Photo courtesy of Wall Street Journal, Kitty Greenwald
We were so excited to see this article in the Wall Street Journal about chef Kwame Onwauchi, who has West African roots (article by Kitty Greenwald, Oct 10, 2019. Click HERE to see original article, subscription necessary). Chef Onwuachi spent a couple years in Nigeria, where he learned about native cooking, particularly suya.
“It’s a street food in Nigeria,” Mr. Onwuachi explained, consisting of thinly sliced grilled meat seasoned with a potent, peanutty spice mix. Chef Onwuachi serves his own take on African and Caribbean cuisines at his restaurant Kith/Kin in Washington DC.
We’ve learned so much about West African cooking over the last years, so we’re always excited to see new chefs, and new recipes, showing up in the media. We have our own take on suya, which can easily be done at home using the Serious Foodie West African spice blend (check it out HERE), and a bit of a commonly found ingredient: peanuts.
Spiced Rib Eye with Charred-Tomato Sauce and Crisp Potatoes
The peanutty Nigerian-style spice mix, using the Serious Foodie West African rub as a base, gives a big umami boost to seared rib-eye. The quick-cooking recipe includes a creamy tomato sauce and crisp-fried potatoes. Think steak and potatoes with an African twist.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon roasted unsalted peanuts
- 2 tablespoons Serious Foodie West African rub (click HERE to order)
- 1 bouillon cube
- Pinch ground ginger
- 4 rib-eye steaks
- ½ plum tomatoes, cored
- 2 cups canola oil
- ½ shallot, thinly sliced
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 20 baby potatoes
- 4 lime wedges
Directions
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a food processor, pulse peanuts, Serious Foodie West African rub, bouillon and ginger until combined and finely ground.
- Heat a cast-iron skillet over high heat. Add tomatoes and char all over. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add shallots and cook until translucent, 5 minutes. Add cream and charred tomatoes and cook until tomatoes are soft, 10 minutes. Blend to form a smooth, uniform sauce.
- Place potatoes in boiling water and boil until tender, 15 minutes. Drain, dry thoroughly, then transfer to a cutting board and gently press potatoes to slightly flatten. In a large pan, heat 1½ inches oil over medium-high heat until hot and shimmering. Fry potatoes until crisp all over, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and season with salt. NOTE: although the original recipe called for boiled potatoes, we found that roasting potatoes, especially the higher moisture Yukon golden, gave better frying results.
- Salt and pepper the steaks to taste. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in skillet over high heat until smoking. Sear steaks until charred, 5 minutes per side. Spoon the spice mix on top of the steaks, then transfer skillet to oven and cook steaks until medium rare, about 2-3 minutes depending on thickness. Let rest 5 minutes before slicing.
- Pour sauce onto 4 plates. Top with sliced steak and potatoes. Finish with a drizzle of extra sauce and a sprinkle of spice mix. Serve with limes.
Learn more about spice rubs here: A Serious Foodie Primer on Using Dry Rubs – More Than Just Meat.