Every country has tasty snacks or street food that taste amazing and are loved by all, residents and visitors alike. Nigeria is no exception. There are many inviting and intoxicating smells and tastes in the market stalls and by the roadside- but one of my all-time favourites is suya.
Suya is a seasoning made from ground peanuts, ginger, paprika, garlic, onion powder and pepper. It is liberally applied to all different types of meat and vegetables, which are usually grilled, by the roadside. I have many fond holiday memories stopping off on the way home, scoffing suya in my uncles car!
The thing I like about Nigerian cooking the most is that the recipes are simple and flexible. Endlessly adaptable. And sure enough, no two suya stalls taste the same! One thing all suya has in common though is a robust, smoky flavour which is very hot!!!
My suya mix recipe is also hot....as in your nose will drip oh! So if you are not a fan of hot foods, deep flavours or spice I would give this recipe a miss. If you do like heat, maybe start with half the pepper, taste the mix and then add more according to your taste. You can use this suya seasoning on any protein. Tofu, chicken, beef, fish.
My brother caught some fresh Sultan Ibrahim, which he gave to me to make this dish.
Sultan Ibrahim or Threadfin bream fish have mild, lean, white meat and taste delicious. A bit like shrimp! If you don't want to use Threadfin Bream, shrimp would work very well.
For this dish I've seasoned rather than coated the fish in the suya mix before baking in the oven in tightly wrapped tin foil. By using the suya mix sparingly, it allows for other flavours to blend in. In this case zesty fresh lime and curry leaves! By wrapping the fish tightly in tin foil, the fish steam cooks without crisping.
For a more traditional suya coated, grilled protein recipe, check out my blog other blog posts.
Hing powder takes the place of onion in this recipe. Hing comes from the resin of fennel plants and has a strong sulphur odor that fades to a pleasant flavour during cooking. A definite must for this suya seasoning. If you don't have a sensitivity to fructan, you can use onion and garlic powder instead.
If you decide to give this recipe a go, please share your thoughts, pictures and recipe tweaks. Good luck!
Notes before we get cooking!
FODMAP red, amber green rating reflects the total amount of Fructose (FTS), Lactose (L), Mannitol (M), Sorbitol (S), Galactooligosaccharide (GOS) and Oligos Fructans (FTA) in the TOTAL volume/weight of the ingredients used in the recipe.
This recipe makes approximately 3 servings of fish (1 serving pictured) and 400g of seasoning.
I'm a big fan of simple recipes that don't need fancy equipment. For this recipe it does help to have a good blender.
Ingredients:
Method
Step 1.
Roast the peanuts. Very gently pulse to create a fine powder. Be careful to not over blend as the mixture can quickly turn to peanut butter! It should look like this;
Step 2.
Add the ginger, paprika, hing powder and your choice of pepper to the ground peanut. When mixed it should look like this;
Step 3.
Lightly sprinkle the suya mixture onto your preferred protein. I used fish.
If you want a more traditional suya coated protein recipe, check out my other blog posts at www.kokabeauty.com
Step 4.
Transfer the fish to a heatproof dish lined with baking foil.
Step 5
Cover the fish in lime slices and curry leaves.
Step 6.
Cover the whole dish in a layer of baking foil to seal in the heat/steam and allow the fish to cook in its own juices.
Step 7
Remove from the oven when the fish is cooked through (around 10-15 mins) or according to your taste.
Step 8
Serve and enjoy!!
Disclaimer
I'm very passionate about the management of autoimmune conditions in a healthy way.
I speak with medical professionals, read journals, try and test new recipes to share with you and diligently undertake research online. That being said, as you know, each autoimmune disease, as well as any set of symptoms you may be experiencing are unique.
All information provided is in no way intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always talk to your doctor or healthcare provider to ensure the appropriateness of any information in relation to your own situation.
And finally, please comment and share so we as a community better cope with our conditions by through growth and learning.