These three very popular dishes from the Surinamese kitchen have been known for some time in the Netherlands. With these dishes we can show the multicultural background of the Surinamese kitchen to prepare tasty dishes and how the variation of flavors has arisen. The roti originates from India and is prepared by the Hindus, the pom belongs to the Creoles and dates back to the slave time. Tjauw min is a typical Chinese dish. The main ingredient of the pom dish is the pom tajer, a root tuber like the potato but thirty times larger. With roti and tjauwmin, these are flour and noodles.
Pom
- 2 packs of pomtayer (frozen / grated and available at any Surinamese Toko)
- 1 kg. chicken breast
- 200 gr. butter
- 1 dl oil
- 3 teaspoons of salt
- 2 tablespoons of sugar
- 4 stock cubes (powerful)
- 2 large tomatoes
- 2 tbsp. tomato ketchup
- 1 large onion
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1/2 lemon
- 2 sprigs of celery
- black pepper
- A djie no moto (available at any Surinamese Toko)
- ½ liter of water
Tools
- A rectangular baking tin, about 25 x 35cm or fireproof dish.
- Butter for greasing
- A ladle and a large bowl
Preparation
Start defrosting the freezer pom one night in advance. Put the thawed mass in the large bowl and add 2.5 dl water. Stir with the ladle until the mass becomes loose. Add two teaspoons of salt, two teaspoons of sugar, two tablespoons of tomato ketchup along with the half-squeezed lemon. Black pepper and a djie no moto add and taste to taste. Do not use too much salt in one go because the four stock cubes will have to be added later. This section is finished if little resistance is encountered during stirring and if you can scoop lightly.
Cut the chicken fillet into pieces of about three centimeters, add a little salt, pepper and a djie no moto and let it soak. Cut the large onion together with the two tomatoes and squeeze the clove of garlic. Add the oil to the pan with a little butter and fry the onion, tomatoes and garlic. Brown the chicken breast, together with the other ingredients and until done. Add the four stock cubes with a little water and when the water has almost evaporated, add the two sprigs of chopped celery and then turn off. Let it cool down, remove the chicken breast from the sauce and place in a bowl. Mix the sauce with the pom mass and leave the bowl in the refrigerator for six hours to absorb. Then scoop the pom out of the bowl with the ladle and cover the bottom of the buttered baking pan with a layer of pom. The chicken fillet must be neatly placed on the pom in the baking pan and ensure a good distribution. Put another layer of pom on top and add pieces of butter. No pieces of chicken fillet should stick out because they will burn.
Bake the pom at 200 degrees for an hour and a half. Check after that time with a skewer. If you put the stick in the pom and take it out again, it must be clean, then the pom is done. If not, let it cook for another 15 minutes in the oven at 150 degrees and check again. The top of the pom should be dark brown while the inside should be golden yellow in color. The pom is now ready and can be reserved with rice, brown beans and long beans. “Pom sandwich” is also very tasty. Enjoy your meal!
Tjauw min / Chinese bami
- 600 gr. Chinese vermicelli
- 300 gr. chicken breast
- 250 gr. pork fricandeau
- 2 pcs. fa tjong (Chinese sausage available in Toko)
- 1.5 dl soy sauce
- 1 dl oil
- 4 spring onions
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 piece of ginger
- 3 teaspoons aji-no-moto
- White pepper
- 1 spoon of salt
- 1 spoon of sugar
- 1 glass of port
Tools
- A large wok, scoop and colander.
- A small bowl for making the marinade and a bowl.
Preparation
Prepare the marinade for the chicken fillet three hours in advance. Put the sugar, one teaspoon of salt, three teaspoons of aji no moto, garlic, white, pepper, ginger, soy sauce and port in the small bowl and mix together. Cut the chicken breast into pieces and pour some of the marinade over it and let it stand in the refrigerator. Marinate the pork in the same way and set aside.
Bring three liters of water to a boil and pour in one spoon of salt, one tablespoon of oil and the noodles. Cover the pan and check after 8 minutes if the noodles are done. If not, turn off the heat and leave it in the boiling water for another five minutes. Then drain and rinse with lukewarm water and allow to drain. When the noodles are dry, throw some oil over it so that it does not stick together.
Roast the chicken breast in the oven for 40 minutes. Bake the pork on a high gas setting for ten minutes. Cut the fa tjong diagonally into thin slices. When all the meat is cooked and ready, put it on a dish. Finely chop the spring onions and fry the noodles with some oil and soy sauce. Garnish with chicken fillet, pork and fa tjong. Chinese use many ingredients in a simple, efficient way to prepare a tasty dish. Enjoy your meal!
Roti pancake
- 500 gr. wheat flour
- 250 gr. extra flour
- 1 bag of dry yeast
- 50 gr. margarine
- 2.5 dl oil
- 0.5 liters of water
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 2 teaspoons of salt
Roti filling
- 6 pcs. floury potatoes
- 3 tablespoons djira (available at Surinamese Toko)
- 1 tablespoon of masala (available at Surinamese Toko)
- 2 teaspoons of sugar
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 half onion
Chicken breast
- 750 gr chicken fillet
- 5 large potatoes
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 onions
- 2 sprigs of celery
- 2 stock cubes
- 2 teaspoons of sugar
- 3 teaspoons of salt
- White pepper
- 6 tablespoons of masala
Vegetables
- 300 gr. garter (available at Surinamese Toko)
- White pepper
- 1 stock block
- 6 eggs
Tools
- An iron plate with one handle for baking the roti (available at the Surinamese Toko).
- Brush for greasing the roti pan.
- Pans for preparing potato, long beans and meat.
- A bowl, rolling pin, tea towels and a cheese slicer for picking up and flipping the roti on the plate.
- Three large bowls. Cling film.
Preparation
The dough for the roti pancake must be prepared twelve hours in advance because the flour will rise. Mix the yeast with 1.5 dl lukewarm water and one teaspoon of sugar in a small bowl. After 8 minutes a rise is formed and it is ready for use. Mix 500 g wheat flour together with the two teaspoons of salt, the butter, a little oil and yeast until a sticky mass is formed, then put some flour in your hands and knead for fifteen minutes. Return to the large bowl to rise with some oil over it and cover with cling film for twelve hours.
Preparation
For the filling of the roti, wash six potatoes and cut in half. Fry the garlic and onion briefly in oil, add the potatoes together with the three tablespoons of djira, one tablespoon of masala and two teaspoons of sugar. Add water and let stand until the potatoes become slightly crumbly. Drain, make a puree and put in a bowl. The 750 gr. Cut and wash the chicken fillet, peel and halve the potatoes, together with the garlic and onion put in a pan with oil and let it fry for a while. In the meantime, fill the chicken fillet with sugar, salt, white pepper and masala according to the quantities indicated for the chicken fillet. The chicken fillet can now be added to the potatoes together with the two stock cubes and two sprigs of celery with enough water to cook. Make sure the sauce does not dry. Hard boil the eggs in a separate pan. Cut the long beans into small cubes and fry them together with the stock for about 5 minutes. Peel the eggs, put a little oil in a pan, fry until golden and add to the chicken fillet. You are now ready to get started with the roti pancakes.
Bake rotis
You take the dough out of the large bowl and knead for another ten minutes for a good result. After kneading, make 6 to 7 balls of the dough and then flatten and round them again with your thumb and index finger. In it you put a spoonful of puree for the filling, fold it closed again and press the opening in some flour so that when rolling the roti pancake, the filling does not come out. You do that with all the balls. Before rolling, the roti pan is already on fire and greased with oil. You can now roll out a neat pancake with the rolling pin and place it on the roti pan. The top must be greased and when turning the bottom also. The cooking happens quickly. Repeat this until you have made six or seven beautiful pancakes. You serve the roti, folded on a plate with long beans, egg, potatoes and chicken breast with some sauce on top and possibly a nice hot pepper. You will soon find out that this is not one of the easiest dishes you can prepare. The saying “practice makes perfect” is certainly appropriate here. Enjoy your meal!
