Suya beef skewers with tomato salad
Thin beef strips coated in roasted peanuts, ginger and chilli, grilled until cooked through with lightly charred edges. A juicy tomato, red onion and lime salad balances the spicy crust.
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Servings
Originally developed for 4 servings.
Ingredient checklist
Method
- No timer needed
Pulse the peanuts in short bursts to fine, loose crumbs, stopping before they become oily paste. Mix with the ginger, paprika, cayenne, onion powder, garlic powder and 6 g beef-coating salt.
- 15:00
Slice the beef across the grain into strips approximately 3–4 mm thick, 3 cm wide and 8–10 cm long. Toss with 15 ml oil, then press on all the peanut mixture. Thread onto eight metal skewers in loose folds, distributing roughly 75 g raw beef onto each; do not compress the meat into thick bundles. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes while you prepare the salad and grill.
- No timer needed
Wash your hands and clean raw-meat contact surfaces before handling the salad; use separate clean utensils. Cut the tomatoes into 2 cm pieces and finely slice the red onion. If the onion is particularly harsh, rinse briefly under cold water and drain thoroughly. Put the vegetables in a bowl. Separately mix the lime juice, 10 ml oil and 2 g salad salt; leave the salad undressed.
- 05:00
Lightly grease the grill-safe rack with the remaining 5 ml oil and set it over the metal tray, approximately 10–12 cm below the element. Preheat the overhead grill on high for about 5 minutes, or as directed by your appliance. Follow its door-position instructions and do not use baking parchment beneath the grill. Keep the beef refrigerated until the grill is ready.
- 04:00
Place four skewers on the rack in one layer with space between them. Grill for 4 minutes, then turn with tongs and grill for another 3–5 minutes. Watch closely: aim for a browned peanut crust with small charred patches, not a black coating. Lower the rack if it darkens too quickly. Check the thickest fold with a thin-tip thermometer inserted from the side: it must reach 75°C and remain at or above that temperature for 30 seconds. The beef should be cooked through with no cool, raw centre; colour alone is not a safety check. Continue grilling if needed, then transfer to a clean platter and cover loosely.
- 04:00
Grill the remaining four skewers in the same way: 4 minutes on the first side, then 3–5 minutes after turning, checking that the thickest folds reach 75°C for 30 seconds. Use clean tongs for the cooked beef. Add to the clean platter and rest the final batch for 3 minutes. Cooking time varies with grill strength and folding thickness; allow longer if the temperature endpoint has not been reached.
- No timer needed
While the final batch rests, toss the tomato and onion salad with its dressing. Once rested, serve two skewers and a quarter of the salad per person. Keep the salad juices alongside the beef so the crust stays distinct. Handle the hot metal skewers with care, or slide the meat off with clean utensils before serving.
Chef tips
- If the peanut crust darkens before the beef reaches its temperature endpoint, lower the rack and continue cooking; do not serve undercooked folds to save the coating.
- For tender beef, slice across the grain and keep folds loose. Remove each batch promptly once safely cooked rather than seeking extensive black charring.
- If the peanuts become paste, start again with fresh peanuts; adding oil will not restore a crumb coating.
- Dress the salad only just before serving. If the tomatoes are unusually tart, initially add a little less lime dressing, then adjust to taste.
- The timeline allows an initial temperature check after 7 minutes of grilling per batch. A weaker grill or thicker folds will require additional cooking.
Equipment check
- Small food processor or spice grinder
- Eight approximately 25 cm metal skewers
- Approximately 30 × 40 cm shallow metal tray with a grill-safe rack
- Overhead grill
- Thin-tip digital food thermometer
- Tongs and oven gloves
- Separate raw-meat and salad chopping boards and utensils
- Mixing bowls and a clean platter for cooked beef
Nutrition per serving
- Calories390
- Protein36 g
- Carbs10 g
- Fat23 g
Tags
Behind the dish.
Overview
These suya-style skewers aim for a spicy, savoury peanut crust and tender, fully cooked beef. Slice across the grain, thread in loose folds and watch the grill closely: thin meat cooks quickly, but the peanut coating can scorch before tightly packed folds are cooked through.
Ingredient notes
Sirloin is more forgiving than rump. The beef weight is after trimming away thick external fat and tough connective tissue. Traditional suya spice may use defatted peanut material; whole roasted peanuts make a practical home coating with more oil. Grind them to fine crumbs, not peanut butter. Use unsalted peanuts and unsweetened onion and garlic powders. For less heat, reduce the cayenne to 1 g.
Contains peanuts; check spice labels for additional allergens. This recipe uses an overhead grill rather than a conventional or fan oven setting.
Serving & storage
Serve two skewers per person with a quarter of the salad, keeping the tomato juices beside rather than over the crust. This is a light dinner; rice or flatbread can be offered separately and is not included in the recipe or nutrition estimate. Metal skewers remain hot: warn diners or slide the beef off before serving.
Refrigerate leftover beef and salad separately in shallow containers within 2 hours, at 5°C or colder. Use within 48 hours or freeze the beef sooner. The salad is best freshly made and does not freeze well. Reheat beef only once, until steaming hot throughout; reheating will reduce its tenderness.
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