A thick, earthy Surinamese soup made from taro leaves slow-cooked with salted beef, smoked chicken, okra, and hot pepper into a rich green broth.
Ingredients
500g taro leaves (tayer blad), washed and chopped
300g salted beef, soaked overnight
200g smoked chicken
200g okra, sliced
2 onions, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Madame Jeanette pepper, whole
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 liter water or stock
Salt and pepper
Juice of 1 lime
Fresh thyme
Instructions
1Boil soaked salted beef until tender, about one hour. Cut into bite-sized pieces and reserve the cooking liquid.
2Heat oil and saute onions and garlic. Add chopped taro leaves and stir until wilted, about five minutes.
3Add smoked chicken, beef, okra, whole pepper, thyme, and cooking liquid. Bring to a boil.
4Reduce heat and simmer forty-five minutes until taro leaves are completely soft and the soup is thick and green.
5Season with lime juice, salt, and pepper. The soup should be thick and hearty, almost stew-like in consistency.
Did You Know?
Tayer blad soep is often called the Surinamese version of callaloo, connecting it to the broader Caribbean and West African tradition of leafy green soups.