Stirring up a hornets nest - Giant wasp larvae 'nam prik' dip

 Recipe for "nam prik dtor dtua" 
More edible insects on this page. This time we turn into baby-killers, and chomp into Giant hornet larvae - the immature large wriggling babies of the black & orange wasp that lives in hives high in the treetops of North Thailand.

This one is called "dua dtor", and looks a bit like an Australian witchetty grub or a New Zealand huhu grub. Similarly, it can be eaten raw, or tossed in a wok until crispy and fried salt and pepper style.
The raw one is an OK taste. Apart from getting your head around the 'fat white grub' aspect, they actually taste and feel a bit like bland mashed potato. Like mashed potato, dipping in a little salt is a great move if you want to liven up the taste. With a little salt, and roasted dry chilli flakes, they are fine to eat 'as is'.
I wasn't so impressed with them raw, - they were OK - but not amazing. When made into a Northern style 'nam prik' dip with charcoal roasted chillies, I have to say it was pretty damn good.

The flame-roasted chillies, above


I was wondering about the nasty black nest, and why the hell nobody gets covered in painful stings.
These bad boys have a powerful sting that can kill you, so it pays not to piss them off.
The secret is in getting a long stick with a wee fire on the end of it and semi-burning the wasp nest.
If I was a giant hornet, I'd takle great exception to this, but it seems to work for the gatherers.
The miffed wasps who escape the fire dissipate, and the burnt nest gets pulled down with any remaining wasps dead. The ones who are out hunting come back to a nasty surprise of finding their house not only burned down - but also stolen. And wasps don't have insurance. Imagine their mood.
For a piece of nest the size of two cigarette packets, it costs around 40 baht, which is around $1.20.
Here's the recipe which you can also do with huhu grubs and witchetty grubs, my Aussie and Kiwi brethren.
You could do it with bee larvae too, but they are a lot smaller, and it would be a hassle to get them out of the honeycomb.

This is the hornets nest with a dead hornet in the front from the foraging process.


Ingredients:

• Giant hornet larvae - raw
• Large Thai chillies
• Salt
• Sugar

Method

1. Skewer the chillies whole and roast them over gas flames or charcoal until the skins blister and blacken
2. Crush them in a mortar and pestle with a little salt
3. Add in the hornet larvae
4. Pound or crush them to a paste / dip consistency
5. Season to taste with more salt and a pinch of sugar

Serve with sticky rice. Roll the sticky rice into balls, dip it into the nam prik - and thats it.
Delicious actually, like a smoky eggplant dip. the flavour is very mild, and the toasted chillies shine through. It's like a smoky roasted chilli babaganoush without the tahina, garlic and oil.
It's also really healthy.

The adults have a bit of a sting on them. These are pretty docile creatures - and don't come after you unless you provoke them.
They are very good natured - which is a wonderful thing because a sting from one off these can kill you, if you are unlucky, old, an infant, or have any health issues.
A sting in the throat or any sensitive areas can be a major drama - they are big, venomous and have powerful stingers.
If you want to eat these bad boys and have a nervous disposition - best to get them from the market.