Pom

Ingredients

Chicken

• 1 kgboneless chicken thigh, cut into 3 cm pieces
• 2 tspsalt
• 1 tspblack pepper
• ½ tspgrated nutmeg
• 1 tbspSurinamese kip masala or mild curry powder, optional
• 2 tbspbutter

Base

• 1.2 kgpomtajer (tayer root), peeled and finely grated
• 2large onions, finely chopped
• 3garlic cloves, crushed
• 1stock cube dissolved in 300 ml hot water
• 3 tbsptomato puree
• 200 mlorange juice
• juice of 1 lemon or 2 sour oranges
• 1 tspgrated nutmeg
• 1 tspblack pepper
• 2 tspsalt
• 50 gbutter, plus more for the dish
• 1Madame Jeanette pepper, left whole

To serve

• steamed white rice, or soft white bread rolls for pom broodjes
• 1 tbspsambal oelek on the side

Directions

1. Season the chicken with salt, pepper, nutmeg and masala and leave it 30 minutes.
2. Brown the chicken in the butter in a wide pan over high heat, 5 minutes, until coloured but not cooked through, then lift it out.
3. Soften the onions and garlic in the same pan, 8 minutes, add the tomato puree and cook it out for 2 minutes until it darkens, then return the chicken with the stock and simmer 10 minutes.
4. Peel the pomtajer and grate it fine, working quickly and dropping it straight into a bowl with a little of the citrus juice; the raw root discolours and itches the skin, so wear gloves.
5. Mix the grated root with the orange and lemon juice, the rest of the stock, nutmeg, pepper, salt and the melted butter. It should be a loose, pourable mash, not a stiff paste; add water if needed.
6. Butter a deep oven dish generously. Spread half the pomtajer mixture over the base.
7. Spoon the chicken and its sauce over evenly, tuck the whole Madame Jeanette pepper into the middle without piercing it, then cover with the remaining pomtajer mixture and smooth the top.
8. Dot with butter and bake at 180°C (350°F) for 75 to 90 minutes, until the surface is deep golden and set, the edges are bubbling and the centre no longer wobbles.
9. Rest 15 minutes out of the oven so it firms enough to cut into squares, and fish out the whole pepper before serving.
10. Serve hot with rice, or the following day cold in a soft bun as a pom broodje, which is how it is eaten at Surinamese parties.

Technique

• Pom is the centrepiece of Surinamese birthdays, weddings and funerals, and its origins are Jewish-Surinamese: it is widely held to descend from a Sephardic baked pudding adapted to a New World root.
• Pomtajer is the root of Xanthosoma sagittifolium, a specific tayer grown for this dish. It goes slimy and grey if left standing, so grate it last and bake it straight away.
• The citrus is structural, not decorative. Sour orange juice keeps the root pale and cuts the richness; without acid, pom tastes flat and heavy.

Substitutions

• No pomtajer: frozen grated pomtajer is sold by Surinamese and Caribbean grocers and is what most people abroad use. At a push, 1 kg grated taro plus 200 g grated potato approximates the texture, though the flavour is milder.
• Sour oranges are traditional; a blend of orange juice with lemon or lime gets close.
• Leave the Madame Jeanette whole for perfume without heat, or chop it if you want the dish genuinely hot.

Variations

• Pom with salted meat added alongside the chicken, in older family recipes.
• Vegetarian pom, made with mushrooms and extra citrus, now common in Amsterdam.
• Pomtajer soup, made from the same root with the same seasoning.

History

Oven dish of grated pomtajer root with citrus and chicken, brought by Sephardic Jewish settlers and now the centrepiece of every Surinamese party.

Frequently asked questions

What is Pom?

Pom is a main from Suriname: baked casserole of grated pomtajer root and citrusy chicken; party centerpiece. Oven dish of grated pomtajer root with citrus and chicken, brought by Sephardic Jewish settlers and now the centrepiece of every Surinamese party.

How long does Pom take to make?

Pom takes 40 min of preparation and 1 hr 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Pom?

Yes, within limits. No pomtajer: frozen grated pomtajer is sold by Surinamese and Caribbean grocers and is what most people abroad use. At a push, 1 kg grated taro plus 200 g grated potato approximates the texture, though the flavour is milder. Sour oranges are traditional; a blend of orange juice with lemon or lime gets close. Leave the Madame Jeanette whole for perfume without heat, or chop it if you want the dish genuinely hot.

What is the most important thing to get right in Pom?

Spoon the chicken and its sauce over evenly, tuck the whole Madame Jeanette pepper into the middle without piercing it, then cover with the remaining pomtajer mixture and smooth the top.