An alternative method, used at Kota Kota, is to put very little water in the 

 pot with the rice and after ten minutes boiling to cover with banana leaves and to 

 put hot ashes on top of them. The pot is then left at the side of the fire for one to 

 two hours until the rice is soft. 



In this form rice is eaten with certain well-liked side-dishes, e.g., fish, meat or 

 well-cooked leaves. The dish is served with the other food poured on top of the rice 

 not in a separate dish as is the custom with maize porridge. 



(3) Msere. 



The rice is boiled as in (2). A milky extract of groundnuts is made by pouring 

 water several times through some pounded nuts held in a basket while at the same 

 time stirring the mixture. The liquid is known as tuwe (Kota Kota) and is mixed with 

 the cooked rice and salt is added. Alternatively the pounded groundnuts may be 

 boiled with water for five minutes and then added to the rice without straining. 

 Pounded turmeric, manjanu, may be added with, on occasions, a little groundnut 

 oil. Sometimes the rice is eaten plain with only salt added or if available either 

 sugar, the juice from sugar cane, asali or honey. In all cases some extra liquid, 

 either water or oil is added, so that the product is of a soft consistency distinct 

 from the dry state of ordinary boiled rice. In Karonga District, curds, mukaka, 

 are often mixed with rice. 



The following quantities were used by women in 1938 : — 



{a) Kasamba, Kota Kota. 



Rice .. .. .. .. 31b. 



Groundnuts . . . . . . 10 oz. 



Onions . . . . . . . . 2 oz. 



Tomatoes . . . . . . 3 oz. 



Groundnut oil . . . . . . 1 oz. 



Salt . . . . . . . . 3 oz. 



(6) Blantyre. 



Rice .. .. .. .. 4 1b. 



Groundnuts . . . . . . 1 lb. 



Salt .. .. .. .. IJoz. 



(4) Rice gruel, phala la mpunga (N), uje (Y). 



Rice is boiled for a long time with much water until it is very soft, salt is added 

 and sometimes pounded groundnuts and tomatoes. Rice is given in this form to 

 young children, invalids and the aged. 



(5) Banana cakes, fried, zitumbuwa, boiled, bumuntha or mikate. 



Rice flour is ground until very fine, it is then kneaded with water until soft, 

 either pounded banana, sugar or sugar cane juice is added. The mixture is made 

 into flat cakes, which are fried in groundnut oil or wrapped in banana leaves and 

 boiled for one to two hours. In Karonga District, the flour is sometimes leavened 

 by adding yeast from beer. 



(6) Uncooked rice, cigodo (N), cikatu, gamba (Y) (stiff consistency), unyu (Y, liquid 



consistency), mankhunkhu (N), mangungu (Y). 



The above names are given to variations of the dish, produced by mixing un- 

 cooked rice with water in varying proportions. The rice is first soaked for about 

 half an hour in cold water and then eaten, e.g. , mankhunkhu, or it may be pounded 

 until very soft and eaten thus without salt or sugar, sugar cane juice, asali, honey, 

 or pounded bananas may be added, e.g., cigodo, cikatu. If much water is added 

 unyu (Y) is produced. 



(7) Sweet beer (Karonga District). 



Beer is brewed with rice flour using flnger millet as malt. (See Zea mays for 

 method of preparation.) 



88 



