Surinaams Buffet

Mavis Hofwijk, a former swim instructor, is a local hero. She started Surinaams Buffet Catering in 1985. Now she’s known as the Culi Queen of Amsterdam South-​East. Together with her daughter, her nephew and some other employees she made Amsterdam fell in love with authentic food of her country of birth. The Surinam kitchen is a melting pot of several cuisines: Creole, Javanese, Chinese and Indian. In her cookbook Mavis Kookt she unveils lots of her recipes. For ready to eat food you have to place a catering order or visit one of the markets (Pure Markten) in Beatrixpark, Amstelpark or Park Frankendael. One of my favourites out of her kitchen — once a garage — is her kippasteitje, a pretty mini pie filled with stewed chicken, green peas, tomato and silver onions. Many people use puff pastry to make this pie, but not Mavis: she uses ‘real dough’ — not too thick, not too thin. Combine this tasty kippasteitje with a roti roll, a ball of salted cod and a croquette of tajer leaves and smoked chicken sausage. The tastes of Suriname on a plate.