Junk Food Heaven - Lay's (乐事)

This post is purposely meant for someone out there! Hee... What do you think? When do you want this ship to you?

Anyway, just a quick intro of this Junk Food. It was introduced to me when I visited China, no.. I think was when someone brought this back from the main land last year. Tasted this particular flavor - Cucumber! It was refreshing indeed.

Following the Milk Scandal in China lately, was wondering if this may be contaminated too.. I had this shipped over lately, about 8-9 bottles of this. But, I didn't crave or had it opened until this weekend. Was wondering if its safe! Anyway, its not dairy product. Believe it should be OK.

Life's too short to think twice or more. Have to enjoy it rather.

Visit http://www.lays.com.cn/

DIY - Grape Wine (葡萄酒) The Making

Red wine??? Hmmm.... do you think it is possible to have it home made. The answer is yes, indeed I had drank once before. But according to the source, that was made from raisin. The producer cooked few kilos of raisin + rock sugar till they melted, stored them in a bottle in cold/dry/dark place for couple of months.

This time, we had this referenced from a website.

After short translation, the ingredient and recipe are as below:

1. Get few kilos of Red grapes, the darker the better, the riper the better.

2. Wash them with clear water. Don't use any fruit/vege cleaner as it will spoils the natural yeast at the grape's skin. Make sure each fruit is dried up.

3. Ready with an empty bottle which can see through. Do not use steel or metal made bottle.

4. Get ready with some sugar rock sugar (冰糖）as it is required especially the fruits sugar level are not up to certain value, it may slow down fragmentation. Less sugar will produce less alchoholic value.

5. Grapes must be smashed after placing them into the bottle. The juices will help fragmentation while reacting with its grape skin.

6. Add rock sugar into the bottle.

7. Tight the bottle with plastic tightly and place it some where with no sunlight. Make sure the bottle cap is not tight up too tighly. Leave 30% empty space at the top of the bottle. But, do make sure the gap is close, else it will cause bacteria to lay into.

Keep the bottle for 2 months.

Disclaimer : This recipe is solely meant for self experiment. Try at your own risks.

DIY - Mulberry Enzyme (桑果酵素）The Making

This is purely natural and home-made enzyme. I have been producing fruit enzyme for own in take. However, all the fruits were mainly bought from the market. This is the one and only fruits I am able to harvest from my own garden.

It's the Mulberry (桑果)! A friend of mine gave me some mulberry stalks a year ago. With that, I was able to now grow a few mulberry trees and even couple of times of mulberry fruits harvested.

Though the amount produced might be very minimal.. but still, good to have them.

Wanna take a look what's Mulberry enzyme good for and how to make.... let me translate phrases below...

How-to :
Exactly the same as mentioned in the steps of dragon fruit enzyme making.

桑堪酵素製作不難，將桑椹與冰糖放入盆子裡，放1斤桑椹果就要加上1斤冰糖，一層層疊疊放好，不加水、不密封，每天要打開攪拌，大約1個半月後，就成了桑椹酵素，再依個人喜好加水調配就可以喝了

Benefit :
Reduce pigmentation

桑椹果经酿造成酵素后，其丰富的褪黑激素能淡化或去除皮肤上的斑点

Reference - http://clpohs7.blog.163.com/blog/static/237297032007115114851159/,
http://ks.cn.yahoo.com/question/1306052002695.html

DIY - Steam Pear Tong-Sui (炖梨糖水)

Trying not to blog on plants this weekend..... else my friends and readers will get bored of me :). I had this very simple Tong-Sui made this weekend. Idea came after meeting a friend whom thought me how to steam Fuji Apple Tong-Sui.

Instead, this Saturday I saw a big pear in the fridge, and the whole idea of this came by. I usually have my Tong-Sui steamed with many others Chinese herbs. But this whole time, I made it the simplest ever of what I had made before.

Listen here -- Ingredients were just 2 : Chinese Pear (梨) + Rock Sugar (冰糖) + of course water... steam for 1+ hour.

According to some writings, it seems this recipe could helps to cure cough and throat itchiness. To my surprise, or was my unluckiness, I had sore throat the very next day after that. Heee... was probably due to heatiness.

http://zhidao.baidu.com/question/12226145.html
冰糖炖梨确有止咳作用,但需吃一段时间.经常吃冰糖炖梨,可祛除痰热、滋阴润肺. 有条件加贝母同炖更好.

此外, 梨,可减轻咽干喉痒、喉痛失音的症状;肺结核患者经常吃梨,可缓解肺热咳嗽、喉痒痰多的症状; 高血压患者经常吃梨,可滋阴清热,使血压下降,头昏目眩症状减轻; 肝炎和肝硬化患者经常吃梨,可保护肝脏,缓解肝硬化、帮助消化、健脾滋阴; 雪梨加冰糖可制成雪梨饮，能清热止渴，适用于外感温热病毒引起的发热、伤津、口渴等。

Gardening World - Gloxinia

Again, it was the flower dictionary page that triggers me to blog those so-called flower I have known and been planting before.

What does Gloxinia means? "Love at First Sight".... hoooo... sounds so romantic! It's botanical name as Sinningia Speciosa. More readings available at http://www.thefloweringgarden.com/gloxinia.htm.

I used to have many Gloxinia plant in my office before, both red and purples. One of the pot was given by a close colleague, who didn't have green-finger at all. She was so disappointed with her plant and one day, she decided to give away them to me. Of course, it was my pleasure to have them with me!

There was even once when I first move into this current residence. The Gloxinia which I had at that time, ever bloomed with 26 buts + flowers in a same pot! It was really my record at that time!

Here are some office collections I had before.

Gardening World - Cyclamen

While I was checking for flowers' name and its meaning, I was attracted by the meaning of this flower. Cyclamen - means "Resignation, Good-bye". Oh dear... what a name. It came across my mind, recently I saw many of these flower appear in my office... don't tell me people "wish" to leave?

Anyway, I have yet to get myself a pot of this plant. This was one of my favorite photo taken back in 2004, at Cameron Highland.


Some followup writings of this plant can be found at http://bexar-tx.tamu.edu/HomeHort/F1Column/2006%20Articles/David%27sPlantoftheWeek/NOV11Cyclamen.htm. Other extracted from this page, would summarize on how to take care of this plant.

Cyclamen will live a number of years and bloom almost continuously if they are:
1) watered faithfully when the soil surface dries to half an inch,
2) fertilized every three or four weeks with soluble fertilizer, and
3) placed in a window with morning sun. In an air-conditioned house, cyclamen are much more tolerant of light than they are outside. In the late fall through early spring, cyclamen do best with dappled sun for a few hours each day.

These are hybrids of Cyclamen persicum. A member of the primrose family.

Gardening World - Pink Tecoma

Have you ever seen this tree along the roadsides in Malaysia? I'm sure you had noticed it at least once when it blooms. Ever named as Malaysian Sakura once in the national newspaper. It's in fact one of the endorsed trees by the National Landscape Department in Malaysia. I saw this poster once a time, when I was attending my hearing at the Housing Tribunal about a year ago. What's the relation - tribunal vs. landscape department??? Anyway....

Back to the tree's biography, its actually called Pink Tecoma by its common name. Scientific name as Tabebuia Pentaphylla.

Lately, we noticed after the tree bloomed. It will leave its string of seed. Being kind of curious, we were wondering if it could grow. To our surprise.. *teng *teng *teng.. here is how it looks like!

Of course, we don't think we will grow this tree any how... but instead might turn it into a mini bonsai... who know? invented a new and unique deco plant.

Gardening World - Spider Flower

I had been searching the name for the flower for some time. Had no idea what's the name of it, we had got it transplanted from Cameron Highlands, a great highland place in Malaysia, where its famous of its "Boh" tea plantation and cooling weather.

Couple of years back, we have got the seeds from a famous hotel at Cameron Highland - Strawberry Park. It was successful !! Though was a lil hard to grow. We lately found its trick :-

- Use loose soil
- Need lots of water

Previously, some websites wrongly though its a type of herbal tea from Indonesia, namely Misai Kucing. But it was not. Today, I accidentally found from a flower dictionary website, which named this flower as "Spider Flower" with its meaning of "Elope with Me"... hmmmmm.... great name indeed.

Scientifically, its called Cleome hassleriana. The plant can reach four to five feet in height in full sun. The unique spider-like flowers are rose, violet, or wine. Cleome is an annual, meaning it grows from seed every year (meant for those 4 seasons country). It will re-seed freely in the garden. For us in the tropical regions, it will grow all year round.

Some writings available http://home.howstuffworks.com/define-cleome-spider-flower.htm

Here are my collections in my garden.. so far

pinkish cleome

seed

Gardening World - ZZ Plant

I finally found the English common name of this plant! It's call ZZ, must be from its scientific name "Zamiculcus Zamifolia". It has been called by its Chinese name 金钱树, which means it could bring money luck to you. It has been the prosperous plant especially during Chinese New Year seasons. Some writing of the plant, http://www.houseofplants.co.uk/Zamioculcas_zamifolia.htm.

I have a nice and healthy pot in my office today (see left/above), it has been attraction to many plant-lover around my office. ;) Indeed it is growing healthily and has been accompanying me for almost 2+ years! Some people even ever thinks its a fake plant! Hope it could continue to keep growing and showering me with all sorts of good luck.

It's time to show off the transplant of it from a lil green leave like this....

which you can see its still in green till today. The ONE leave below was chucked into a pot filled with soil about a year ago. With dedicated showering of water and love. It has today, grew up with few branches of new leaves.

Gardening World - Spider Plant

Oh! What a name of the plant. I was trying my luck to search the name of this plant. Kudoh! Found it... with the common name of "Spider Plant"or Bonnie.

Apparently this site www.plant-care.com/spider-plant.html has a complete write up on how to manage this plant. Phew! That saves all my words here.

So, its just a series of photos I could share with you. It seems the root of this plant looks more presentable, coz they look more like small lil carrots! :)

Gardening World - Butterfly Plant

A colleague of mine gave me this pot of plant. In my memory, I think it's called 'butterfly plant'. Indeed I am right! Found them in this website oushadh.org/nursery_ornamental.htm.

Alright, it has been my tasks to transplant the pot of butterfly plant into several small pots. Since the current pot of plant has been struggle in the pot for long time, and it didn't do well when it was in the office environment. So, this shows - its an outdoor plant instead.

My tasks started with ease out the soil from the pot. It then, separate them by roots (as below). The root looks weird to be at first glance, I thought was a worm!

DIY - Enzyme (酵素) The Making

Many friends been asking me how-to make fruit Enzyme (酵素) . Without repeating myself again and again, I have decided to post them in my diary blog.

Let's proceed with "The Making" of such healthy product. I will post some of its benefit in the later part of the blog.

Ingredients :
2 red dragon fruits
2 lemon
1 pkt oligo
Wild honey
4 pieces pean tong 片糖 (brown candy), break into 4 pieces for each bar
1 medium Holick bottle

Method:
1) Soak dragon fruits and lemons in water, preferable apple cider for several hours to clean and then rinse and wipe them dry.

2) Leave them to complete dry. All other utensils use should be cleaned and dried too.

3) Cut off the skin of dragon fruits and cut into slices, fill in the glass bottle with 1/3 full follow by sugar pieces plus little oligo & wild honey (both optional).

4) Then add lemon slices which have been sliced with skin on.

5) Repeat in the same sequence and end the last layer with sugar.

6) Cover the cap with plastic & rubber band tie not too tightly, to prevent air burst during fragmentation. Leave the bottle in a cool dry place.

7) Shake the bottle everyday to ensure the top is immersed in liquid to prevent mold growth.

8) The enzyme should be ready in two to three weeks.

9) Sieve the fruits and pour the juice into a bottle through a funnel.

10) Store the enzyme in the fridge to slow down fermentation process.


Drink the enzyme in the morning and evening. Remind yourself, only 2 tablespoon, twice a day. For better effect in the morning, you could drink them with warm water.

Alternately besides Dragon Fruit, there are many types of fruits can be used. The steps follow the same as above. Some suggestions would be - grapefruit, papaya, apple, honey dew, etc...

Of course, each type of fruits will have its own functionality. I will further explain in future blog. Stay tuned!

Other Related Posts:-

• http://purplesdiary.blogspot.com/2008/11/diy-papaya-enzyme-making.html
• http://purplesdiary.blogspot.com/2008/09/diy-mulberry-enzyme.html
  

Happy Birthday to me 生日快乐！

Life has been so tiring lately, it has been a while since I last wrote. Topics are all spinning in my mind , but then I just got far too lazy to start. Life = busy, tired, lazy, boring.... what a mixtures of feelings I am having!

It was my lunar birthday that my mom reminded me I must have meesua and red eggs! What a Chinese tradition. Of course, I had mine too but was not done by myself! Hee... :)

Here it goes...

















This was an alcoholic meesua, reminded me a friend of mine who never in her life had alcohol, vomited like nobody's business the day when she tried out a stall selling 'smells good' 黄酒面线 (meesua wine). Pity her! :-)

Anyway, this is a very simple dish to prepare, especially for single person's meal.

1) Ingredient - chicken stock, meesua, pork meat, slices of ginger
2) Preparation - Marinate pork meat slices with soya sauce, sesame oil, pepper a little
3) Cook - Boil water with chicken stock, boil another with plain water for meesua
4) Fry - slices of ginger with sesame oil till golden, then fry together with marinated pork
5) Add - Pour boiled chicken soup into pan with fried ginger + pork, add some rice wine 米酒
6) Serve - Sieve the cooked meesua then serve into bowl. Pour the cooked rice wine soup into the bowl. Add some rice wine onto the serving, can be tastier.

Isn't it simple? Well, you could try and let me know the result.
By the way, the rice wine 米酒 was self-made too. Will post them out in seperate blog later.

Disclaimer : This recipe was written based on own experiences. The owner of this recipe will not be responsible for any risks taken out from the recipe.

Revolution of the Cows

It was just a normal hot & sunny afternoon, furthermore it was long weekend. How could a small town has such bad traffic jam. Look.....


Now, you could see how many of them were crossing the road!!! Without even care of the traffic lights... Mooooo..... Moooo......

I guess animal these days are not afraid of human beings anymore. Human has jeopardized their home, their family members, etc... they would just ignore who you are, where you are, as long as they live their life for they themselves!

Hope you'd enjoy the pics... :)