Roti Surinamese
“Suriname's Indo-Hindustani Sunday classic — paper-thin paratha or dhalpuri roti served with chicken-and-potato curry (kerrie kip), aloo (potato), bharta (eggplant), and string beans (sperziebonen), all flavored with Surinamese masala. The Sunday family meal across Indo-Surinamese households, the Hindu temple-offering food.”
Where it comes from
Roti Surinamese is the centerpiece of Indo-Hindustani Surinamese cuisine — brought by Indian indentured laborers (mostly Bihari) from 1873-1916. The Surinamese masala curry powder, mellower and more aromatic than Indian curry powder, defines the curry's flavor. The roti is typically dhalpuri (split-pea filled) or paratha, served with kerrie kip (curry chicken), aloo (potato curry), and bharta (mashed eggplant). The dish is the universal Indo-Surinamese Sunday family meal; every Hindu temple in Suriname serves roti as the prasad (sacred food). The dish has spread widely through the Dutch diaspora; modern Amsterdam and Rotterdam have dozens of Surinamese roti shops. The dish differs from Guyanese roti by using more Indonesian-influenced soy and sweet spices, reflecting Suriname's Indonesian-Javanese influences.
On the plate
Tear off a piece of fresh, soft roti and scoop up the curry — chicken pieces in golden masala sauce, potato chunks, beans, eggplant. Bite: roti is paper-thin but pliable, the layers separate as you tear; the chicken curry is aromatic with cumin, coriander, turmeric, scotch bonnet warmth; the eggplant is smoky and tangy; the beans have soaked up coconut sweetness. Each bite combines roti + a different curry. With ginger-beer to refresh, this is the Surinamese-Hindu Sunday family lunch.
How it works
Multi-component preparation is the key — each curry (chicken, potato, eggplant, beans) is cooked separately with its own seasonings, then combined on the plate for the eater to mix as they please. The Surinamese masala (mellower than Indian) lets the individual flavors shine. The roti's paratha-style layering captures the curry sauces.
Variations
Roti Surinamese with goat (heritage version). With duck (kerrie eend, Hindustani specialty). Vegetarian roti (only vegetable curries). Modern Amsterdam restaurant versions with truffle. The Hindu temple-offering version omits onion and garlic.
On the Palate
Ingredients
Serves 6
How it's made
10 steps · Show ↓55 min active · 65 min waiting
How it's made
10 steps · Show ↓- 140 min
Make roti dough: in a bowl, combine 500 g flour + 2 tsp baking powder + 1 tsp salt + 4 tbsp ghee + 300 ml warm water. Knead 8 min. Rest 30 min.
- 222 min
Make kerrie kip: cube 800 g chicken thigh; marinate with 3 tbsp Surinamese masala + 1 tbsp ketjap manis + 4 minced garlic + 1 minced Madame Janette + 1 tsp salt; rest 20 min.
- 39 min
Heat 3 tbsp oil; fry 1 chopped onion 6 min. Add 2 tbsp curry powder + 1 tbsp ground cumin + 1 tsp turmeric; bloom 2 min.
- 46 min
Add chicken; brown 6 min.
- 532 min
Add 400 ml chicken stock + 2 chopped tomatoes + 300 g potato chunks + 1 tsp salt; simmer 30 min until tender.
- 616 min
Make aloo curry separately: boil 500 g potato cubes; toss with 2 tbsp Surinamese masala + 1 tsp salt + 3 tbsp oil + 1 chopped onion sautéed.
- 722 min
Make bharta: roast 2 eggplants until skin chars; peel; mash with 3 garlic cloves + 1 chopped onion sautéed + 2 tbsp oil + 1 tsp salt + 1 tsp cumin.
- 88 min
Cook 200 g string beans in coconut milk with 1 tsp masala 8 min.
- 918 min
Roll out roti dough into 8 thin disks (25 cm wide). Cook on a hot griddle 1-2 min per side; brush with ghee between layers and after cooking. Wrap in cloth to keep warm.
- 104 min
Serve on a large communal plate: spread a roti as the base. Add: chicken curry (kerrie kip), potato curry (aloo), eggplant mash (bharta), and string beans. Eat by wrapping the curry in pieces of roti torn off. Drink with Surinamese ginger-beer (gemberbier) or Parbo beer.
