Kwame Onwuachi remembers striding down the streets of Lagos, Nigeria, where the sharp scent of suya caught him by the nostrils. The New York-raised chef, who made a name for himself in the DC restaurant scene with Kith/Kin, thinks back to those modest food stands. Set up with little charcoal grills and manned by someone whose fluid motions imply how long they’ve been at this, suya vendors (mai suya) sell generously spiced street food-steak, chicken, goat.
“With a mountain of shaved meat behind them, seasoned beautifully, they’ll throw the meat on the grill,” Onwuachi explains. “You’ll see the fat start to render from the meat and it’ll start bubbling up and toasting those spices.” The charred meat is chopped, slid off skewers onto a sheet of newspaper, and showered, mightily again, with a heady spice blend known as yaji (cayenne, grains of paradise, sweet paprika, onion and garlic powders). For contrast, onions and tomatoes are served on the side.
“You just pick that up and you sit on the side of the street and you’re transported somewhere for a little bit,” says Onwuachi, who’ll debut his first cookbook My America: Recipes from a Young Black Chef this month. In it you, too, can be transported by recipes like Nigerian suya, or braised Trinidadian greens, or Creole hashbrowns.
Onwuachi’s sophomore follow-up to his award-winning memoir, Notes From a Young Black Chef, is his, as the title implies, America through his eyes and taste buds.
“The cookbook is really about the story of the people that made me who I am,” Onwuachi says. “I chose to call it My America because everyone has their different version of food they ate growing up and this is what America looks like to me-curry goat and oxtails and jerk chicken and egusi soup.”
This may be Onwuachi’s first cookbook, but he doesn’t hold back on the storytelling. “It highlights all the different cultures and even the recipes have anecdotes before them that let you know why these dishes are important and why they stood the test of time,” he says.
In the suya recipe, he recalls meeting some raised eyebrows at Kith/Kin when he applied suya to vegetables like Brussels sprouts rather than the traditional meats. “The resistance that was met, I think it’s kind of like a playful resistance: ‘This isn’t as good as my mom’s, but this is good,’ or ‘This isn’t suya at all!'” Onwuachi says, countering, “Well, is it delicious or not?”The book is, after all, Onwuachi’s America, not your mom’s. But you might find pockets of your America reflected somewhere in its pages that prove food here is a product of so many cultures, both voluntarily arrived and unjustly taken.”That’s why I thought it was important to highlight these dishes because you can’t really talk about American food without talking about West African cuisine,” Onwuachi says. “So much of that was brought over here, whether it was people-taken-or whether it was ingredients like rice, watermelon, and okra.”
From this history, Onwuachi parses how to balance what is authentic and what is traditional. “There is liberty, but there is some integrity that needs to be honored when you are cooking traditional foods,” he says. “Food is art and the only art form that we ingest.”
Ingredients: • 1 pound large (16-20 size) shrimp, peeled and deveined • 1 pound boneless ribeye steak, excess fat trimmed, sliced into ¼- inch strips • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, sliced into ¼- inch strips • 4½ tablespoons Suya Spice, a.k.a. yaji, divided, plus more to garnish Note: Kwame makes this from scratch, but you can find it at most grocery stores or online. Kwame’s recipe is included in the cookbook. • 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided • ¼ cup roughly chopped fresh parsley • Tomato-ginger soubise, to serve alongside (see below) • Pickled tomatoes and onions, to serve alongside (see below) • Lime wedges, to serve
Directions: 1. If you don’t have a grill, use a well-oiled cast-iron skillet over high heat in a kitchen with open windows (Onwuachi notes that you do not want to hover over the pan or inhale all of those sneeze-inducing spice fumes). 2. Place the shrimp, steak, and chicken in three separate bowls. Season each with 1 1/2 tablespoons of suya spice and ½ teaspoon salt, mixing well to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. (You can marinate the shrimp for up to 12 hours, and the steak and chicken for up to 48 hours.)
Ingredients: • 1 Roma tomato, roughly chopped • 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil • Kosher salt, to taste • 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil • 3 tablespoons Ginger-Garlic Purée (GGP) Note: Kwame makes GGP from scratch, but you can find it at most grocery stores or online. Kwame’s recipe is included in the cookbook. • 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced • 1 cup heavy cream • 1 cup whole milk
Directions: 1. Heat the oven to 400°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Toss the tomatoes with olive oil and season with salt. Spread evenly over the sheet pan and bake for 15 minutes, until deep red and a little wrinkly. 2. Meanwhile, heat the grapeseed oil in a medium pot over medium heat. When it shimmers, add the GGP and cook until fragrant, 2-3 minutes. Add the onions and cook until translucent and soft, 7-10 minutes. Add the roasted tomatoes, along with the cream and milk. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring often, until reduced to about 1 cup-watch carefully, as cream has a tendency to boil over, so reduce the heat as necessary to keep it from sputtering or burning- about 1 hour. 3. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly, then transfer to a blender and purée until velvety smooth. Season to taste with salt and set aside. You should have 1 cup of soubise.
For the pickled tomatoes and onions:
Ingredients: • 1 cup Spice Pickling Liquid (below) • 1 medium red onion, large dice • 1 medium ripe tomato, large dice
Directions: Bring the spice pickling liquid to a boil in a small pot. Place the onions and tomatoes in a nonreactive bowl and pour the hot liquid over them, stirring to combine well. Let cool to room temperature, about 1 hour before serving. You should have about 3 cups of pickled tomatoes and onions.
To assemble: 1. When ready to cook, prepare a grill or cast-iron pan for high heat. Let it heat for 10 minutes. Grill the shrimp, steak, and chicken, turning occasionally, until deeply browned and cooked through, about 3 minutes for shrimp and steak and 4 to 5 minutes for the chicken. 2. In a small pot, warm the soubise over low heat. Place the grilled items on a platter, dust with extra suya spice, and sprinkle with parsley. Serve with warm soubise, pickled tomatoes and onions, lime wedges for squeezing, and jollof rice. 3. Note: Cooked suya shrimp will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 day, chicken and beef suya for up to 4 days. Tomato-ginger soubise will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Pickled tomatoes and onions will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Ingredients: • 1¾ cups white wine vinegar • ¼ cup granulated white sugar • 3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon kosher salt • 12 fresh thyme sprigs • 4 teaspoons whole coriander seeds • ½ habanero pepper, stemmed, seeded, and roughly chopped • 2 thin slices ginger, about 2-3 inches long • 2 cups water
Directions: Place all the ingredients into a medium pot and bring to a boil over high heat. As soon as it comes to a boil, remove it from the heat. Let cool completely, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve and transfer to a clean jar with a tight-fitting lid.
Note: Spice pickling liquid will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.From My America: Recipes from a Young Black Chef by Kwame Onwuachi with Joshua David Stein. Copyright © 2022 by Kwame Onwuachi. Excerpted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.Want more Thrillist? Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, TikTok, and Snapchat.
Rosin Saez is the senior editor of Food & Drink at Thrillist.
Despite the fact that they were first introduced to the world in 3500 BC, chia seeds became “trendy” around 2012. Wellness blogs everywhere touted the ancient superfood for its innumerable health benefits, and we found a way to sneak them into just about any recipe that could do with a little more fibre. But if you read the back of an average pouch, it was likely the brand had zero connection to the seed’s Aztec and Mayan origins.
Luckily things are changing, and we’re starting to see more and more members of the Latinx community take ownership of the superfoods that have long-fueled their cultures-from chocho and nopales to quinoa, and amaranth. Take, for example, The Pinole Project, a family-run oatmeal brand specializing in the Aztec superfood that is pinole, a ground heirloom corn sourced from Oaxaca, Mexico. The Mexican-American Jacquez family founded The Pinole Project to honour their grandmother, Adela, who would add pinole to many of her dishes-specifically avena, or slow-cooked oatmeal. “Adela had a lot on her plate and looked to high-quality food to help push through her physically and mentally exhausting days raising a family and working on her and my grandfather’s humble ranch in Chihuahua, Mexico,” says Bella Jacquez, head of marketing for The Pinole Project.
Pinole offers sustained, plant-based energy, with high levels of fibre and protein. “It has a low glycemic index and is a complex carbohydrate, so it’s digested slowly, providing slow-burning energy which keeps you full for longer,” Jacquez says. That also means no spike or crash. “Many of our customers comment that they’ll eat a serving before or after an intense workout and will feel full for hours.”
It’s no wonder that pinole is a popular food among the Tarahumara, an indigenous community residing in the Sierra Madre region of Chihuahua. They’re renowned for their long-distance running ability, calling themselves the Rarámuri, which, in their native language, means “light feet” or “runners on foot.”Jacquez’s grandfather, Arsenio, learned the language of the Tarahumana as a young child, and over the course of his 85 years of life, developed lasting bonds with them. “He used to go to the mountains with his father to trade with the Tarahumara, often serving as an interpreter,” Jacquez explains. “My grandparents would welcome Tarahumara into their home to provide shelter when needed, and to share stories. They were able to learn about the culture of running and pinole’s role as a nutritious pre-running meal.”
But beyond the health benefits and reverence to tradition, pinole tastes good. The brand’s oatmeal is a rethinking of your average Quaker Oats, with subtle hints of corn that add a welcome nuttiness.
Most important to the company, however, is its mission to tell the stories of their ancestors. “We believe we’re messengers trying to connect the past, present, and future-inspiring more people to connect with pinole, Mexican history, and food culture,” Jacquez says.
To incorporate more ancestral foods into everyday meals, check out these Latinx superfood brands:
A packet of Pinole Chia Oatmeal includes non-GMO heirloom corn, chia seeds, cinnamon, raw vegan cane sugar, and gluten-free oats, offering gut-friendly prebiotics that can aid in digestion. Each serving has 10 grams of fibre and 8-14 grams of protein depending on flavour. You can enjoy the corn-sugar-cinnamon combo on its own, or opt for the Banana Cinnamon and PB & Cacao flavours. A chuck in the microwave makes for a great, steamy bowl of oats in the morning, but you can also incorporate the mix into baked oats, overnight oats, waffles, pancakes, and muffins. “I find that when I’m craving something sweet, I’ll swap out the flour in cookie recipes with our original flavoured product and bake some delicious protein and fibre pinole cookies,” Jacquez says.
This single-source, plant-based protein powder was founded by fifth-generation Ecuadorian farmer and former professional athlete, Ricky Echanique. It’s made from chocho, a powerful lupin that has been harvested for thousands of years by indigenous farmers. The protein grows in the Andes Mountains and contains plant fibre, vitamin E, magnesium, all nine essential amino acids, and as much calcium per serving as a glass of milk. Plus, it’s naturally regenerative, thriving on rain water alone and pulling nitrogen deep into the soil as it grows, making it more fertile for future crops. There are three varieties available-pure chocho, vanilla, and cacao-which each blend seamlessly into anything from smoothies to veggie burgers.
These crunchy snacks are made from nopales, the fiber-packed cactus pads that are a staple of Mexican cuisine (they’re on the flag, symbolizing the time when the Aztecs founded Mexico City, after seeing an eagle on top of a nopal). Nopales are rich in vitamin E, calcium, magnesium, and other vitamins and minerals. When she moved to Chicago from Mexico City, founder Regina Trillo noticed a scarcity of nutritious, Latinx-owned food brands in the “ethnic aisle.” So she developed the Cheeto-like Nemi Snacks, which feature, in addition to nopal, some other Aztec superfoods, like amaranth, an ancient grain similar to quinoa, and spirulina, a blue-green algae that acts as a powerful antioxidant. The sticks come in four Latin-inspired flavors-Chile Turmeric, Churro, Mexican Lime, and Smoky Chipotle.
Born in Ecuador to a banana farmer and agricultural entrepreneur, Saskia Sorrosa founded Fresh Bellies, a family snack brand designed for preschoolers and their parents. Sorroso believes these snacks-made with the ancient whole grain sorghum-can train palates to crave savory flavors instead of sugars or extra saltiness. Sorghum is gluten-free, low in fat, rich in antioxidants, vitamins, has 22 grams of protein in one cup, and is a great source of fibre. The Groovies line features puffs that get their flavouring from actual vegetables, seasoned with spices inspired by Sorrosa’s heritage that you rarely find in kid food, like sage and garlic.
LiveKuna works directly with farmers in Ecuador to supply superfoods that are distributed worldwide. Friends Carlos Gutiérrez and Santiago Stacey launched with chia seeds, eventually incorporating other locally grown superfoods, like quinoa and amaranth, into cereals, pastas, and snack puffs. “We started this company out of curiosity and frustration knowing that 99% of chia seeds grown in our own country were being exported, and our own people who produced, were not taking advantage of this amazing seed. LiveKuna was then created to promote and bring superfood consumption back to its roots,” Santiago says on the brand’s website.
Husband-and-wife duo Lisa and Ismael Petrozzi founded Llamaland with the intent to celebrate Peru, home of some of the most nutritious superfoods in the world. Their cereals and spreads feature lesser-known superfood ingredients like arracacha, the “white carrot” of the Andes, sacha inchi, known as the “nut of the Incas,” and camu camu, one of the world’s most abundant sources of natural vitamin C. The brand’s best-selling Lucuma Superfruit Spread is made of the ancient superfruit lucuma, or the “gold of the Incas.” You can smear this caramel-like spread on pancakes, or use it to top off ice cream.
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Jessica Sulima is a staff writer on the Food & Drink team at Thrillist. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.