Chicken masala: comfort food with a twist

Rain or shine, this recipe for masala chicken can go anytime! That lovely fuzzy feeling this Surinamese comfort food gives you is like a warm blanket that wraps around you. Before we descend into too many superlatives, below is the recipe. And as a bonus, a recipe for potatoes with sambal. Enjoy!

Chicken masala recipe

Ingredients (for 4 persons)

  • 1 kg chicken, legs and/or breasts
  • oil
  • 2 onions, sliced
  • 4 cloves of garlic, sliced
  • 40 gr Masala spices, (Hindustani Masala H.Nandam, Surinami)
  • black pepper
  • 4 diced tomatoes
  • 4 dl chicken stock
  • 6 potatoes, firm, peeled and cut into quarters
  • 2 Madame Jeanette chillies, whole
  • 2 Maggi cubes

This is how you proceed

  1. Fry the chicken pieces in plenty of oil until brown on all sides.
  2. Remove the chicken from the pan and fry the onions and garlic in it.
  3. Fry the Masala spices with the chicken for about 4 minutes, followed by the diced tomatoes for about 3 minutes. Return the chicken to the pan, stir well and add the chicken stock. Bring to the boil and add the potatoes and Madame Jeanette chillies. (Leave the chillies whole, do not cut or puncture them)
  4. Add (Maggi) cube and a few turns of ground black pepper.
  5. Let everything simmer gently for 45 minutes with a lid on the pan.

Side dish: long beans

Ingredients (for 4 persons)

  • 400 g long beans, cut into pieces
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 Maggi cube

This is how you proceed

  1. Heat a dash of oil in a frying pan and fry the onion and garlic in it.
  2. Add the long beans or string beans.
  3. Fry for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
  4. Keep the heat high and add small bits of water each time.
  5. Add the cube of Maggi.
  6. When the beans are al dente, they are ready.

Side dish: potato sambal

Ingredients (for 4 persons)

  • 400 g potatoes, floury, peeled and diced
  • 1.5 dl Soybean oil
  • 4 red Madame Jeanette chillies, finely chopped
  • 5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  • salt
  • lime juice

This is how you proceed

  1. Boil the potatoes and mash them.
  2. Fry the Madame Jeanette pepper and garlic for about 2 minutes.
  3. Remove from heat and add some salt, lime juice and soybean oil.
  4. Purée with the hand blender until smooth and mix into the crushed potatoes.

Serve with rice and/or Roti (flatbread).

Bon appetit!

Text & pictures: Alx Marks