Malagasy Food

Our lunch for a family of four yesterday was a cup of tiny dry shrimp that can be bought in the market for 20 cents, sold in a heaping can that is used as a measurement -of the large can of  Ronono Mandry Mamy              ( condensed Milk)
The dry shrimp are so small that there are about 200 shrimp to a cup.
Boil in water, add a tomato, and an onion, salt and some local green vegetable which you can find for free in your yard, or your neighbors yard or just on the street, if not add another 15 cents bought in the market. A batch of rice and you have a wonderful healthy meal for less than $1.50 to feed a family of 4.  Yes there was a small left over for later on.   Dessert was Jack Fruit at 1.50 for a 12 lb fruit ball- very sweet indeed.

Tis the season for  lychee and  has come to Mahajanga. 
Very sweet and bright red.
10,000 Fmg per kilo- I bought a full bag of 12 kilos- about 25 lbs for 90 Fmg
or about $6 usa

That is the price I can get for it on my side of the island this 11/21/2016

One of my favorite breakfast foods is watery rice with a couple of tablespoons of salty, spicy  beef bits that has marinated for 24 hours.  Watery rice is not new to me as I had this in my travels in Asia, but have never seen this in the USA in any hotels I have stayed in. 
You can also substitute beef for dried salty dried fish.   And this breakfast treat for me is also served throughout the day as it stretches out rice meals.


Then there is the drink that you get by burning the rice that has stuck to the bottom of the rice pot  and pouring a liter or so of water into the pot and boiling it and let simmer for a few minutes.  This brownish water is a good after meal drink.    Not sure if there are any good related health issues to this, but I feel pretty good after and refreshed.

I have yet to experiment with this drink by adding other spices, however what is your take on this rice drink.

I really enjoy the snack called samosa, though is sounds like they say it with a b - like sambosa.  It is a triangle treat that is filled in the middle with beef ( could be fish or chicken, even veggies) green onion and a variety of spices.   A spicy hot sauce is available to enhance the taste.  It is not an expensive treat about 1,000 FMG so that would be about 15 for a dollar and you are full.  Though the prices could be higher such as 1,500 and you will see if they are worth it-plumper and full and tastier?
Sambosa are everywhere, in street stalls, on wagons and carried on the head by traveling merchants. 
If you buy off  the street and see someone cook and deep fry the sambosa in front of you than you are sure in for a fresh treat.  Sambosa already cooked is better bought if behind a glass box because of all the dust on the street from wind and cars. Look for clean counters, and clean people who sell the food as cleanliness in Madagascar is not the same as we think of it but you will find that we might just be a little bit of an overdeveloped nation and things are just fine here. For instance food such as beef and other meats are not sold refrigerated and yet in all my years I have never been sick from food not being cold when I buy it. The food is fresh daily.

Try one sambosa first  and if you like it buy more as each merchant/cook has their own mix. Sambosa in the high end supermarkets do not mean they are better as supermarkets are often trying to get rid of their unsold beef as ground beef in sambosa and----> at a higher price like double or more.  I have seen it and stay away. I have tried them and wonder why their pastry is so stiff and hard and not much in the way of spice or meat inside---really not good overall.
I am searching to find a good flour mix to begin my sambosa treat at home so any cooking tips and mixes would be interesting to me.