Nerine seeds used to make condiments have become so scarce due to wide spread deforestation. Soya beans have been found as a substitute in making condiment also known as sumbala.
To make condiments from soya bean, pay attention to the process and maintain good hygiene through out the process. Making condiment from soya beans is less expensive and less tiresome and is a source of income.
Process
To make sumbala from soya beans, first put a pot on the fire and add soya beans to roast them until they change colour. This helps to reduce on the smell of soybean.
When ready, remove the beans from the pot and crash them while they are still hot using a mill and winnow them after. Wash them 2 to 3 times to remove anything thats floating and any foreign material.
Boil the split beans in a pot and add a pinch of potash in a pot to reduce the smell of the soybean and to make the beans soft for fermentation. Stir from time to time to prevent the beans from burning and ensure there is enough water in the pot.
After the beans are well cooked, remove the beans from the pot and drain them using a basket or clean cloth. Wash the beans and put them back into the pot and cook them again with same amount of potash to clean the beans and remove all the smell.
Once the pot has boiled, remove the beans and drain them one last time and place them in a basket with a clean bag and close the basket. This helps to make fermentation faster. In the cold season, tightly close the bag to retain the heat but in the hot season, the soybean needs to be well drained well to prevent them from rotting.
Keep the beans to ferment for 2 nights, turn it into a paste and turn it into balls of any preferred size and shape.
Place the balls on a grill and place them over fire to dry. The heat helps speed up drying and prevents flies from falling on them.
When they turn black, remove them from the fire and spread them on bags in the sun. To make storing easier, pound the sumbala into powder.
