Plate 02 of 10

Moksi Alesi

Name: Moksi Alesi
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 6 to 8
Cuisine: Suriname
Ingredients: 500 g Long-grain white rice, rinsed until clear and drained; 250 g Salted dried cod, bakkeljauw, soaked 2 hours, boiled 10 minutes, flaked and boned; 250 g Smoked pork belly or salted pigtail, boiled 15 minutes and cut into 1 cm cubes; 250 g Cooked black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained; 150 g Bitawiri greens, stems removed, roughly chopped; 400 ml Full-fat unsweetened coconut milk; 400 ml Warm water or vegetable stock; 30 ml Neutral or coconut oil; 1 medium Yellow onion, finely diced; 5 cloves Garlic, minced; 1 large Ripe plum tomato, finely chopped; 30 g Double-concentrated tomato paste; 20 g Surinamese celery leaves, finely chopped; 6 whole Allspice berries, coarsely cracked; 3 g Freshly ground black pepper; 5 g Fine sea salt; 1 whole Madame Jeanette pepper, unbroken, stem trimmed

Mixed rice, in Sranan Tongo. Salt cod and smoked pork belly, both desalted, rendered and cooked into a tomato and allspice sofrito, then long-grain rice simmered in coconut milk with black-eyed peas and wild bitawiri greens under a whole yellow Madame Jeanette, sealed and steamed until the grains separate and the bottom crisps.

Prep: 30 min
Cook: 45 min
Serves: 6 to 8
Difficulty: Medium

Researched · Kitchen testing pending

A bowl of moksi alesi, coconut rice mixed with black-eyed peas, flaked salt cod, smoked pork and dark greens, with cucumber slices.

Moksi alesi means mixed rice in Sranan Tongo, and it is an emblem of Afro-Surinamese plantation resourcefulness. It combined whatever protein could be had, salt cod, cured pork belly or pigtail, garden greens and black-eyed peas, simmered in coconut milk pressed from coastal palms.

True moksi alesi layers rendered pork fat, marine salt and coconut cream deliberately, and adds bitawiri, a tender wild bitter green, to cut the smoked meats. An intact yellow Madame Jeanette on top perfumes the pot with steam and no fire, and it comes to the table beside fried sweet plantain.

Ingredients

500 gLong-grain white rice, rinsed until clear and drained
250 gSalted dried cod, bakkeljauw, soaked 2 hours, boiled 10 minutes, flaked and boned
250 gSmoked pork belly or salted pigtail, boiled 15 minutes and cut into 1 cm cubes
250 gCooked black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained
150 gBitawiri greens, stems removed, roughly choppedor baby spinach or dandelion greens
400 mlFull-fat unsweetened coconut milk
400 mlWarm water or vegetable stock
30 mlNeutral or coconut oil
1 mediumYellow onion, finely diced
5 clovesGarlic, minced
1 largeRipe plum tomato, finely chopped
30 gDouble-concentrated tomato paste
20 gSurinamese celery leaves, finely chopped
6 wholeAllspice berries, coarsely cracked
3 gFreshly ground black pepper
5 gFine sea salttaste after the cod goes in before adding any
1 wholeMadame Jeanette pepper, unbroken, stem trimmed

Coconut keeps the grains apart

Cooking rice in coconut milk coats the swelling starch in medium-chain fats as it gelatinises at 72 °C. The coating stops neighbouring grains fusing, so the rice stays distinct and the base forms a savoury crust instead of a paste.

Desalting the cod

Salt cod is up to a fifth salt by weight. Two hours in cold water and a ten-minute boil bring it down to about 1.5 percent, enough to season the whole pot without adding any.

The five tastes on this plate

Salt is the desalted cod and cured pork. Fat is rendered pork and coconut cream. Acid is fresh tomato and paste against the coconut. Heat is garlic, black pepper, allspice and the perfume of the whole pepper. Umami is salt cod, smoked pork collagen and the toasted rice base.

Equipment

6-quart enamelled cast-iron Dutch oven with a tight lid
Foil
Large fork

A cast-aluminium caldero with a tight lid is the Surinamese standard, for the heat circulation and the bottom crust. Any heavy pot with a tight seal works; foil under the lid closes the gap.

Method

Desalt the cod2 hr 15 min
Soak the cod in cold water 2 hours, changing the water once. Boil in fresh water 10 minutes, drain, cool, and flake into bite-sized pieces, checking for pin bones.
Soak the cod in cold water 2 hours, changing the water once. Boil in fresh water 10 minutes, drain, cool, and flake into bite-sized pieces, checking for pin bones.
Render the pork6 min
Heat the oil in the Dutch oven over medium and cook the pork cubes 5 to 6 minutes until browned and the fat has rendered.
First boil the smoked pork or salted pigtail 15 minutes and cut into 1 cm cubes. Heat oil over medium; cook cubes 5–6 minutes until browned and the fat renders.
Build the sofrito6 min
Add the onion, garlic and cracked allspice to the fat and sauté 3 minutes. Add the tomato, tomato paste and celery leaves and sauté 3 minutes more until the oil separates.
Add the onion, garlic and cracked allspice to the fat and sauté 3 minutes. Add the tomato, tomato paste and celery leaves and sauté 3 minutes more until the oil separates.
Add the cod and peas2 min
Stir in the flaked cod and the black-eyed peas and cook 2 minutes to coat them in the sofrito.
Stir in the flaked cod and the black-eyed peas and cook 2 minutes to coat them in the sofrito.
Add the coconut broth5 min
Pour in the coconut milk and warm water, stir, and bring to a rolling boil. Taste the liquid and season with pepper, and salt only if it needs it.
Pour in the coconut milk and warm water, stir, and bring to a rolling boil. Taste the liquid and season with pepper, and salt only if it needs it.
Add the rice8 min
Add the rice and stir once to distribute everything. Float the whole Madame Jeanette in the centre. Boil uncovered over medium-high 6 to 8 minutes until the liquid drops below the rice and steam craters appear.
Add the rice and stir once to distribute everything. Float the whole Madame Jeanette in the centre. Boil uncovered over medium-high 6 to 8 minutes until the liquid drops below the rice and steam craters appear.
Steam20 min
Stir the chopped greens in gently around the edges, keeping the pepper whole. Reduce to the lowest heat, cover tightly with foil and the lid, and steam undisturbed 20 minutes.
Stir the chopped greens in gently around the edges, keeping the pepper whole. Reduce to the lowest heat, cover tightly with foil and the lid, and steam undisturbed 20 minutes.
Fluff and serve
Lift out the pepper onto a plate. Fluff with a large fork, spreading the fish, pork and greens through the rice, and serve hot with fried sweet plantains.
Lift out the pepper onto a plate. Fluff with a large fork, spreading the fish, pork and greens through the rice, and serve hot with fried sweet plantains.
09
Sensory cues of doneness
- Visual: fluffy golden-bronze grains studded with white cod, pink pork, black-eyed peas and green leaves, a whole yellow pepper on top.
- Auditory: a loud sizzle as the pork renders, quiet bubbling as the coconut broth reduces, and a gentle crackle at the end of the steam.
- Olfactory: coconut milk, wood smoke, allspice, dried fish and sweet tropical pepper steam.
Look for fluffy bronze-gold rice with cod, pork, peas and greens. Loud pork sizzling gives way to quiet coconut-broth bubbling, then gentle crackling; expect coconut, smoke, allspice, dried fish and pepper aromas.

Troubleshooting

Oversalted rice.: The cod or pork was not desalted. Soak and boil them, and add no salt until you have tasted the boiling broth.
Mushy, wet rice.: Too much liquid. Coconut milk counts. Hold to 800 ml total for 500 g of rice.
A pot that is suddenly fiery.: The pepper was stirred and burst. Set it on top, do not stir once covered, and spoon it out before fluffing.

Substitutions

One-to-one swaps, with the technique change each one needs.

Ingredient substitutions

Ingredient	Replace with	Culinary impact and technique adjustment
Bakkeljauw	Portuguese bacalhau or Spanish bacalao	One-to-one, desalted the same way
Bitawiri	Baby dandelion greens, mustard greens or young spinach	One-to-one
Smoked pork belly	Smoked slab bacon or smoked pork chops	One-to-one

Scaling

Half

Halve everything in a 4-quart pot with 200 ml coconut milk and 200 ml water. Steam 20 minutes as before.

Double

Double in a 12-quart caldero but cut the water to 750 ml, 1.55 litres of liquid in all, or the centre stays wet.

What to serve it with

Bakabana, ripe plantain slices fried golden
Zuurgoed, quick-pickled red onion and cucumber in spiced vinegar
A sambal of crushed Madame Jeanette, garlic and lime

Questions

What is bitawiri?

A wild tropical green with a mild herbal bitterness. Baby dandelion, watercress or young kale stand in well.

Other meats?

Smoked chicken, dried river shrimp and fresh white fish all appear; salt cod with smoked pork is the classic.

Why long-grain rice?

Its higher amylose keeps the grains separate in rich coconut milk. Short-grain turns to porridge.