♪♪
-Chef Michelle is going to take me
to one of the most iconic dishes in Nigerian cuisine -- suya.
It is kind of this chicken skewer
or beef skewer with this incredible peanut sauce
that has a little bit of heat.
So, it's Auntie Patricia that is the boss
and Amahdu that is a childhood friend
to Michelle Kavachi.
So, Auntie, tell me about suya.
Where does suya come from in Nigeria?
-Uh, originally from the Northern Nigeria.
-A lot of Nigeria is a Christian country,
but the northern part is Muslim.
That's where Abuja is the capital.
And now in the Hausa region, the Hausa tribe,
and that's where suya comes from.
And who taught you how to make suya?
-Nobody taught me.
In the north, any cooking done by women,
but when it comes to the suya, the suya is done by men.
-Oh, wow. -Yes.
-I didn't know that. -Mm-hmm.
-What is the spice rub that you put on top of suya?
-What is kuli-kuli? -Uh, I don't know how to
explain it in English, but that is the --
-That is the secret! I love it!
She's like, "I don't know."
Ah, she's very smart.
-[ Laughs ]
-Here. This is what I'm talking about.
Here is the secret sauce. Here it is.
Where are you going?
[ Laughter ]
-So, now you... -Whoa, whoa, whoa.
What do we have in here? -That is, um -- I --
I can't explain it, okay?
[ Laughter ]
It's all -- You just take this. -Yes.
-Ah-ha. Then use red paint.
-Yeah. We're gonna call it "red paint."
-Yes, we call it "red paint." -Nice.
It smells too good to be "red paint," though.
-Yes. [ Laughs ]
-And then we put it on the grill?
-Yeah, we put it on the grill when it's ready.
-Nice. It smells good. -Yeah.
-Like all African countries, Nigeria is many different tribes
with many different opinions.
-Yes. -But a dish like suya
brings all Nigerians together.
-This is the general food
that combine the country together -- suya.
Everybody eat this here.
-And you see your boys. -Yes. I'm with them every day.
-Nice. -Hmm.
-Nice.
♪♪
-This looks great. I want to try a chicken one.
So, what is the tomato and onion for?
-The tomato and onions take away the spice
because, you know, some people don't eat spicy food.
-Yeah. -So, like, mine is mild here.
-So, Amahdu doesn't eat spicy food.
-Yes. -What do you mean?
He's not Nigerian? -No, he is.
[ Laughter ]
-So, did you grow up here or you grew up in Nigeria?
-No, I was born in Nigeria. -Hmm.
-And then I came here when I was about 14.
-And what about you? -I was 18.
-18? -Uh-huh.
-How can it be -- He was 18, you were 16.
You kept your pidgin English,
but he's, like, got the Southern English going on.
-It's because when I was a kid, I watched a lot of cartoons.
I was prepping for America.
-You were prepping at home? -Yeah.
-No, pidgin is something you got to hold onto.
That is its own thing. -I mean, I love that language.
-To be honest, I don't want to --
I don't want to lose my -- my language.
-No. keep it. It was introduced in America
by Hakeem Olajuwon.
-Oh. -And we're keeping it.
You can't be in Houston and don't bring up Hakeem Olajuwon,
one of the first mainstream athletes
that broke from Africa into American culture.
He didn't shy away from being African.
He didn't shy away from being a Muslim.
He really is like, "I'm gonna own this,
and I'm gonna bring people with me on this journey."
-Yes, and Olajuwon, he changed, like, African culture, like...
-Yeah. In what way?
-'Cause he was proud of being Nigerian.
-He motivate more people to even come --
to move to Houston.
That's why they give him a statue.
-You know, there's obviously African-American,
and then there's people like us that are African and American.
-Yes. -That tiny little "and"
can be beautiful because that's a culture window
into differences. -Yeah.
-It's gifts on both ends. -It's a blessing.
-Yeah, definitely. -A blessing.
-You know what? I understand.
This is the best suya in Houston.
This is so good, and I've made a mess.
Thank you so much. It was fantastic.
-Thank you for coming. Thank you.
-And thank you for showing us. -I appreciate you.
-And I got to say, that's the flyest chef jacket
I've ever seen, ever, ever, ever.
You shut it down.