SOUTH AMERICAN CUISINE

Hello ladies and gents this is the viking telling you that today we are going to the beautiful country of

Suriname

Surinamese cuisine is extensive, since the population of Suriname came from many countries. Surinamese cuisine is a combination of many international cuisines including Indian, African, Javanese (Indonesian), Chinese, Dutch, Jewish, Portuguese, and Amerindian cuisines. This has ensured that Surinamese cooking has spawned many dishes; the different groups were influenced by each other's dishes and ingredients; this new Surinamese cuisine included roti, nasi goreng, bami, pom, snesi foroe, moksi meti, and losi foroe; because of this blending of many cultures, Surinamese cuisine is a unique creation. 

Basic foods include rice, plants such as tayer and cassava, and roti. Usually, there is chicken on the menu in many variations of the Chinese snesi foroe, the Indian chicken masala and pom, a very popular party dish of Creole origin. Also, salted meat and stockfish (bakkeljauw) are widely used. Yardlong beans, okra, and eggplant are examples of vegetables in the Surinamese kitchen. For a spicy taste, Madame Jeanette peppers are used.

Chicken Masala (Murgi Talkari)

Ingredients:

(serves 4 to 6)

• 1 whole chicken, deboned and chopped into large bite-sized pieces
• 3 to 4 large cloves garlic
• 1 medium-sized yellow onion
• 2 tbsp. Masala curry powder
• 4 tbsp. corn oil
• 2 Madame Jeanette hot peppers, minced and ground into a pulp (see note, below)
• ½ to 1 tsp sugar, or to taste (some people like the sweetness to offset and compliment the spicy hot peppers)
• Salt, to taste
• Water

Note: If you cannot get Madame Jeanette peppers, you can achieve the same unique “fruity-hot” flavor by using Habanero peppers. Mince them, and then, for every 1 whole pepper, take 1 tsp. each of fresh Mango and Pineapple, put the fruits and the minced pepper(s) in a mortar and pestle (or electric blender) and mash together into a pulp.

Directions:

1. In a large saucepan or skillet over medium-high heat, sauté the garlic and onion in the corn oil until soft, fragrant, and translucent. As you sauté, stir in the masala powder.
2. Now add in the chicken and the peppers, sugar and salt, stir everything together well.
3. Add in just enough water to barely cover the chicken, reduce heat to medium, and cook until the meat is well done and very tender.
4. Serve with white rice. Traditional vegetables to go with Chicken Masala are yardlong string beans, pumpkin, cabbage, and potato masala.

And as always have a chilled day from the viking.