I Learned This Online

While surfing the net to look for gardening tips, I was sidetracked and found some recipes too. That's often happens, and reason why sometimes you can reallly spend hours online, as I'm sure some of you agrees with me.

I stumbled upon a photopage entry on this traditional malay cake, Serimuka. Hey, it lookes pretty easy, and the writer also mentined she used the pandan leaves behind her house. And guess what? I also have lots of pandan leaves in my backyard. Sorry I forgot to save her web address, but I think her name is Liza. Here is the recipe.

SERIMUKA

Layer: A

2 cups glutinous rice

2 1/2 cup coconut milk

A pinch of salt

Layer: B

2 cups of thick coconut milk

2 cups of pandan juice (+ some green food colouring)

1 cup of sugar

3 tbsp flour

3 tbsp custard powder

1 egg

A pinch of salt

Ingredient A

1. Clean the glutinous rice and soak for a few hours.

2. Steam until the rice turns soft and cooked.

3. Press the cooked rice until it becomes nice and solid.

Ingredient B

1. Mix the top layer ingredients together. Sift it out to get a smooth blend.

2. Pour nicely over the bottom layer.

3. Steam again for about 30 minutes.

4. Once cooked, cool it first, before cutting into pieces.

Ta daaa..... almost half eaten entry! Not too perfect result, but delicious all the same. Actually the bottom layer is a bit too soft and doesn't cut well. I guess you need to lessen the liquid content, or maybe its just still too hot to cut. Everybody was hungry...lol!

And here's the source of the pandan juice that graced the top layer of the cake. So far, it had helped me to cook nasi lemak, bubur caca, bubur kacang hijau, pandan chicken, etc.

And yes, when one of my cabinet got this certain musty smell, I just place one or two leaves there to get rid of the smell. And when I took home a whole loads of durian from my friends house/orchard in the car, this leaves helps eleviate the strong odour from tha car faster.

This special plant also have some medicinal values. It was used as bath extracts for women under confinement, and also good for hair. Also used to treat diabetics, joints and muscle pain. Some mid-wife adds this ingredient to their massage oil for that aromatic and medicinal qualities.

I just noticed that there are new sprouts of young batches at the bottom of this plant. Cool, because some of the plants I see end up growing tall and skinny after repeatedly being harvested. Then I learned that what you can do about it, is to cut off the top portion and replant it on the ground, while the stump will regrow with new leaves. You will end up with two plants, too!

My Lemon Grass Had A Haircut....And More!

It was quite intimidating at first. And to some extent, quite intriguinging. I just don't know how to harvest my lemon grass. And it is growing like nobody's business.

So I remembered reading a book, entitled, I Can, You Can Too! by M. McCullough. I remembered a phrase she wrote, "if you don't know how to start, just start!", or something along that line. In other words, if you want to do something, and doesn't know how to do it, just do it anyway. Start doing something to get started. So, for someone who have a tendency to procastinate like me, that phrase really have an impact, everytime I get into a situation.

So I start googling again...(instead of just harvest them...haha!) Found some good sites and some information. Some even suggested that you should wear gloves and eye protector. Gloves, makes sense. The other day, when Chahya suggested to trim the lemongrass, first try, and I got a sharp blade cutting my fingers and some skin irritation on my arms.

So, my lemongrass had a haircut last weekend.

This morning, i 'braved' myself and get the gloves, the trimmer (yes, the one that cut the bug) and a spade. Hmmm...... they said, get a bulb at a time. If it's in clump, just pull it anyway. And I tried pulling and sepearting a bulb, but it moved a clump. I pulled it, and hey presto! I got a few twigs harvested! Finally!

Hey, that's not so bad! Quite easy, actually. Then you just need to clean it up a bit by removing the outer layers and cut off the top grass part.

My first lemongrass harvest! There's still a few stalks in the refrigerator from the supermarket. So, I guess I'd make the simplest recipe I have on lemongrass. Just steep a crushed bulb or fine cuts into a hot water and you get Lemongrass tea! Simply aromatic and delicious!

To read some of the great benefits of lemongrass tea, click here. The rest of the benefits, hey, just google it!

Honeybun at the Herb Garden

Honey loves the birds, Honey loves the bees
Honey loves chasing the bugs
Among her favorite things

Under the basil tree
Besides the lemon grass
Honey doesn't leave any leaf unturned

Once she spots on vision
Honey gets in her position
Pouncing on her unsuspecting prey

Eyeing, positioning, pouncing her way
Alas, the prey is never a prey
Because they always gets away

Hahaha....bad poem! I know, I know! Just wanted to try rhyming a few hymn. Whatever!

This is what Honey normally does whenever accompanying me gardening. She really enjoys being among the plants and bugs. Ain't she a beauty now?

Home Sweet Home 2

Haah...just came back from another travelling. This time more of visiting relatives kind of vacation. No pictures, coz I didn't even go out much except to one mall, more of a stay home and get pampered as a guest treatment...hahaha. Nice, but its great to be home...again. :)

First thing after getting home, a quick trip to my backyard! My beloved herbal garden!! Oh, I missed it so, this time. Thank goodness, everythings alright.

Then to the vet to fetch the adorable hairballs, Minty and Honeybun from the hotel, er, hostel stay. Honeybun was said to have gone through diarrhea and depression, but the vet took care of it. First time boarding away for her. Oreo is left to guard the house, we left him with the food and water dispenser enough for the duration. So far he's risen up to the occassion. The house was intact, eerr...except some cream furs lying all over the grass at a few spots. Evidence of territory protections. And a couple of territorial markings, suspected from the alley cats that Oreo's been chasing.

But back to my little green haven. Some have really grown!

Aaahh.... the much amissed corner.

The ladies have transformed into beauties!

Yummy spread at the vegetable bed. I wonder when will it be ready for my table?

Something's been eating this one. Just you wait, ok!

Ok, this one, the slimy culprit is is caught red handed. It didn't live much longer after this pose. I cut it with the trimmer together with the leaf.... eeewwww.. urggghhh....@#$&!*+!!

On a happier note, a latest addition to the family, donated to my garden collection. The whole pot! Tq! Tq! Tq!

Herbal Talkings

Hi there! Aauuuwww..is it getting too crowded for you? I think I have a solution. I should eat you up! Eeerr... I should harvest you and cook you up! Same thing....haha!

Ma cherie la tomato! You grew so fast, I didn't have time to set the trainer for you! That's why you bend to your likings. I will still do it for you, soon...hehehe!

Ho ho ho! You guys sure couldn't wait to grow up and stand tall, aren't you? Too late with the sticks, you're already all over the fence. Come give me some Brinjals, quick!

Aiyoo......and you! I thought were were supposed to be a row of Salad Lettuce....for my Garden Salad. But you turn out to be ..... another row of brinjals?


My Lady Fingers. You're another speedy gonzales, aren't you? You sprout in no time, and now you're ready to fruit.

Upclose pose of Ladyfinger. Why you blur up? Don't be too shy!

Hello Cucumbers! You finally decided to sprout out and see the world! For a moment, I thought you're really shy. But your previous friends almost sprung overnight...beautiful and flowering.... until that fateful day when Honeybun decided that it made a great leap fence but landed on it instead. Don't worry, I'll watch her next time. She's just too fond of chasing after the bees and flies away from me when I do gardening.

Moi Butterheads! You certainly take your own sweet time, huh!

Dearie, you have to decide, are you growing, or are you 'going'? Maybe I should take more effort to strengthen your bed, ya. I'll see if I can find some planks at the hardware store tomorrow, just for you, so that the soil won't slide down everytime it rains, ok. Mini landslide...? noooooo

Basil Beauties! Growing well, aren't you, with flowers and sprigs and germinates! You certainly keep me busy with Basil Tea, Beef Basil, Chicken Basil, Fish Basil......

Are you guys comfy there? Enough space for the four of you? You gotta make do ok? You guys are so precious and beneficial to upkeep, from diabetes, to gout, high blood pressure, high cholestrol, and migraine, you name it, you can help to ease. I just need to find out how.


Hello there, you crawly Mints! I know you like to crawl around, but I have to curl you up so you stay together ok. We'll leave some space for the others, right?


C'mon guys and gals. I know you can do it,.......faster! Is the soil way beneath you too hard? I'm sticking some bamboo's from the old oil lantern around you to protect you from the pouncing Honeybun, Minty or Oreo. Not to jail you up, k!

Wow, that's a whole lot of herbal talking. And, that's only halfway through. Now for the rest of the plants.....

Not My House!

Yet! At a different location. And different, too. Metropical and slight Balinese concept. Homely. Welcoming. A happy home....!



Love the pool view! Wonder where should I locate my herbal garden?

Ask, Believe, Receive!

Home Sweet Home!

Its always great to be home after being away for a while. Not that you did not have a great time vacationing, but.... a home is, home sweet home! Period.

This vacation is a simple one, rest and relax. No tour packages. Just a map, a GPS, and the car. Have fun, will travel. The activities centers around visits to various parks, aquamarine, a ferry ride, downtown drive through, beach walk, seafood dinner, and even..... a visit to a mall! Haha...! Then back to the hotel to hit the pool or the recreations area.

Just so not to bore you with the attractions that we went to, I'll just share some breathtaking views from the hotel stayed in for 4 days and 3 nights.

Night view from the 21st floor

Town view

Day view of the beach

Window view from the bath...ehem, of course you need to draw the curtain when doing 'business'..haha

An internet freak exposed! Red handed! Wonder whose blog was it?