Make it at home

Yield 6Hands-on 45 minTotal 2 hr 30 minDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 1.2kg pomtajer (Xanthosoma taro), peeled and finely grated; substitute frozen grated pomtajer from a Surinamese grocer
  • 1kg chicken thighs, bone-in
  • 2 large onions, finely chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 2 tbsp tomato puree
  • Juice of 4 oranges (preferably sour orange)
  • Juice of 2 lemons
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp ketjap manis (Indonesian sweet soy)
  • 1 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1 Madame Jeanette chilli, whole and pricked
  • 60ml neutral oil
  • Salt, black pepper

Method

  1. Brown chicken in oil in a heavy pot, 8 minutes. Remove.
  2. Soften onions and garlic 8 minutes. Add tomato puree, cook 2 minutes.
  3. Return chicken with orange juice, lemon juice, sugar, ketjap, nutmeg, chilli, and 300ml water. Simmer 45 minutes until chicken is tender. Shred meat, reserve sauce.
  4. Combine grated pomtajer with most of the chicken sauce, salt heavily, and beat until lighter in colour.
  5. Heat oven to 180C. Spread half the pomtajer mix in a buttered baking dish.
  6. Top with shredded chicken and remaining sauce, then cover with the rest of the pomtajer.
  7. Bake 75 to 90 minutes until the top is deep golden and slightly crackled. Rest 10 minutes before cutting into squares.

Tip from the editors. Pomtajer is non-negotiable for authentic pom; cassava or regular taro produce a denser, paler casserole that locals will spot instantly.

Where to eat pom

Pom in Rotterdam

Warung Mini ★ 4.7

Surinamese€€CentrumMon-Sat 12:00-22:00; Sun 14:00-22:00

A Surinamese lunchroom since 1982 that locals consider the most authentic pom, roti, and saoto in the city. Located in Centrum. At Witte de Withstraat 47.

Why locals love it: No English signage, cash only, and easily missed on the busy Pannekoekstraat strip

Witte de Withstraat 47, 3012 BM Rotterdam

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