Ingredients
Grubs
- 24live palm weevil larvae, mpose or fose
To clean
- salt
- warm water
Seasoning
- 1 tspsalt
- 1 tspground chilli
- 1onion, chopped
- 2 clovesgarlic
- 1stock cube, crumbled
Equipment
- skewers
- charcoal or a grill
To serve
- chikwangue or fufu
- pili pili sauce
- lemon
Directions
- Keep them cool and use them the same day. Now clean them: put them in a bowl with a good handful of salt and warm water and swirl them around.
- Leave them 20 to 30 minutes, then rinse them in several changes of water until it runs clear.
- Pinch off the hard brown head capsule of each one. Rinse them again and pat them dry.
- Toss them with salt, chilli, crushed garlic and crumbled stock cube. Thread three or four onto each skewer, through the body rather than lengthways.
- Grill them over hot charcoal for 5 to 8 minutes, turning frequently. They render a surprising amount of their own fat and it drips and flares, so keep them moving and stand ready.
- Cook them right through until the outside is crisp and browned and the inside is set. They should crisp on the outside while staying soft inside, and the texture is often compared to bone marrow.
- Serve them hot off the skewer with pili pili and a squeeze of lemon, alongside chikwangue or fufu.
Technique
- They are harvested from palms felled for wine or for oil, so the two industries overlap.
- They are sometimes farmed deliberately by splitting a trunk and leaving it for the weevils.
- They are extremely rich and half a dozen is a portion.
Substitutions
- Pan frying in a dry pan, which is easier indoors.
- Other edible larvae where they are traditionally eaten.
Variations
- Fried with onion and tomato.
- Stewed in a palm nut sauce.
- Smoked and dried for keeping.
History
Larvae of Rhynchophorus phoenicis are harvested from felled palm trunks in the Congo basin and sold live by the bowl in city markets.
Frequently asked questions
What is Palm grubs?
Palm grubs is a snack from DR Congo: fat palm weevil larvae grilled on skewers until crisp and buttery. Larvae of Rhynchophorus phoenicis are harvested from felled palm trunks in the Congo basin and sold live by the bowl in city markets.
How long does Palm grubs take to make?
Palm grubs takes 30 min of preparation and 15 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Palm grubs?
Yes, within limits. Pan frying in a dry pan, which is easier indoors. Other edible larvae where they are traditionally eaten.
What is the most important thing to get right in Palm grubs?
Toss them with salt, chilli, crushed garlic and crumbled stock cube. Thread three or four onto each skewer, through the body rather than lengthways.
