Saturday, December 15, 2012

what's for din dins?????

food food food!!!!!
traditional kalenjin food!!!!
simple but very filling.....here we have two types of ugali (african cake)... white ugali made from maize meal and brown ugali made from finger millet (wimbi) ((millet is very healthy...it is rich in fiber and helps with the release of insulin in the body and that is why it is a great food for diabetics.....and this is therefore a good choice of a high fiber food))... wimbi and maize meal can also be made into porridge.... the accompanying vegetable is isagek (in kalenjin) or izisaga (in maragoli) not to offend my dear friends also called tsisagha (kisa) or nyunyi sya nthooko (kamba)...this is a bitter traditional vegetable and a super cholesterol buster, high in iron....
 if you want to go all the way....you can boil the isagek with a leg and hov of a goat, sheep or cow...or even the head of a goat....this needs to be boiled in a traditional clay pot (teret) or mbisu (kamba)...on a 3 stone fireplace...
 and then you will need to wash it down...with kalenjin milk called mursik (a form of traditional yoghurt or fermented milk) or iia ikaatu (kamba)....for the preparation...you will need to boil the milk in order to kill the germs, then prepare the gourd following these steps....
1. wash the gourd thoroughly
2. leave it to dry completely (a process which takes a few days )
3. take a branch from the (itet) tree.. this is a very special tree with a unique flavour...(traditionally this tree is used as a disinfectant and for its medicinal values)....
4. a branch is taken and burnt until it becomes charcoal
5. while still hot you put the branch into the gourd....
6. use another branch with a u shaped head to go around the gourd scraping the charcoal off the other branch
7. all the excess charcoal is poured out
8. pour in the milk once it has cooled
9. leave the milk to ferment
10. put the gourd on a traditional holder a wooden stand
11. let it stand for 4/5 days or even a week at most
et voilá we have the exotic kale mursik!!!!!!!!!
if you are in a hurry use some culture from an old batch, this will speed up the process
*activated charcoal in milk absorbs excess bacteria stabilizing the ph of the milk
                                                          (not yet cooked...)
intestines and stomach (offals)
in case there are no vegetables you can also have ugali white or brown with intestines or any other offal
agutanik=intestines maa (kamba)
moet=stomach mavu(kamba)
koet=liver itema (kamba)
soromok=kidneys mbio (kamba)

offal (the living webster encyclopedic dictionary of the english language 1981)
"the entrails or trimings of a butcherd animal normaly not consumed by humans; refuse; garbage; bi-products of milling"

wikipekia on the net
"some offal dishes are considered gourmet food in international cuisine" this includes foie gras, pâté and sweetbreads.

well i'v never been much for organs....eating scottish haggis, andouillette or lamb's brains etc...etc..etc...
no not really my thing....but it is fascinating to see how cultures around the world whether in europe or africa etc....have offal dishes on the menu....

ps: friendly advice don't sit and write your blog with your mujuaji friends......cross cultural similarities are interesting....food the best and most natural way to bring people together.....

(-: Rhoda :-)

1 comment:

  1. shhhh...Ndukatavye Mundu! (Don’t Tell Anyone!) :)
    Food really does bring people from all over the world together :)

    ReplyDelete