Dubbi Nandu

Preparation info
  • Serves

    4

    as a snack
    • Difficulty

      Easy

Appears in
Hidden Kitchens of Sri Lanka

By Bree Hutchins

Published 2013

  • About

Bamini made this dish as a snack while we were preparing the odiyal kool. She marinated the flesh of the dubbi nandu (balmain bugs) in a blend of spices and then fried them, finishing with a squeeze of lime juice. Once I tasted them, I knew I would be making this at home.

Ingredients

  • 800 g (1 lb 12 oz/about 4) green (raw) balmain or moreton bay bugs</

Method

Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Add the balmain bugs and boil for 5 minutes, or until just cooked. Drain and rinse under cold running water or plunge into iced water to stop the cooking process. If using cooked bugs, you can skip this step.

To remove the meat, take the tail in one hand and the head in the other, and twist hard so the tail and head separate.