Authentic to the Suriname kitchen, this warming combination of the spices and the chicken, potato and long beans is definitely a southern Caribbean comfort food. Best enjoyed with a fresh roti (“ro-ti”).
What you’ll need for 4 persons:
– 500 gr chicken fillets, washed and diced in 3cm cubes
– 500 gr long beans, cleaned and cut into 3 cm lengths
– 3 potatoes, peeled and cut into 3 cm pieces
– 2 gloves of garlic, minced
– 3 pieces of celery, washed and finely sliced
– 2 – 3 tablespoons Hunt’s tomato paste
– 1 teaspoon Badia ground cumin
– 2 -3 (vegetable) stock cubes (Maggi)
– 2 -3 tablespoons of massala
Heat a thick-bottomed pan and add a good lug of Wesson vegetable oil. When the oil is heated you can add the potatoes, be careful as the oil might spat when you add the potatoes. Give the potatoes a stir every now and then to prevent sticking and to ensure the potatoes cooking evenly. When the potatoes start to go fluffy on the outside, you can remove them from the oil and set aside.
Next you can add the chicken to the oil, gently stir the chicken around the pot. When it changes colour you can add the celery and garlic, give it all a good stir. Just before the chicken starts to brown, you add the beans and stir it all around, and add the cumin.
After 5 minutes add the masala and the tomato paste, add a little water to dissolve the tomato paste. Don’t add too much water as the chicken and the vegetables will release some juices too.
Finally crumble the stock cubes into the stew and give it all another good stir.
Add the potatoes back to the pan and bring it all back down to a simmer for about another 15 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through.
Best and traditionally served with a fresh roti and some hot chillies.