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 tofu suya 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 to your taste. You can use this suya seasoning on any protein. Tofu, chicken, beef, fish. If you do eat meat I would highly recommend that you try this recipe using beef strips.
In order to make tofu absorb as much flavour as possible from the seasoning, the tofu is pressed to extract as much water as possible, and then frozen. After defrosting, it is pressed again to squeeze out excess water. This helps the tofu to keep its shape and have more crunch when it is shallow fried.
Hing powder takes the place of onion in this recipe. Hing comes from the resin of fennel plants and has a strong sulphur odour 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.
Suya is often served with finely sliced onion or tomatoes. I've served mine up with green chopped scallion and red chilli.
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 6 servings of tofu suya (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 and a heavy-bottomed skillet.
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!
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.
Coat your preferred protein in the suya mixture. I used tofu. It should look like this when coated;
Step 4.
Fill a heavy-bottomed pan with a little oil. Shallow-fry your protein on each side.
Step 5.
Serve and enjoy!!
Suya keeps in the fridge for a day or two, but is best eaten warm.
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.
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