Surinamese yellow pea soup: classic pesi with salted meat and chicken
Did you know that the quintessentially Dutch pea soup has a distant relative? This Surinamese soup variant is made from yellow peas, contains plenty of herbs, and salted meat. Absolutely worth a try!
If only for the beautiful yellow color, this is a variant you absolutely want to put on the table. The soup is packed with Surinamese flavorings and is deliciously spicy thanks to the Madam Jeanette sambal.
Just like Dutch pea soup, this Surinamese soup is at its best the next day. Don't panic if you don't feel like or don't have time to wait: you can also serve it immediately. The soup will be slightly thinner, but just as tasty!
Preparation method for Surinamese pea soup
- Desalt your salted meat by boiling the meat twice for 20 minutes in a pan of hot water. Replace the water after the first 20-minute boiling. Let the meat cool completely and cut it into cubes.
- Bring 2 liters of water to a boil.
- Add the yellow peas, the allspice berries, one tablespoon of bouillon powder, and the sliced meat to the boiling water. Simmer over low heat for 40 minutes, or until the peas are tender. Remove the allspice berries from the pan.
- Meanwhile, fry the chicken legs in a frying pan with some sunflower oil until they start to brown.
- In the meantime, finely chop the onion, tomato, and garlic.
- Add the curry masala, sambal, and bay leaves to the hot pan with the chicken. Stir well and cook with a splash of water for a few minutes until the vegetables soften.
- Then add the entire contents of the pan to the pan with the peas and the salted meat. Let simmer for 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked.
- Remove the chicken from the pan and shred it into small pieces. Stir it into the soup along with the chopped celery.
- Season the Surinamese soup with Maggi or salt. Serve with fried onions.
