DIY Recipes: How to make yaji, the Hausa suya pepper

The Hausa word Yaji means "hot one". It is a popular spice blend from northern Nigeria that is used to season meat, fish, chicken, and other foods. 

Yaji is a complex blend of spices like ginger, garlic, pepper, Kuli Kuli, paprika, and onions. It is usually used as a spice for Nigerian ready-to-eat meat, also known as suya, a popular street food of thinly sliced barbecued meat.

There is no single recipe for this mixture of spices. There are in fact, many versions; we'll guide you on how to make this pepper using groundnuts.

Ingredients

• Garlic powder
• Ground ginger
• Cayenne pepper
• Onion powder
• Roasted groundnut (powder)
• Crushed bouillon cubes (preferably Maggi cubes)
• Smoked paprika
• Salt
• Black pepper

How to prepare

1. In a bowl, combine the groundnut powder, cayenne pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, ginger powder, black pepper, crushed Maggi cubes and salt.
2. Mix the ingredients thoroughly to ensure an even distribution of flavours.
3. Add all the ingredients in a dry blender and blend till all ingredients are well mixed together.
4. The spice may have larger granules of ground peanuts, so sieve the suya pepper blend for a smoother spice
5. Use immediately or transfer it to an airtight container.

The yaji can be sprinkled generously over grilled chicken, fish or suya.