Friday, July 17, 2015

WHEN IT RAINS PROTIEN AND DELICIOUSNESS, ITS“FOOD” FOR THOUGHT

(memories of my rainny season-raw,unedited)
 
I am so lucky, i have all the luck in this world, to the bone-marrow than anyboby i can ever think of. I mean have grown this tall and still being raised by mother Malawi-Africa . Writing with a mouthful of some of this free delicacy, the sound of its crunchness, can make you salivate. Its a snacky lucky season and it just got better.
 
This is the place where you can find food in abandunce every corner you head to. We have insects called Ngumbi. You must be shaking your head and probalbly saying ‘you must be kidding me!’insects?Yeah, if sane humans eat endangered species of snakes the other part of this world then it makes me less sinful and more considerate in the eyes of those that preach ‘save the world animals.....and insects, edible ones i suppose. If only you tried them. When rains fall its food for all. The lazy and the industrious have it all. The only distance one covers may be your bedroom and your doorstep or the joyful run to engage yorself in to actually fan them down as they fly above your head.
 
Meal times have been all meaty and fishy all year round. I think i have something brand new this rainny season to show off. Insects, i mean edible insects. If you are in my age group and you are grimacing your face now then you must have missed good deal of food for long. Ngumbi is from a termite family and make home in anthills. It has got wings,very delicate in nature and probably with the shortest life span. When it rains, first rains the nice smell of the top katondo soil of my area reminds me of the season of food, abandunce food.This is when i think every mouth will definitely munch something delicious. Ngumbi cannot survive our salivating mouths. It needs a unique art on its own for you to catch more than enough for the whole family. One needs to master how it works to catch these lazy insects. Remember you only have one season of rains so help yourself to get some protein.
FlYING ANTS READY FOR frying

 
Food must be fun to source and prepare. Catching flying ants come with a tiny-winny price.You should never dose a second. Keep awake because they come out at night. Flying ants form their own cloud when they start their final trekk to the world. They are attracted to light. Dont you get too much headache if you do not have electricity.It just makes you that guy who can have more of these African delicacy flying your way. Those of us who stay with home made lamps made from tins will still beat those that switch on electric power on along the way. Experience has revealed to me that with one or few flames stationed anywhere , a splash of water on the floor or veranda to let them stick and lose their wings instantly as they land you can go with a two good full washing basins to the brim.
 
It is fun to run around and catch them. Some are ready to be picked up when they pluck-off their wings. They are a true symbol of intimancy and true-love. They romantically move in pairs and couples. Its not scientifically proven, we just believe it and because of their strong bond of never ending love, they end up in the frying pan dead and ready for their last mile;a meal. Isnt this romantic, the real ‘till death do us part”bond.
Its easy to prepare. Have you caught enough? Get boiled water ready and dip them in and let them there for less than a minute.The warm, hot water will let them detach themselves from the remainning cunning wings and will wash away the excess fat. You dry them and eat them raw as a snack for dinner, lunch and serve it along with vegetables of your choice. Try it with pumpkin leaves aside for dinner and lunch and serve it along with vegetables of your choice.Some prefer to cook or pan-fry them in the pan for preferably ten minutes or to their liking,you may not add oil but salt will give it a twist to the taste. Smells fried and feel crunchy dried. Take Ngumbi with Nsima(very thick porridge made from maize flour). I have never liked it any other way for dinner orlunch and serve it along with vegetables of your choice. Its a tasty snack...........its crunchy.
Apart from Ngumbi the vegetables can be grown in your flower pots apart from what grows in your backyard; blackjack(chisoso),Bonongwe and other nutricious vegetables. Lets all take advantange of mother nature and spend less on vegetables and other delicacies in the rainny season. Kindly wash every veggie leaf thourougly to prevent yourself from water bone diseases. Ngumbi and other flying ants are also used as bait for catching birds and fish. Some enterprenuers preserve them for the dry season. It may cost you double the price sold in rainny season. My mother Apiti Bakali still says good food is still free. Let it rain protien and deliciousness.

No comments:

Post a Comment