Natural world

Dragonfly stew

Ingredients

6 shallots, sliced
1 tablespoon coconut oil
2 cloves garlic, sliced
75g ginger root
1 fresh chilli pepper, diced
330g dragonflies, wings removed
½ litre coconut milk

Preparation

Brown the shallots in the oil and add the garlic and ginger. Mix in the chilli and dragonflies then stir-fry for about 10 minutes. Once the dragonflies are browned add the coconut milk and simmer for 5 minutes.

By leaving out the coconut milk and serving the fried dragonflies with rice and peppers you can create a different dish.

Notes

Dragonflies are traditionally eaten in Bali, where they have formed a staple part of many people’s diet when food was scarce. They are extremely difficult to catch. The Balinese have an effective method by which they dip strips of palm wood into the sticky sap of the jackfruit tree, then lower them to touch resting dragonflies which stick to the wood.

Warning !

All the recipes given here are based on traditional dishes eaten by people over many generations. There are small risks when eating insects, so it is recommended that:

• Nobody with an allergy to shellfish, chocolate or dust should try these recipes.
• All insects should be prepared exactly as described and thoroughly cooked before being eaten.
• Only the insects mentioned in the recipes should be used, as some other species are not edible. Please take care not to eat or even touch a hairy caterpillar in Britain.

All Illustrations by Steve Roberts