An easy guide to roasting simsim
Lots of delicious traditional dishes and treats begin with one ingredient: roasted simsim which you then work into dishes they way you want. An easy guide to roasting simsim for delicious Luhya dishes.
Equipment
- Charcoal jiko (best) or any other type of stove
Instructions
Clean your simsim
- Depending on the conditions of harvest, your simsim might be full of foreign matter such as soil, pebbles and chaff. Remove all foreign matter that could have escaped your eye during harvesting and drying.
- Wash the simsim and let it soak in as much water as it can before draining off the excess water. Salt it whilst still wet just as you do when roasting groundnuts. Remember to toss the simsim around to ensure it is salted evenly.
Cook the simsim on low heat
- Once again, a charcoal jiko will yield the best results, while a heavy bottomed sufuria will do good. Keep turning the simsim to avid it getting burnt. Use a wooden cooking stick
- Keep turning the simsim until cooked. One way that you can tell that the simsim is done is its tiny grains will start popping. In addition, there will also be a heady aroma of simsim in the air. This delicious aroma will be more noticable when you pick some of the simsim and take a whiff.
Cooling the simsim
- As the simsim cooks, the grains turn color from straw to a deeper brownish color. Once satisfied that the cooking is done, remove the simsim from the fire and spread on a flat tray or basket (uteo) to cool.
Storing the simsim
- Always store your roast simssim in an airtight container. Because simsim is a tiny seed which means it yields a large surface area which makes it vulnerable to moisture and its detrimental effects
