Beef Suya Recipe (West African Street Grilled Meat)

A rich spice blend packs a satisfying punch in this top sirloin beef suya recipe, served on skewers!

Adégnimika Carrena is one of those magnetic people that everyone instantly likes (at least, everyone with sense). The award-winning chef, who goes by Adé, has kindly shared her popular top sirloin beef suya recipe with us, drawing on her custom spice blend.

Like me, Carrena lives in North Carolina. She recently won the North Carolina Restaurant & Lodging Association's annual cooking competition to be named Chef of the Year, which is one of the top honors a chef here can receive.

All the more impressive that she did it without a formal brick-and-mortar restaurant behind her. She didn't have the same name recognition or brand behind her that some other competitors did, but her cooking and story spoke for itself.

(She does have a food truck and cooks various catering and pop-up meals under the name Dounou Cuisine.)

Carrena is from Benin, a small West African nation neighboring Nigeria. As a young kid, she was adopted by a Puerto Rican family in Connecticut, and got her start in restaurants as a teenager before later moving down to North Carolina. As an adult, she reconnected with her roots and started cooking Beninese food professionally. 

As part of that process, she founded a spice company called iLéWA Foods, sourcing ingredients directly from women in her extended network in Benin. This recipe relies on her Suya Spice Blend, a smoky, peanut-driven mix that can be used as a rub or marinade. 

(The blend also contains garlic powder, sea salt, sweet paprika, onion powder, bird's eye chili, smoked paprika, and dehydrated chicken broth.)

Carrena also co-directed a short documentary about her experience with filmmaker Brad Herring. Filmed on two continents, it's now making the rounds in various film festivals.

I won't try and capture her full story here, but needless to say, Carrena is deeply talented and inspiring, and I'm grateful she's letting us publish her recipe for top sirloin suya skewers!

The dish is also known as 'Tchang in Benin, where it's a popular street food, Carrena said.

This recipe only takes about 20 minutes to cook, but note that the beef should be marinated overnight to maximize the flavor. Also, you'll want to soak the bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes before using them — an incredibly easy process, but one that requires just a little planning ahead.

A note from Carrena about measurements:

"Our custom is to cook without measurements," she explained. "So instead, our philosophy is based on being intuitive and present when cooking, allowing us to lean into building trust within ourselves. We’ve provided some rough guidelines with each ingredient below, and recommend that you do not restrict yourself with these measurements and instead use your intuition."

Instructions for Making These Suya Skewers

Follow these steps to make Adé Carrena's West African suya recipe. Note that this recipe calls for pan frying and broiling, but can also be prepared by grilling, if you prefer.

Step 1: Mix the beef and marinade into a bowl. Cover with cling wrap and marinate overnight.

Step 2: Thread beef onto skewers (4 pieces each). Heat oil in a large nonstick pan over medium high heat.

Step 3: Pan fry the meat in batches, 1-2 minutes on each side. You can also opt to grill them, as shown below.

Step 4: Transfer the skewers to a baking sheet and finish in the oven on broil on low for about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate and let the meat rest for 3 minutes.

Step 5: Dust with suya and top with raw or pickled red onions and cilantro.

And there you have it! Your beautiful and fantastically savory finished meal. 

All photos by Brad Herring. Recipe courtesy of Adé Carrena. Our thanks to both of them!