Chicken Masala

by Maureen Le Couvreur

Suriname has a very mixed population with a variety of dishes - and here is one of the best recipes ever and tastes good any time of year!

The country of Suriname is located in the north of the continent. Suriname also lies in the western hemisphere. This tiny country is encased by one water body the Atlantic Ocean in the north, French Guiana to the east, Brazil to the south and Guyana to the west.

Surinam has a very mixed population. The original people of the country were the Arawaks and the Caribs(Amerindians). When the Dutch colonized the country, other Europeans filtered in. with slavery being a rampant practice, the colonizers imported African slaves. Later bonded laborers from India, Indonesia and China were also brought in.

Mixing the different varieties of vegetables which grow in Suriname with the traditional cuisine of the different ethnic groups, Surinam offers a spicy, good and colourful variety of dishes including American, Chinese, Creole, European, Indian and Indonesian.

Chicken Masala

Masala is an exotic blend of spices- cinnamon, cloves, black pepper, cardamom- that adds flavor and aroma. (Hindustany curry powder)

Ingredients:

For the marinade:

4 cloves of finely chopped garlic
3 to 4 tablespoons of masala powder
1 to 2 tablespoons of corn oil
salt and pepper to taste

For the main meal:

1 kilogramme chicken fillet cut into cubes
2 big chopped onion
2 cloves of finely chopped garlic
1 tablespoon thinly sliced celery
2 whole dry red chilli (optional)
5 hard boiled eggs
2 tablespoons of corn oil and a little bit of water
1 cup tomato puree
salt and pepper to taste
a stock cube if required

vegetables :

Half a kilogramme of string beans or, if not available, green beans
6 to 7 medium size potatoes
some salt and pepper
2 to 3 tablespoons masala (Hindustany curry powder)

Directions

Make a mix of 3 tablespoons of oil, salt, pepper and masala. Add the cut meat and marinade it for at least 2 hours.
Fry the onion, garlic, tomato puree and the celery in the oil , add the meat and cook all until brown. Add some water until the meat is covered and lower the heat.

Immerse the diffuser with the 2 whole dry red chilli in it and let all simmer for about 40 minutes. If needed, season it with extra masala and a stock cube to your taste if necessary.

Cut the potatoes into quarters and cook them just like your meat and than for 10-15 minutes in water with 1-2 teaspoons of masala and some salt and pepper.
Clean the String beans, cut them into 1-2 inch-pieces and cook them as well for 10 minutes until bite-ready.

Boil the eggs until hard(8-10min.) and shell them.
Remove the diffuser with the chili pepper from the meat and season the sauce with some salt and pepper if required. Add the eggs and heat all thoroughly.