Isageek the kalenjin most loved food From the Garden to the Dinner Table
Isageek he alenjin Most loved food From the Garden to the Dinner Table
Cooking Ugali
Ugali is like corn bread made of corn meal or millet flour and water. You get the water to the boiling point, then add corn/millet meal in portions while stirring vigorously with a cooking stick called mug’anget. You stir it until it becomes unsticky. You let it cook for a few minutes and then serve it with hot vegetables on the side, a meat selection and sour milk called Mursik .
A kalenjin would eat this every day without any complains at all. No need for variety meals as long as Isageek is part of the main dish, he or she will be a happy camper. So what is this Isageek and why do these people go ‘crazy’ when this vegetable is served?
Isageek
Give the Kalenjin people a meal of ugali (corn bread) and Isageek (a traditional vegetable) and you are friends for life. The kalenjins love these vegetables so much that the can feast on it all seven days of the week.
All vegetables like cabbages, collard greens, spinach and beans, must be eaten with Ugali .
Cooking Ugali
Ugali is like corn bread made of corn meal or millet flour and water. You get the water to the boiling point, then add corn/millet meal in portions while stirring vigorously with a cooking stick called mug’anget. You stir it until it becomes unsticky. You let it cook for a few minutes and then serve it with hot vegetables on the side, a meat selection and sour milk called Mursik .
A kalenjin would eat this every day without any complains at all. No need for variety meals as long as Isageek is part of the main dish, he or she will be a happy camper. So what is this Isageek and why do these people go ‘crazy’ when this vegetable is served?
What
is Isageek?
Isageek is one of the Kalenjin community’s favorite
vegetable.TheKalenjins owned a beautiful and fertile land in the most part of
Riftvalley province in Kenya. These highlands provide tropical climate that
provides the farmers with good fertile soil for planting Isageek . The
women normally are responsible for planting Isageek . They do so in
their small gardens near their homestead. They can plant them in lines or use
the broadcasting method which is the most preferred method. Most of them grow
these vegetable for domestic consumption. I have always wished they could
invest in large plantations for these could be a great opportunity to generate
large revenue for the families. Planting Isageek does not take a large
portion of the farm. A size as small as 6 by 5 feet can generate enough
handfuls to feed the family of three. Once Isageek is planted, it takes
a week to geminate and about two weeks for the farmer to pick weeds, at the
same time harvesting fully grown leaves ready to be cooked and served for lunch
or dinner. At the same time, the farmer can also space the plants to ensure
enough room for growth and loosen the soil for moisture. Picking the leaves
makes the plants stronger, making the plant to produce new healthy leaves hence
the assurance of a continuous supply of Isageek. It is recommended that the top
part of the plant be picked so that it can branch out. Isageek plants
takes about four to five months, and then leaves becomes thin, and yellowish.
The plants start to flower and produce seeds. In a few days, the plants will
dry up and you can harvest the seeds and plant new crops. It is a very simple
procedure, cheap, fast and easy to plant and get the seeds for the next
planting season. The Kalenjin people are so crazy with Isageek that even
those who have immigrated to other countries, have improvised; instead of
having a flower garden, they have Isageek garden. In their backyards, a
large portion of it is filled with Isageek .
Healthy Isageek in the garden
How is
it cooked?
First,
you have to cook the vegetables by boiling it with water for up to 30 minutes
or so. Then drain the water and fry it with olive oil (or any cooking oil of
your choice), then add onions and tomatoes. Let it cook for about 30 minutes.
On the side, mix Royco Mchuzi Mix (a Kenyan spice) with cold water, and add it
to the Isageek that is still cooking on the stove. Then finally, add the
heavy whipping cream and let is steam for five minutes. Thereafter, you can
serve it with Ugali . It must be served with Ugali other food choices
can be an option but Isageek must be eaten with Ugali . Now, the
kalenjin people are not big on measurements. They just use the discretion of
their eyes and taste buds to determine the appropriate measurements, and 99% of
the time, they do so perfectly to the right taste. The amount of ingredients
that is added to the Isageek is determined by the number of approximated
servings. The women cooking Isageek have become so professional in that,
they just look at the amount in the cocking pot and add the right amount of
spices. I have a great admiration for these women. Interesting enough, Isageek
got a very bitter taste and sometimes people who are addicted to sweet flavors
may not enjoy the meal served with Isageek . The older the Isageek
plants are the bitter the taste. Though sometimes this bitterness challenges to
me, I must confess that though I come from this community, I am not that
extremely crazy with Isageek , but will devour it still every chance I
come across it.
Isageek ready to be cooked
What are the health benefits?
Now having become a health fanatic, I had my own hypotheses
as to why my people are so much in love with Isageek . I thought may be
the bitterness gives them that extreme flavor that overworks their salivary
glands. I love the smell of it too. It is unique and hard to describe it in
words. I did a little bit of research to find if there are health benefits
associated with Isageek. I learned that it has several nutrients that are
essential for our bodies. Isageek scientific name is Gynandropsis
Gynandra. Isageek is an antioxidant that helps eliminate the toxics in
the body. It keeps the immune system strong making it possible to fight
infections. Being an antioxidant, it is able to protect and repair cell from
damaged free radicals. WebMD and other medical experts belief these damages
cause chronic diseases like cancer, arthritis and hardening of arteries.
According a Molecular Biologist (Dr. Sang), Isageek is also used as an
analgesic and as a stimulant. It can also be used to get rid of ticks in
livestock. These uses may explain as to why I used not to hear a lot of these
chronic diseases while growing up. This was the main vegetable in the kalenjin
diet way back than it is now.
Milk, Isageek, Ugali (made from
millet flour)
Cooked Isageek