Nigerian Suya-Spiced Beef Burger

About This Recipe

Suya is Nigeria's best-known street food, thin strips of beef skewered and grilled over open flame, coated generously in yaji, a spice blend built from ground roasted peanuts, ginger, cayenne and other warm spices. This burger takes that same yaji seasoning and works it into a ground beef patty, giving the burger suya's signature nutty, smoky heat without needing skewers or an open grill. The peanut component in yaji does double duty: it adds a toasty, slightly savory depth and helps the spice coating cling to the meat, similar to how it clings to thinly sliced suya beef. Because ground peanuts burn easily over high heat, these patties are best cooked over medium rather than screaming-hot heat, giving the spice crust time to set without scorching before the inside is done. Topped simply with sliced onion, tomato and extra yaji spice, this burger channels suya's smoky, peanut-forward character into a format that's easier to manage than juggling skewers over a grill, while still delivering the same craveable spice hit.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 600 gground beef(20% fat)
• 0.33 cuproasted peanuts(finely ground)
• 1 tspcayenne pepper
• 1 tsppaprika
• 0.5 tspground ginger
• 0.5 tspgarlic powder
• 0.5 tsponion powder
• 0.25 tspground cloves
• 1.25 tspfine sea salt
• 4burger buns
• 1onion(thinly sliced)
• 1tomato(sliced)
• 2 tbspvegetable oil

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the yaji spice

   Mix ground peanuts, cayenne, paprika, ginger, garlic powder, onion powder, cloves and salt together in a small bowl. Set aside a spoonful for garnish.

2. 2

   Season the beef

   Mix two-thirds of the yaji spice blend into the ground beef, kneading gently until evenly combined. Avoid overworking the meat.

3. 3

   Shape the patties

   Divide into 4 patties about 3/4 inch thick, pressing a slight dimple into the center of each to keep them from puffing up while cooking.

4. 4

   Cook the patties

   Heat oil in a heavy skillet or grill pan over medium heat. Cook patties 5 to 6 minutes per side until well browned and cooked to 160°F (71°C) internally.

   Keep the heat at medium rather than high -- the ground peanuts in the spice blend can scorch and taste bitter over very high heat.

5. 5

   Assemble

   Toast the buns lightly, then build the burgers with a patty, sliced onion, tomato and a final sprinkle of the reserved yaji spice.

Variations

• •

  Chicken suya burger: use ground chicken thigh instead of beef, and cook to 165°F (74°C).

• •

  Skewer style: skip the bun entirely and thread thin strips of beef onto skewers, coating in the same yaji blend and grilling over high heat.

• •

  Extra spicy: double the cayenne, or add a pinch of ground chile de árbol for more heat.

Storage

Refrigerate cooked patties up to 3 days; reheat gently in a skillet over medium-low heat. Raw seasoned patties can be frozen, well wrapped, for up to 2 months.

Frequently Asked Questions