仙草 Cincau

仙草，也称烧仙草、仙草冻、凉粉、黑凉粉、grass jelly，是华南地区著名的甜品。由仙草 ( Mesona chinensis )  制成。仙草收采后晒干、发酵。然后与草木灰 ( potassium carbonate )  同煮、熬出胶质，过滤，加入淀粉使之凝结。

仙草外观褐黑、透明、凝胶状。具清暑，解热利水的功能。主治中暑、热毒、消渴、高血压、肾脏病、糖尿病、关节肌肉疼痛、淋病等。孕妇忌吃。

在印尼，则以Mesona palustris  制 cincau hitam ‘黑仙草’，Melastoma polyanthum 制‘灌木青草’cincau perdu, Cyclea barbata 制 cincau hijau‘绿青草’。

在越南，除了 Mesona chinensis, Tiliacora triandra 亦可制成绿仙草。

Minyak Engkabang

Shorea macrophylla (de Vr) Ashton is locally known as engkabang in Sarawak.  It is also known as Light Red Meranti.

In Sarawak, engkabang is not known for its timber, but rater its oil, fondly called minyak engkabang among locals.  

Engkabang tree fruit once or twice a year,  often in coincidence with durian season.  The seeds are instantly recognised for its 4-wings, which make the seeds drop like a helicopter from the canopy atop.  The nut is collected, dried and processed for edible oil.

The fruit is first peeled to exposed the seed.  After the seeds are dried, they are pounded before extracting the oil.  The oil is collected in bamboo canisters.  Engkabang oil will solidified similar to butter, yet more hardy. 

The oil is used mainly for cooking or for massage.  It is also widely practiced where crushed solidified engkabang butter is mixed with hot rice, the hot rice melts the engkabang butter, which release a fragrant smell, making the plain rice irristably delicious.

Engkabang butter in bamboo canister of about 10cm height cost about RM5…

牛蒡瘦肉汤 Gobo Soup

牛蒡削皮、切片。瘦肉切片。

锅内放水煮沸，放入牛蒡、瘦肉、枸杞，煮沸后，小火煮20分钟左右。

加盐调味即可。

牛蒡是菊科牛蒡属植物，又名东洋参、东洋牛鞭菜、白肌人参，果实名恶实、大力字。牛蒡原产于中国，约10世纪时传入日本，日据台湾时大量种植。

在中国古代，牛蒡是药食两用的食物。牛蒡根细嫩香脆，可炒食、煮食、生食、或加工成饮料。

牛蒡含丰富植物纤维，天门冬氨酸 ( aspartic acid )，精氨酸  ( arginine )，钙质 ( calcium ), 　镁( magnesium ), 　锰( manganese ), 　锌( zinc )等。

腊肠一锅饭 Chinese Sausage One-Pot-Rice

First, dice half a carrot.  Put aside with sweet corn and green peas…

In a rice-cooker, rinse-wash 2 cup of rice, add sufficient water.  Keep aside…

Then, skin and vertically-cut some 4 Chinese sausage…

Add in diced carrot, sweet corn, green peas, sausages and some minced garlic into rice-cooker…

Poor in 4 tablespoon of Shaoxing wine, and 2 teaspoon of salt.

Stir to mix, and switch on the rice-cooker to cook la !

Ongrizinal Limonda Brasileira

Again, its another typical Malaysian hot afternoon.  So, I made myself a lemonade.

First, squeeze out the juice of a lemon.

Add an equal portion of Brazillian Ypióca Empalhada Ouro which Jimmy brought back from Brazil.

Fill up the glass with chilled F&N Ice Cream Soda.

Voilà !! An ongrizinal refreshingly zesty, gassy-chilled, alcoholic yet non-intoxicating lemonade !

Ongrizinal Limonda Brasileira ( in Portuguese which means Brazillian Lemonade )

Ongrizinal Frog's Eggs

scoop out the flesh of 2 passionfruit into a tall mug...

pour in chilled F&N Ice Cream Soda...

voilà !  a nice cool drink for a hot evening !

I called it Frog’s Eggs

菜燕 vs 果冻

菜燕(Agar)，也叫大菜糕，是一种东方食品。由紅褐藻類(Gelidium amansii 等藻类)，或海藻(Sphaerococcus euchema)提煉而來。

菜燕含琼脂糖(agarose)和琼脂胶(agaropectin)。两者都是多糖纤维，可有效帮助肠道运动。

生菜燕是白色半透明的，市面上可買到粉狀、角狀、條狀、絲狀等等不同型態。在食品加工的用途上，可做布丁、果凍、茶凍、咖啡凍等等。

使用時需要先在水中加熱至85°C左右溶化到看不見顆粒為止，然後在其中添加想加入的甜味食材或是水果粒就可做成菜燕凍，或是甜點表層的凝膠。温度降至32°C左右便凝固。



菜燕与果冻外表虽然相似，但菜燕口感较脆、易碎，不比果冻弹口难化，不难分辨。果冻由动物膠原蛋白提炼而成，素食者、穆斯林、兴都教徒等敬而远之。  

果凍(Gelatin dessert, Jelly, Jello)是一種西方甜食。由动物，尤其是牛、猪的膠原蛋白(Collagen)提炼而来。

果凍呈半固體狀，由食用明膠(Gelatin)加热水、糖、色素、香精製成。市面出售的果凍有已凝固成形既食的，也有未凝固成形粉末状。

果冻的鲜艳色泽，是加入色素、香精而成，吃多无益。而且，果冻富弹性又不易溶化。小孩往往是吸食果冻，再加上边吃边玩，边吃边说话，就很容易造成软滑的果冻吸入气管，形成阻塞，使小孩窒息而死。

Gelatinous Dessert 凝胶状甜点

除了燕菜，类似其凝胶状的食品有仙草，爱玉冰，凉粉等，都是植物天然胶质使其凝固。龟苓膏则由受保护动物金钱龟龟板、土获苓、甘草 等中药制成。而豆花却以盐卤或石膏点卤豆浆凝固。

	thickening agent	animal / plant source
燕菜 agar	植物胶质 gelatin	Gelidium amansii 石花菜, Gracilaria lichenoides 菊花心江蓠, Sphaerococcus compressus
仙草 grass jelly	植物胶质+  淀粉  gelatin + starch	Mesona chinensis, Mesona palustris, Cyclea barbata, Melastoma polyanthum
龟苓膏	胶原蛋白 collagen	Cuora trifasciata 金钱龟
爱玉冰	植物胶质 gelatin	Ficus pumila var. awkeotsang 爱玉子
凉粉	淀粉 starch	Vigna radiata 绿豆
豆花	coagulants ( E509 calcium chloride / E516 calcium sulfate /  E518 magnesium chloride /   E575 gluconolactone )
果冻 jelly	胶原蛋白 collagen	cattle bones, bovine hides, pork skins