Suya Sandwich
(SOO-yah)
The Art of the 'Management' Meal
It is a universal truth of street food that the next day's leftovers, married with cheap bread and mayonnaise, often eclipse the original meal. In the bustling streets of Lagos, suya—thin strips of beef aggressively rubbed in a fiery, defatted peanut spice called yaji—is the undisputed king of the night. But transported to an American suburb on a busy weeknight, yesterday's barbecue transforms into the ultimate act of culinary management. Pressed between soft, sweet bread, the fatty mayo collides with the smoky, nutty heat of the meat to create a self-saucing, deeply comforting bite that tastes exactly like home.
Before you start
Blend the yaji spice.
In an airtight jar, combine the defatted peanut powder, crushed peanuts, cayenne, smoked paprika, ginger powder, garlic powder, onion powder, crushed Maggi cube, and salt. Shake vigorously until uniform.
Quick-roast the suya meat.
If you aren't using leftover weekend barbecue, preheat your oven's broiler to high. Toss the thinly sliced flank steak with the vegetable oil and a half-cup of your yaji spice until every piece is dry-rubbed. Broil flat on a foil-lined baking sheet for 3 to 5 minutes per side until charred, then let rest.
Ingredients
- defatted peanut powder1/2 cup
- dry-roasted peanuts1 tbsp
- cayenne pepper2 tbsp
- smoked paprika1 tbsp
- ginger powder1 tbsp
- garlic powder1 tbsp
- onion powder1 tbsp
- Maggi bouillon cube1 med
- salt1/2 tsp
- flank steak1 lb
- vegetable oil2 tbsp
- Agege bread or brioche4 large
- full-fat mayonnaise4 tbsp
- red onion1/2 med
- Roma tomato1 med
- cucumber1/2 med
- unsalted butter2 tbsp
Method
- 01
Whip up the suya mayo.
In a small bowl, stir the mayonnaise together with a heavy half-teaspoon of your yaji spice to create a deeply savory spread that will protect the bread from getting soggy while infusing flavor into every bite.
- 02
Layer the sandwich.
Generously slather the inside of each bread slice with the suya mayo. On the bottom slice, lay down a bed of cucumbers and red onions, pile the hot suya meat high, add a few slices of tomato, and cap it with the top piece of bread.
- 03
Toast and compress.
Melt the butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. Place the sandwich in the pan and press down gently with a spatula to compress the fluffy bread and marry the meat juices with the mayonnaise. Toast for 2 to 3 minutes per side until golden brown.
- 04
Slice and serve.
Cut the sandwich diagonally to reveal the cross-section of toasted buttery bread, crisp vegetables, and smoky, peanut-crusted beef, then serve immediately.
Notes
The Kuli Kuli Rule.
Generic food blogs will tell you to use peanut butter or regular crushed peanuts for the yaji spice, but doing so introduces too much oil and turns the mix into a clumpy paste. Real Hausa yaji relies on defatted peanut cake (kuli kuli). Standard defatted peanut powder flawlessly mimics this exact powdery, crust-forming texture.
The Bread.
Authentic sandwiches demand Agege bread, a soft, stretchy, slightly sweet loaf beloved in Lagos. If your local African grocer is out, a loaf of unsliced brioche or Hawaiian sweet bread makes a perfect stand-in.
From Cook Nigerian in America.