Tag Archives: Suriname

Sauerkraut and nduja

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In the winter season one of my favourite vegetables is sauerkraut and after discovering the delicious nduja only two weeks ago I thought it might be an idea to combine these two in a dish.

Sauerkraut is finely shredded cabage fermented in its own juice. It is very popular in Germany, Poland, Holand and France. In the UK it is available in the Polish shops, and sometimes even in Morrissons, Tesco and Sainbury’s!

In this dish I used a Brazilian sausage which I bought on Brixton market but you can use any other sausage you like.

Ingredients

2 sausages, sliced

2 small onions, thinly sliced

2 big scoops nduja

2 potatoes, in cubes

600gr sauerkraut, drained in a colander

2 scotch bonnets

300ml water

2ts sugar

Heat two tbs oil in a pan. Fry the sausages until golden brown and then ad the onions too. Add the nduja and keep stirring to prevent everything from sticking to the pan.

After two minutes add the potatoes and then the sauerkraut and scotch bonnets. Keep on stirring and mixing everything.

Add water and cook on low heat for about 30-40 minutes until the potatoes are done.

Add two ts sugar, stir for one last time and turn off the heat.

Serve with rice or potato mash. In Suriname we have our sauerkraut with rice and that’s just what I’m having tonight!

 

Soto Ayam Chicken Soup

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Soto Ayam or Saoto soup as it is known in Suriname is Indonesian for Chicken Soup.

Divine chicken soup to be correct and this has got to be one of my favourite dishes in the world. I used to make this every Sunday until my husband put a stop to this. Most of the time I make a pot for myself, and whenever I have an upset tum this is the only thing that gets me through the day.

Also good for sweating out colds, have a hot cup of soto ayam with loads of sambal and you’ll feel better in no time!

Ingredients for a big pot of soup

2 l water

2 Indonesian bay leaves (salam leaves)

1 big onion, chopped

5 cm ginger root, thinly sliced

5 cm galangal root, thinly sliced

2 large chicken stock cubes

salt

black pepper

5 black pepper corns

2 lemongrass stalks

2 chicken leg quarters, rinsed

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Start by bringing the water to a boil in a large soup pot. Then add all the ingredients to the water, cover the pot and reduce heat to low. Simmer until the chicken is done.

Remove the chicken from the soup and let it cool off. Skim fat from the broth. Also scoop the rest of the ingredients out of the pot, leaving nothing but the broth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shred the chicken after it’s cooled off, heat oil in a pan and bake the chicken shreds until golden brown.

Soto Ayam is served with shredded chicken, potato chips (available at the supermarket), fried shallots, beansprouts, cabbage (thinly sliced), a boiled egg, cooked rice, sambal and I finish it off with some chopped coriander. Put these ingredients in individual bowls.

The idea is that everyone puts their desired amount of all the ingredients in a bowl, the reheated soup is then poured over it, sambal added to taste and you’re ready to enjoy what I think is the best soup ever.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you’d like to make my favourite sambal, go to any Chinese, Thai or Indonesian toko (I go to those in China Town) and buy a bottle of sweet Kecap Manis.

Finely chop 3 cm ginger root, 2 garlic cloves and 1-2 Scotch bonnets. Pour a cup of Kecap Manis into a pan and add a cup of tea (yes tea!) and bring to a boil. Add the ginger, garlic and Scotch bonnets and stir. Add 1-2 ts sugar and slowly boil the sambal until it is slightly thicker.

I’m having soto ayam today and I seriously cannot wait for dinner tonight!

 

 

 

 

 

My first market ever

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I spend my Sunday morning selling bread and dishes from my home country Suriname, in London.
I’m a huge fan of London’s food markets and I’ve always wanted to take part in one, and sell my own home made food.
So that’s just what I did yesterday and although it wasn’t a big market with loads of visitors, it was nice getting out there and worth hearing people telling me how they loved my exotic cooking.
It was a very small market with a group of enthusiasts who enjoy baking, cooking and gardening and wanted to share and sell their home made and home grown goods with others.
I’d love to be on more markets and this was a good place to start!
Yesterday I kept it low key and made some ginger beer and baguettes with sweet kecap manis chicken, spicy cod and pom.
Pomtayer is a root grown in Suriname, similar to cassava. And as far as I know it’s only eaten in Suriname and the Netherlands. A party isn’t a party until there is pom in my home country. I regularly make this delicious oven dish with pomtayer, tomatoes, chicken and spices and the result is pom! Delicious with vegetables and rice, or on a baguette.
The Londoners who tasted pom yesterday found it absolutely lovely, so that’s a good thing cause I’d love for everyone in the UK to eat pom!
Next stop for me market wise is Mrs.Marmitelover’s underground farmers market on the 4th and 5th of November! Do come too, it’s going to be loads of fun. As it is bonfire weekend there will be bonfires, fireworks, food, booze and music. And I’ll be cooking delicious Surinamese dishes, including pom!
And this Wednesday I have an important meeting with a market organiser. Fingers crossed that he likes my food!