How to Make Suya Spice at Home (Nigerian Yaji)
Nigeria
Senior Editor
Abuja, Nigeria ·
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Abuja, Nigeria ·
Yaji is the spice blend that makes suya suya. Ground roasted groundnuts form its base, and that is what separates it from every other dry rub in the world: a spice mixture built on a nut rather than on seeds and chillies alone. Ginger, garlic, onion and paprika go in around it, with cayenne carrying the heat. It belongs to the Hausa of Northern Nigeria, and the recipes are held closely. Every suya vendor guards a proprietary arrangement of spices, and the specific balance is treated as commercial property rather than shared knowledge, which is why no two suya taste quite the same and why the exact composition is genuinely difficult to pin down. What is consistent is the groundnut, the aromatics and the heat. Its use extends well past the meat it is named for. Yaji is a marinade, a dry rub applied before grilling, and a finishing powder scattered over meat as it comes off the fire, and Nigerians use it on roasted vegetables, on fish, on chips, on plantain and on nuts. It is sold ready made at Nigerian grocers, and having a jar of it in the house is the single fastest route to making Nigerian food taste like itself.
Yaji is documented as the spice blend of the Hausa suya tradition of Northern Nigeria, built on ground roasted groundnuts with ginger, garlic, onion and chilli. Vendor formulations are treated as proprietary, and no single canonical composition is recorded.
Dietary tags are provided by contributors as a guide, not verified by AFN, and they depend on the products you buy. If you have a serious allergy, check every ingredient yourself.
In a dry pan over medium heat, add the peanuts. Toast them, stirring frequently so they do not burn.
Roast for about 5 to 7 minutes, until slightly browned and aromatic.
Take the pan off the heat and let the peanuts cool.
Once cool, rub the peanuts between your hands to remove the skins. Discard the skins.
Grind the roasted peanuts to a fine powder using a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder. Set aside.
In a bowl, combine the cayenne pepper, ginger powder, smoked paprika, onion powder and garlic powder.
Add the crumbled seasoning cubes, adjusting the number to how salty you want it.
Add the ground roasted peanuts to the spice mixture and combine evenly.
Add salt to taste, being cautious since the seasoning powder is already salted.
Store in an airtight container.
Personal notes from Deborah Olayiwola2 reviews
i made this for a weekend barbecue with my neighbors and it was a huge hit on flank steak, especially that punch from the ginger powder and cayenne. quick question though: when i put the roasted peanuts in my spice grinder, they started turning into peanut butter really fast. should i be pulsing it instead so it stays a fine powder?
Had to pop into a local Afro-Caribbean shop to track down raw unsalted peanuts, but so glad I did. Toasting them in a dry pan for about 6 minutes brought out a brilliant aroma. Rubbing the skins off between my hands was a bit fiddly and left skins everywhere, but blending them with the smoked paprika and cayenne gave the beef skewers such incredible colour and flavour.