News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. Feb. 5, 2021: This week we feature a unique recipe that is popular in the Dutch Caribbean nation of Suriname. It is Moksi-Alesi, and here’s how to make it according to Denis Cardenas, owner at El Jalapeno.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup long grain rice
1 onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
200 grams of salted meat – beef or pork, and/or chicken breast
1 small tomato, chopped
1 tbs black pepper
1 pinch of nutmeg
1 fresh hot pepper
1 tbsp. tomato paste or ketchup
1/2 to 1 packet of masoesa or passion food powder
Some sliced pointed cabbage (optional)
3-4 Maggi cubes or chicken stock cubes
A few tablespoons of oil
1 tbps butter
1 can of coconut milk (optional)
METHOD
Wash and cut the chicken breast into bite sized pieces.
Wash the rice in a colander and drain.
Boil the salted meat in some water until tender, (approx. half an hour), or pressure in a pressure cooker for about 15 minutes.
Remove the salted meat and cut into bite sized pieces.
Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a large non-stick skillet.
Add the onion and garlic and let it cook.
Add the tomatoes, the tomato paste, nutmeg and the black pepper.
Then add the salt meat and the small chicken pieces and fry everything together until brown.
Add some water and the Maggi or chicken stock cubes.
If you use coconut milk, add it now.
Let it come to a boil, add the washed rice with the masoesa and stir everything well.
Add enough water to just a little finger joint above the rice.
Taste for salt.
Add some stock powder or chicken stock powder if necessary.
Add the fresh hot pepper and let it steam on top of the dish.
Make sure it doesn’t open.
Let it cook with the lid closed on low heat.
Stir occasionally with a fork to prevent it from sticking.
Cut the pointed cabbage into small strips. Fry it very briefly in butter or oil.
When the moksi alesi is cooked, stir in the pointed cabbage, keep it crisp.
Add some extra salt if necessary.
Serve with fried ripe plantains.
Bon Appetite
