Cooking meat on skewers, like a shish kabob, is popular all over West Africa. In Ghana it is called chichinga, but in Nigeria and Cameroon, where it is thought to have originated, it is called suya. They can be eaten as meal or as a snack, and are even sold by street vendors. The type of meat used for suya can vary–beef, chicken or goat–but the rub is always very much the same combination of ground peanuts and spices.
We give it at try with steak and our not-so-spicy version of the marinade. Here’s how we made suya skewers:
Ingredients:
3 tbsp peanut butter
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chili power
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 lb of meat
Start with the oil and peanut butter. A little sticky and tricky to get in the bowl…
Add the salt and all the spices. Very colorful! Mix well…
Squeeze in the lime…
Slice the steak
Coat the steak with the peanut butter sauce and allow to marinate for a few hours.
While we wait the kids read some story books set in Africa…
Once the beef is ready, thread the meat onto a stick accordion style.
Cook over hot coals.
And enjoy! We tried ours with couscous, cauliflower and sliced tomatoes, which are all traditional sides in different parts of Africa.
Globe Scouts 