Suya Beef Ramen
Suya is Nigerian grilled beef on skewers, which describes the physical form but misses entirely what makes it what it is. The suya spice, a dry blend of ground roasted peanuts (kuli kuli), ginger, garlic, paprika, cayenne, and ground black pepper, is what builds the crust that turns the grill into something specific and irreplaceable. Suya is sold from roadside stalls across West Africa, wrapped in newspaper with sliced raw tomatoes and onions on top, and the combination of the smoky spiced beef with the raw acid of tomato is the whole meal in two ingredients. This bowl puts those skewers over ramen noodles in a peppery broth, adds the tomato and onion as toppings, and arrives at something that honors where suya comes from while functioning fully as a bowl.
Kuli kuli coats the beef—black pepper rises in smoke—Lagos feeds the night
Let Me Tell You...
The first time I ate suya it was from a newspaper cone and I ate it standing up in a parking lot in Lagos, which is the correct context for suya and the context that all subsequent suya experiences are measured against. The beef is thin-sliced, the spice is aggressive, the grill is extremely hot, and the whole thing is done in minutes.
The kuli kuli, which is ground dry-roasted peanut cake, forms a crust that no wet marinade can produce, because the fat in the peanut doesn't create steam the way liquid marinades do.
It chars and bonds to the meat and becomes something separate from and better than either ingredient on its own.
Substitute with unseasoned dry-roasted peanut powder if unavailable, but the texture won't be quite the same.
The suya spice blend is the recipe within the recipe.
Ginger, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne, black pepper, ground coriander, and the kuli kuli, toasted separately first and then ground together.
The black pepper is more present here than in most spice blends, because suya is a peppery experience and that pepper is not a background note.
It's a foreground.
If the finished crust doesn't smell peppery and smoky simultaneously, it needs more of both.
The second application creates the layered crust that makes suya's texture distinct from other grilled meats.
The broth is light and clear, deliberately so, because suya's flavor comes from the crust and not from the liquid.
A broth that tries to compete with the suya spice would lose and make the whole bowl confused.
Instead, the broth is a peppery beef stock, nothing more, and it functions as the medium that lets the suya and the noodles and the raw tomato and onion exist in the same bowl without fighting each other.
Suya is a thin-cut preparation and thick pieces won't develop the crust-to-meat ratio that makes it work.
The newspaper cone version of this exists somewhere and it feeds people well and quickly.
This bowl exists at the other end of that spectrum, taking thirty minutes longer and requiring bowls and broth, and delivering something that the newspaper cone cannot, which is the sauce.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces dried ramen noodles (2 bricks, seasoning packets discarded)
- 1.25 lbs beef sirloin or flank steak, sliced thin (about 1/4 inch)
- 3 tablespoons kuli kuli (ground dry-roasted peanut cake) or unseasoned peanut powder
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more to taste)
- 1 teaspoon coarse black pepper (plus more, this should be peppery)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil (for the beef)
- 3 cups low-sodium beef broth
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon black pepper (for broth)
- Bamboo skewers, soaked in water 30 minutes
- 2 Roma tomatoes, sliced thin (for topping)
- 1/2 small white onion, sliced into thin rings (for topping)
Preparation
- Make the suya spice: Combine kuli kuli, ground ginger, garlic powder, smoked paprika, cayenne, black pepper, coriander, and salt in a small bowl. Mix well.
- Coat beef slices with half the suya spice and 1 tablespoon oil. Toss to coat all pieces evenly. Thread onto soaked bamboo skewers, 3-4 slices per skewer.
- Make the broth: Combine beef broth, water, and 1 teaspoon black pepper in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Season with salt. Keep warm.
- Grill skewers over high heat (or under a broiler set to high, 4 inches from heat) for 2-3 minutes per side. Halfway through cooking, dust remaining suya spice over the skewers and press gently. Cook until the crust is deeply colored and slightly charred at the edges. Rest 3 minutes.
- Bring a separate pot of salted water to a boil. Cook ramen noodles for 2-3 minutes until just tender. Drain and divide between serving bowls.
- Ladle warm peppery broth over noodles. Rest 2-3 suya skewers across each bowl. Top with sliced tomato and raw onion rings. Add optional toppings and serve immediately.