Favorite recipes for Jollof Rice, Suya Beef?

Kind of late to be asking as this is what my son wants for his 21st birthday dinner tonight…

But he asked for Jollof Rice with Suya Beef. Anyone have any favorite recipes for these? I’ve made both before using NYT Cooking and found those recipes underwhelming. I did a search here for Jollof but it seems the mentions are of restaurant fare.

Scrounging around online, what’s kind of tripping me up, especially for the rice, is the amount of difference I’m seeing from one version to another.

If this was something I’d made a lot of, then the variety wouldn’t bother me because I’d know better how to mix and match elements of different recipes.

Thanks much in advance if anyone has suggested recipes!

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I haven’t made this, but these recipes look good and I like that they specify which cuts of beef you can use in the suya beef:

Oven baked as an option for jollof feels like a good option so you can concentrate on the beef:

Happy birthday to your son!

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Thanks!

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CI did suya beef earlier this year IIRC.

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Thanks. Found it at ATK but it’s paywalled. I’ll scrounge around and see if anyone’s reprinted (about half the time their stuff gets reprinted elsewhere).

Found it. I have made a couple of mods for how I would prep/serve it.
Beef Suya (from CI)

Yaji spice blend
½ C dry roasted peanuts
2 ½ t ground ginger
2 t granulated garlic
1 ½ t kosher salt
1 ½ t smoked paprika
1 ½ t granulated onion
½ to 1 t cayenne
½ t white pepper

Beef
1 lb sirloin steak tips, trimmed
2 T oil
¾ t kosher salt

½ red onion, sliced thinly
¼ head green cabbage, sliced thinly (1 ½ C)
1 tomato, cored and sliced thinly (optional)
½ English cucumber, sliced thinly (optional)
pinch kosher salt

Process all ingredients for the Yaji spice blend in a FP until peanuts are finely ground, 20-30 seconds. Do not overprocess. Measure out ¼ C spice bland and transfer to a large bowl. Reserve remaining blend for serving.

Cut beef with grain into 2 ½" to 3" wide strips and place on large plate. Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes. Holding knife at 45 degree angle, cut strips crosswise against grain into 1/8" thick slices. Add beef, oil, and salt to yaji in bowl. Toss until well coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.

Weave 2-3 pieces onto each metal skewer, pressing meat lightly to make flat.

Open bottom vents on charcoal grill. Light 6 quarts briquets, and when evenly ashy, pour over the charcoal grate in an even layer. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vents. Heat for about 5 minutes. Clean and oil cooking grate. Place skewers on grill across the grate bars. Cook until browned, 2-4 minutes, turn, and continue cooking until browned on second side. While meat is cooking, arrange cabbage and onions on ⅔ of a serving platter, and tomatoes on the rest of the platter. Remove meat and place on top of cabbage and onions. Sprinkle with salt and some of the reserved spice blend.

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Nice! Thanks so much!

On re-reading my transcription, I have no idea where you use the cucumber! Maybe it’s a version of “That guy’s eye [Guardians of the Galaxy]”? I’ll have to dig out that issue.

I’ve read several that have various sides like the cukes, butter lettuce, lime wedges, sliced tomatoes. They probably meant the cukes on the serving platter with the others.

Most of their international recipes are underspiced / underseasoned — double or triple the spices and aromatics and it will be more flavorful.

You can check the list of spices and aromatics with other recipes, but it’s not going to vary by a whole lot — however proportions will.

CI / ATK is usually also dumbed down in flavor for the target audience (both palate and ingredient availability).

ETA: Fresh garlic, ginger, and onion in the marinade will give you different flavor than powdered.

Especially true when Kimball was at the helm, but a little less so now. Still good advice, though.