’s recipe is included in the cookbook.
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup whole milk

Pickled Tomatoes and Onions

1 cup Spice Pickling Liquid
1 medium red onion, large dice
1 medium ripe tomato, large dice

Method

Suya

Place the shrimp, steak, and chicken in three separate bowls. Season each with 11/2 tablespoons of suya spice and 1/2 teaspoon salt, mixing well to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. (You can marinate the shrimp for up to 12 hours, and the steak and chicken for up to 48 hours.)

Tomato-Ginger Soubise

Heat the oven to 400°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Toss the tomatoes with olive oil and season with salt. Spread evenly over the sheet pan and bake for 15 minutes, until deep red and a little wrinkly.
Meanwhile, heat the grapeseed oil in a medium pot over medium heat. When it shimmers, add the GGP and cook until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the onions and cook until translucent and soft, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the roasted tomatoes, along with the cream and milk. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring often, until reduced to about 1 cup— watch carefully, as cream has a tendency to boil over, so reduce the heat as necessary to keep it from sputtering or burning— about 1 hour. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly, then transfer to a blender and purée until velvety smooth. Season to taste with salt and set aside. You should have 1 cup of soubise.

Pickled Tomatoes and Onions

Bring the spice pickling liquid to a boil in a small pot. Place the onions and tomatoes in a nonreactive bowl and pour the hot liquid over them, stirring to combine well. Let cool to room temperature, about 1 hour before serving. You should have about 3 cups of pickled tomatoes and onions.

Assembling the Suya

When ready to cook, prepare a grill for high heat. Let it heat for 10 minutes. Grill the shrimp, steak, and chicken, turning occasionally, until deeply browned and cooked through, about 3 minutes for shrimp and steak and 4 to 5 minutes for the chicken.
In a small pot, warm the soubise over low heat. Place the grilled items on a platter, dust with extra suya spice, and sprinkle with parsley. Serve with warm soubise, pickled tomatoes and onions, lime wedges for squeezing, and jollof rice.

Notes

Cooked suya shrimp will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 day, chicken and beef suya for up to 4 days. Tomato-ginger soubise will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Pickled tomatoes and onions will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Recipe from My America: Recipes from a Young Black Chef by Kwame Onwuachi with Joshua David Stein. Copyright © 2022 by Kwame Onwuachi. Excerpted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.