Caribbean Recipes – Pom From Suriname

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. Fri. Mar. 6, 2020: In the former Dutch island of Suriname, a CARICOM nation in South America, Pom is a traditional dish and is especially made around birthdays. Its history harkens back to a time when Jews were dominant in the country. Here’s how you can make it at home.

INGREDIENTS

1 whole chicken (about 2 to 3 lbs.)

1 lb. of salt pork or chicken sausage

3 lbs. pomtajer or taro root)

4 tomatoes – peeled and chopped

2 onions, chopped

1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped

2 cubes chicken bouillon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

Juice of 1 orange

Juice of 2 lemons

3 cloves garlic, crushed

1 habanero (whole)

1 tablespoon sugar

8 tablespoons butter, divided

Salt

Pepper

METHOD

Cut the chicken into pieces. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.

In a pan with 3 tablespoons of butter, fry the chicken pieces and chicken sausage (sliced) for a few minutes. Set aside.

In the same pan, add 3 tablespoons of butter and sauté the onions for about 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes, garlic and parsley.

Add the chicken and chicken sausages and cover with water. Add the bouillon cubes and the hot pepper.

Cook covered over medium low heat for 25-30 minutes. Drain the cooking liquid into a bowl and set it aside.

Peel and rinse the pomtajer. Grate the pomtajer by hand or with a food processor.

Mix it with some of the cooking liquid from the meat as well as the orange and lemon juices to make a sticky dough. Add sugar.

Spread half of the pomtajer mixture in a well-greased baking dish. Spread chicken mixture on top and then cover with the rest of pomtajer. Most pom recipes ask for the chicken to be kept with the bones. I personally removed the bones and cut it into smaller chunks.

Pour the remaining juices over the top, 2 tablespoons of butter and bake for two hours: one hour covered at 425 F and one hour uncovered at 350 F.

Pom should be done when the top is brown, and a golden-brown juice comes out when poked with a knife.

Bon Appetite