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Halal-conscious recipe

Lamb suya with Halal lamb

Jess and Jo Edun's Nigerian lamb suya: Halal lamb shoulder marinated in onion, garlic and spices, grilled on skewers and coated in a peanut, paprika and ginger suya spice mix made with Halal bouillon.

  • Cuisine Nigerian
  • Meal Main
  • Difficulty Easy
  • Yield 6 skewers, with spice mix left over
  • Time 2h 40m
  • Last updated

Each method follows published technique for the dish, and every Halal substitution is checked against the ingredient pages we cite. Photographs come from our ingredient library rather than the finished dish.

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Grilled meat satay skewers
Photograph from our ingredient library: grilled meat skewers, not the finished dish from this recipe.

Photo: Gunawan Kartapranata · CC BY-SA 3.0

Why Halal checks matter here

The skewers are 450 g of lamb shoulder, which is Halal only from a Halal-slaughtered animal, and both the marinade and the spice mix use chicken bouillon powder, which is a chicken product.

Suya is grilled, spiced meat finished with a dry, nutty spice mix. Here diced lamb shoulder is marinated in grated onion, garlic, paprika, coriander, cumin, cayenne and ginger, grilled on skewers, then tossed straight off the grill in a mix of ground peanuts, paprika, ginger, cayenne, onion and garlic granules and thyme. The source calls it a popular Nigerian dish. Two things need a Halal source: the lamb, and the chicken bouillon powder that goes into both the marinade and the spice mix (see stock cubes).

It follows Jess and Jo Edun's lamb suya for BBC Good Food, which makes six skewers with spice mix left over. Give the lamb at least two hours in the marinade, or leave it overnight.

The source serves it with sliced onion and tomato, jollof rice and plantain; if you buy jollof, ask about the stock it was cooked in.

Halal-critical ingredients

  • Lamb shoulder Lamb is Halal only from a Halal-slaughtered animal, and meat without a Halal mark doesn't say how the animal was slaughtered. Buy the lamb from a Halal butcher or in a certified pack. See Lamb.
  • Chicken bouillon powder Chicken bouillon powder is made with chicken, and the UK's mainstream stock cubes contain uncertified chicken or meat fat. It goes into both the marinade and the spice mix. Use a Halal-certified chicken bouillon powder. See Stock cubes.

Safe substitutes

  • Lamb shoulder of unknown slaughter → Halal lamb shoulder
  • Chicken bouillon powder → Halal-certified chicken bouillon powder

Allergens

peanuts

Ingredients

Marinade

  • 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1 large onion, coarsely grated
  • 1 tbsp paprika
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper or scotch bonnet powder, to taste
  • 2 tbsp garlic granules
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp Halal-certified chicken bouillon powder
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 450 g Halal boneless lamb shoulder, diced

Suya spice mix

  • 50 g ground peanuts or peanut powder
  • 2 tbsp paprika
  • 1 tbsp ground ginger
  • 2 tsp cayenne pepper or scotch bonnet powder
  • 1 tbsp onion granules
  • 1 tsp garlic granules
  • ½ tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • ½ tsp Halal-certified chicken bouillon powder
  • to serve sliced onions and tomatoes, to serve

Method

  1. Marinate. Mix the garlic, onion, paprika, coriander, cumin, cayenne, garlic granules, ginger and bouillon powder with the oil in a large bowl and season with pepper and a pinch of salt. Add the lamb and mix until evenly coated. Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
  2. Make the spice mix. Mix the ground peanuts, paprika, ginger, cayenne, onion granules, garlic granules, cumin, thyme, bouillon powder and a pinch of salt in a small bowl and set aside.
  3. Grill. Heat the grill to medium-high, or wait until barbecue coals are white-hot. Thread the lamb onto metal skewers with a little space between the pieces and grill for 6 to 8 minutes on each side, until browned outside and cooked as you like it, basting with a little marinade if you want.
  4. Coat and serve. Take the lamb off the skewers and coat it straight away in the suya spice mix, pressing gently so it sticks. Serve with sliced onions and tomatoes, and jollof rice and plantain if you like.

How this recipe was researched

Method adapted from BBC Good Food's 'Lamb suya' by Jess and Jo Edun (makes 6 skewers with spice mix left over: marinade of 3 finely chopped garlic cloves, a coarsely grated large onion, 1 tbsp paprika, 1 tsp each ground coriander, cumin and cayenne or scotch bonnet powder, 2 tbsp garlic granules, 1 tsp ground ginger, 1 tsp chicken bouillon powder and 2 tbsp vegetable oil, seasoned; 450 g diced boneless lamb shoulder marinated in the fridge at least 2 hours or overnight; spice mix of 50 g ground peanuts, 2 tbsp paprika, 1 tbsp ground ginger, 2 tsp cayenne or scotch bonnet powder, 1 tbsp onion granules, 1 tsp garlic granules, ½ tsp cumin, 1 tsp dried thyme, ½ tsp chicken bouillon powder and a pinch of salt; threaded on metal skewers and grilled at medium-high heat or over white-hot coals 6 to 8 minutes a side, basting with marinade if you like; taken off the skewers and coated straight away in the spice mix; served with sliced onion and tomato, and jollof rice and plantain if you like). We specified Halal lamb and a Halal-certified chicken bouillon powder; nothing else needed changing. Timings follow the published technique rather than a kitchen test.

Technique and ingredient sources

  1. Lamb suya — BBC Good Food Retrieved:

    By Jess and Jo Edun. Makes 6 skewers, prep 20 minutes, cook 20 minutes plus 2 hours marinating: diced lamb shoulder in an onion, garlic, spice and bouillon marinade, grilled 6 to 8 minutes a side and coated in a ground peanut, paprika, ginger, cayenne and bouillon suya spice mix. We specified Halal lamb and bouillon.

  2. Stock cubes analysis — isithalal.food Retrieved:

    Which stock cubes and powders contain uncertified meat.

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