Better than Roopram
When asked where to eat the best chicken roti in Amsterdam, people often answer Roopram Roti. But I know better: this Surinamese-Hindustani family recipe for chicken roti massala is the best.
The recipe comes from a friend of mine and has been in her family for years. But as is only right with roti (to be clear: roti is the flatbread, chicken roti massala is the dish): sharing is caring, so I’m allowed to share the recipe with you.
No, of course it isn’t as easy as picking up takeaway from Roopram. And yes, I understand that you may think I’m biased. But I’d say: try it and judge for yourself!
How to make it
1 Start by marinating the chicken (preferably a day in advance). For this, roughly chop the garlic and madame Jeanette pepper and place them in the mortar together with the sea salt. Pound until you have a fine, homogeneous mixture.
2 Place the chicken thighs in a large bowl and knead the pounded mixture thoroughly into the chicken, so it is evenly distributed over the pieces. Then add the massala, making sure all the pieces are coated with the powder.
3 Wash the yardlong beans and cut off the tops and ends. Then cut the beans into pieces of about 10 cm.
4 Cut the pointed cabbage in half and remove the core. Then cut the two halves crosswise into strips.
5 Peel the potatoes, wash them and cut them into four wedges.
6 Heat the oil in a Dutch oven. Fry the tomato purée in the oil until it just starts to sizzle lightly, then add the chicken thighs and turn them regularly until they are seared on all sides.
7 Pour water into the pan until the chicken thighs are just submerged. Add the potato wedges and let everything simmer gently, covered, for 45 minutes.
8 Fifteen minutes before the chicken is done, you can start preparing the vegetables. Add some oil to the wok or frying pan and stir-fry the pointed cabbage first until it starts to wilt slightly. Then add the yardlong beans.
9 Spoon some liquid from the pan with the chicken and pour it over the vegetables. This gives the vegetables that delicious, spicy curry flavor too.
10 Warm the rotis in a microwave or oven. Depending on your microwave or oven, this takes about 8 minutes. But keep a close eye on them, because of course you want them to remain soft and not become hard.
Serve the roti, chicken and vegetables on serving dishes and—very important—refuse to use cutlery!
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