Local traditions and culture in Suriname

The idea of these marinated chicken legs are of Indonesian/Surinamese origin but truthfully, I just follow my own taste here so they're a bit different all the time.

So this is not a precise recipe, more a guideline.

Preferably use drumsticks or legs, as they have more flavour than just chicken breasts.
Cut the skin with scissors and pull back the skin so that the marinade will be soaked up by the meat better.

Marinate the chicken bits for an hour or so in a mixture of garlic, ketjap sauce (or take soy sauce with plenty of brown sugar so that it thickens), and spices like:
- ginger powder
- sereh powder (lemongrass)
- ketoembar (coriander)
- a tiny bit of cumin powder
- laos (galanga) powder
- trassi powder (fermented prawn)

Or use fresh spices and mash them with a thistle. Then add it to the soy sauce. Chuck in the chicken and turn a few times. After an hour or so of marinating, fry some garlic and a chopped chili or two in a bit of sunflower oil or arachide oil (peanut oil) and add the chicken bits.
Check often to see if you need to add some of the marinade. When they're nearly done put them in a moderate oven to crisp up just a little.

I usually use chicken wings and the pan never leaves the stove when there's a party. Everyone just gathers round and eats them directly from the pan!

PHOTO: I cooked a big Indonesian/Surinamese dinner for 14 friends a while back. The result: no leftovers.

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2001
Jan 1 New Year's Day
March* Holi Phagwa (Hindu)
Apr 13-16 Easter
May 1 Labour Day
Jul 1 Abolition of Slavery Day
Nov 4* Diwali (Hindu)
Nov 25 Independence Day
Dec 21 Eid al-Fitr (End of Ramadan)
Dec 25-26 Christmas
2002
Jan 1 New Year's Day.
Mar* Holi Phagwa (Hindu)
Mar 29-Apr 1 Easter
May 1 Labour Day
Jul 1 Abolition of Slavery Day
Nov 14* Diwali (Hindu)
Nov 25 Independence Day
Dec 11 Eid al-Fitr (End of Ramadan)
Dec 25-26 Christmas.

Note: (a) In addition, Chinese, Jewish and Indian businesses will be closed for their own religious holidays. (b) Muslim festivals are timed according to local sightings of various phases of the Moon and the dates given above are approximations. During the lunar month of Ramadan that precedes Eid al-Fitr, Muslims fast during the day and feast at night and normal business patterns may be interrupted. Many restaurants are closed during the day and there may be restrictions on smoking and drinking. Some disruption may continue into Eid al-Fitr itself, which may last anything from two to ten days, depending on the region. *Hindu festivals are declared according to local astronomical observations and it is only possible to forecast the approximate time of their occurrence.

It's hard to find a typical light European breakfast in Surinam.
The locals are used to have "heavy" meals at breakfast, lunch AND diner like bread with currychicken, or even fried rice or noodles.

The drinks (also juices) are made with lots of sugar. Very tastfull, but dangerous for us who want to pay attention to our weight ;)
BTW this is probably the cause of high prevalence of diabetes in Surinam...

This is a chicken soup with rice, shredded fried chicken meat, parsley, crunchy fried onion (the kind you put on hot dogs), a boiled egg, bean sprouts, shredded chicken and sambal (hot chili sauce).

The chicken soup is made with lemongrass and ginger. At least, that's how I make it.
In my family this is the last thing served at the end of a party, around midnight or later.

And it is my favourite lunch dish. On my Rotterdam page I mention Warung Mini, the best place in town to eat this soup.

So you simply make a good chicken broth with real chicken (bones, skin and all) with an onion, a tomato, fresh piece of ginger, fresh lemongrass (cut the stem), some chickenbroth cubes. Once it's to your taste, take out the chicken, bone it and shred (not cut!) the meat. Fry the meat crispy, set aside in a bowl. Also put all the abovementioned ingredients in separate bowls. Keep the broth hot.
To prepare a bowl, put a bit of each ingredient in a bowl, pour the hot stock over it. Eat with more chili sauce (sambal) or a mix of ketjap asin (dark syrupy soy sauce, the salt variety) and freshly chopped hot chili.

This area is rich in gold deposits, and have over the centuries been subject to gold mining. Currently Brownsberg Naturepark is in danger of illigal mining activities.

This mine is over 200 years old, the shaft is 8m deep with a 50m long tunnel. All would have been dug by hand.

Suriname's food is an exotic mix of Indonesia, Creole, Indian and Chinese cuisines with a touch of Caribbean thrown in.

We tried a Chinese and a Korean restaurant while we were there, and also some local Surinamese food.

The dish shown in the picture was served at the Broki Restaurant, and consists of chicken with a sate sauce called Penda Sambal (a spicy peanut sauce), rice with nuts, tofu, thin, dark green beans, alpha sprouts and plantains. Absolutely delicious!

Walking along the road in Paramaribo, I was amazed to come across these metal stands outside each house. They are used to place the rubbish bags on, in order to raise them off the ground, away from any rummaging rodents. What a good idea!

Known as the Devil's Apple, the noni fruit is said to be a "cure-all" and is revered by the local people, despite its bad smell. Other names include Nono (in Tahiti & Raratonga), Nhau (in Southeast Asia), Indian Mulberry (in India), Mengkudo (in Malaysia), Polynesian Bush Fruit, Painkiller Tree (in Caribbean islands), Kura (in Fiji), Grand Morinda (in Vietnam), Cheesefruit (in Australia), or Bumbo (in Africa).

The Noni fruit has been used for medicinal purposes for centuries - The earliest reference to this dates back several thousand years in India where it was used in Ayurvedic medicine - it has been found in Sanskrit writings from that time. Recent tests have isolated the "active" ingredient in the fruit, proxeronin, which is said to aid the intake of vitamins and minerals and enhance cellular functions. Most parts of the plant are used - fruit, flowers, seeds, bark and roots, all for their individual medicinal properties.

Scientific name is Morinda Citrifolia, it is an evergreen tree which bears fruit all the year round. One a fruit is picked, another will grow in its place within three months.