My top 5 favorite meals in Malawi

1.  Rice with Mince Meat and Salad.....only about .35 at the canteen at the hospital.  Tasty, cheap and the hottest freaking hot sauce ever is readily available.  I eat this meal multiple times weekly.

2.  Chicken and chips at the gym.  The gym that I frequent is part of the Malawi College of Medicine that is right next door to CURE.  After a workout or squash match, I order chicken/chips and a Fanta orange.  The chicken is breaded and fried, french fries are called chips here.  It's fantastic, some of the best chicken I've eaten in Malawi.  Only about $4 and there are tables outside to sit and relax in a nice breeze.


3.  Chicken pot pie/coke/chocolate cake at the Cafe at CURE, which runs about $4.  A little more upscale dining at the hospital, and a little more western.  Safina, an indian lady that runs the cafe, makes AWESOME cakes. My favorite is chocolate on chocolate.  She knows how much I love her cakes now so I get hooked up sometimes.  She makes a mean chocolate milkshake too.


4.  Nsima with soy pieces and salad.  Nsima is ground maize which looks like masked potatoes but has no taste.  It's the staple here - it's dirt cheap.  Malawians roll the nsima into balls with their hands and then dip the nsima into salad or spinach and add a piece of chicken/soy/beef/goat and then eat in one bite.  I don't really care for the beef or chicken with nsima - it has bones and is usually tough.  The soy pieces are good though.  I don't like using my hands though.  It's offensive but I have to use a fork, discreetly.  About .35 at the canteen or other small restaurants everywhere in Blantyre.  Malawians eat nsima for every meal with different sides.


5.  Cereal or oatmeal at my house.  Yep, when I'm tired of everything else, I resort to my comfort food - american cereal.  The milk isnt the best here, but it works.  I've found corn flakes, honey nut cheerios and granola with fruit here.  However, the cereal varies every week - so you don't know what's in stock ever.  There is always flavored oatmeal at the grocery store - currently on a strawberry yoghurt flavored oatmeal kick.  I ate chocolate flavored oatmeal for the first two months and got tired of it.


That rounds out the top 5.  As you can see, I'm eating well here.  Lots of good food.  But also watching the budget and not eating american food out every night, which you could do here.  I'm adjusting to preparing meals for myself here, which I'm starting to enjoy.  Pic of nsima below with chicken and spinach as the sides & the infamous chocolate cake as well.