Covid-19 Man Shopping > Ikan Laut

Bawal Putih / 白鲳

Stromataidae | Pampus argenteus

Bawal Cina / 斗底

Stromataidae | Pampus chinensis

Bawal Emas/ 金鲳

Bramidae  | Xenobrama microlepis

Bawal Hitam / 黑鲳

Carangidae | Parastromateus niger

Selar / 黄尾

Carangidae | Atule mate

Cencaru / 硬尾

Carangidae | Megalaspis cordyla

Lidah / 龙舌鱼

Cynoglossidae | Cynoglossus robustus

Senangin / 马友

Polynemidae | Eleutheronema tetradactylum

Siakap / 石甲

Latidae | Lates calcarifer

Tongkol / 柴鱼

Scombridae | Katsuwonus pelamis

Tenggiri / 马鲛

Scombridae | Scomberomorus sp

  

Kembung/ 甘望

Scrombridae | Rastrelliger sp

Jenahak / 红皂

Lutjanidae | Lutjanus sp

Anchovies Powder

Anchovies are teeny tiny fishes that were caught, pre-cooked and sun-dried which can be easily found in most Asian markets.   

It is used to make stock, which in turn used as soups of noodles.  Making stock involves simmering anchovies for a very long long time. 

Another use of anchovies is as a source of the umami flavor in a dish which is consists of lone vegetable(s).    In this case, the anchovies is normally hard-fried till fragrant before adding in the bland vegetables.  Yet, in the end, the anchovies are usually discarded and ended up in the trash bin.

Well, a simple way of preparing the stock is powdered anchovies.  Just boil the water, sprinkler the powdered anchovies, and add in whatever ingredients to make the soup.  No simmering, no long hours of cooking broth. 

Same for stir-fry veg-dish, add a teaspoon of powdered anchovies in hot oil, quickly throw in all the ingredients, and stir stir fry fry.   No anchovies leftovers, no kitchen waste.

To prepare powdered anchovies, first dry the anchovies in oven at < 100⁰C for some time.  let it cool when it’s done.   The anchovies should be hardened once cooled.  Then, blend it with food processor.  Blend it not too fine, not too coarse.   Keep in tight glass bottle, away from sunlight,  best in cool dry place.

Covid-19 Man Shopping > Ubi

Ubi refers to any edible plant root : ubi kayu, ubi keledek, ubi keladi,  ubi kentang, sengkuang dll.  Even though all the ubi sharing the same epiphyte, they came from different part of the world, and of different family and genus of plant. 

Despite all the differences, all the ubi contain lots of starch.  The starch is actually polysaccharide ( polymeric carbohydrate ),  when cooked, breaks down into simple carbohydrate ( glucose, fructose and galactose ).   This explains why the cooked ubi are sweet in flavor.    

Here are some, which are quite rare, maybe even alien to some, especially for those privileged one whom never had worry what to cook for lunch &/@ dinner.

Kudzu / 粉葛

( Puereria lobata var thomsonii )

Kudzu is the general name for plants in the genus Pueraria.   It is originated from East Asia.

The root is usually used in Chinese stew soups, which enhance the ‘sweetness’ of the soup.   Kudzu starch, which is extracted from the root is used as food ingredient.

Sengkuang / Jicama / 沙葛

（ Pachyrhizus erosus ）

Sengkuang is from Mexico.  It is first brought by the Spaniard to the Phillippines, where it is called singkamas.  

Sengkuang is usually consumed fresh, an ingredient in rojak.  It can be cooked, or used as a main ingredient in popiah.

 Chinese Yam / Nagaimo / 山药

（ Dioscorea oppositifolia）

As the name suggested, Chinese Yam is originated from China.  Chinese Yam was Introduced to Japan in the 17^th century and Europe during the 19^th century European Potato Failure.

The tuber is cylindrical in shape, capable to grow up to 1 meter in length.   When cut or peeled, it exude slimy, slippery substance. 

In Japan, 3 groups are recognized :

• Nagaimo ( 長芋 ) - long, cylindrical type ;

• Ichōimo ( 銀杏芋 ) - flat, palmate shaped type ;

• Tsukune imo (ね芋) - round shaped type.

Chinese Yam is can be consumed raw, or cooked.  Also used extensively in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Beet / 甜菜头

（ Beta vulgaris vulgaris）

The beetroot is the taproot of a beet plant.  Beets were domesticated since the ancient Middle East.  During the 19^th century, wine often was coloured with beetroot juice.

Beetroot can be eaten boiled, roasted or raw, pickled

Beetroot contain lots of betanin.  Betanin is not broken down in the body, and may cause colour of stool or urine to be reddish in colour.

Kelaldi / 芋头

（ Colocasia esculenta）

Keladi is originated from the Old World tropics.  It was believed that it was one of the earliest cultivated plants.

It is not rocket science that a keladi’s corm is edible, but many are not aware that the leaves are also edible.

Keladi contains calcium oxalate, which is toxin if consume raw.  The toxic can be destroy via cooking, or by steeping in cold water overnight.

Yacón / 雪莲果

（ Smallanthus sonchifolius）

Yacón is originated from the Andes of South America.  In the 1990s, it was introduced to Japan, and from there to other Asian countries.

It is crisp, sweet, and fragrant, almost similar to jicama.

 

Covid-19 Inspired Snack

  

This is presumably cucur, literally means fritters.  Usually sphere in shape, made of mainly flour and prawn, anchovies, chives, scallion, onion, sweet potato, banana or anything else. 

This Covid-19 inspired cucur is round, resemblance of the virus.  I am not sure of how to make the spikes, but it definitely looks scary.

This looks like a roti canai, or kuih lenggang ( pancake ), carefully folded to mimic a surgical mask.  ( it's definitely single-ply )

Kuih lenggang is just a very thin pancake made of flour, flavored with egg, coconut milk, milk or pandan essence.  

Roti canai pulak is an Indian-influnced flatbread found in mamak restaurants/stalls throughout Malaya.  It is made of flour and ghee, cooked over flat plate, usually serve with dal, or any type of curry.

disclaimer :  all the photos were captured online.  Copyright to the rightful owner(s).

Covid-19 Man Shopping > Ginger

Ginger / Halia / 姜

( Zingiber officinale )

Halia is unmistakably easiest to identify with its unique alien look.  Halia is NOT a root, it is botanically subterranean stems ( rhizome )

It is said that Halia originated in islands of Southeast Asia.  Somehow it was brought to the rest of the world by trade and migration. 

Halia is a very popular spice, or as a medicine. 

Young halia are juicy and fleshy with a milder taste.  They are more suitable pickled or candied.  Also made into tea and alcoholic drink.  And Japanese pickled ginger : beni shōga (紅生姜) and gari (ガリ) too.

Mature halia are fibrous, drier and stronger taste.    

The pungent and spicy-sweet flavor of halia is from volatile oils that consist of primarily zingerone, shagaols, gingerols, etc.  fresh ginger contains zingibain, which helps tendering meats,and curdle milk.

Despite all the chemical compounds, its easy to differentiate the two.  Its all about the skin : older are drier, with wrinkles, and stronger taste ( 姜是老的辣 )  ! J

Kunyit / Turmeric / 黄姜

( Curcuma longa )

Kunyit is usually found in powdered form.  It is used as a coloring and flavoring agent.   It is kunyit that make curry and everything else yellow ( that includes your cloth ).

Cucumis is the chemical compound that give kunyit the yellow colour.  It addition to that kunyit contains a host of essential oils and diaryheptanoids.

Lengkuas / Galangal / 南姜

( Curcuma longa )

Lengkuas is relatively huge compare to halia and kunyit.  It is pinkish is colour.  There is a white cultivar too.

It is used in cooking, especially Rendang， Chinese braised duck ( 卤鸭 ).

Covid-19 Man Shopping > Cucumber

Cucumber

( Curucumis sativus )

Cucumber / Timun ( 青瓜 / 黄瓜 ) is a very common fruit vegetable.  Its very unlikely to get it wrong. 

It can be eaten raw, with nasi lemak, which is incomplete without it.  It is often used in rojak, acar or pickled ( check out : cucumber-salad-in-soy-sauce , pickled cucumber Hakka-style  )  Nevertheless, it is cooked together with a wide variant of other ingredients.  ( stir-fried-cucumber )

Depending on variety, cucumber may have a mild melon aroma, resulting from unsaturated aldehydes such as (E,Z)-nona-2,6-dienal, and the cis- and trans- isomers of 2-nonenal.  The slightly bitter taste of cucumber rind results from cucurbitacins.

Matured ( old ) cucumber ( 老黄瓜) is used primarily in Chinese cooking, especially in stewing soup. ( read old-cucumber-soup )

Japanese cultivar of cucumber is used in cucumber ( 日本小青瓜 ).  it is longer, slender and darker green in colour.  It has mild taste, crunchy, lesser seeds and thus widely used as salad. 

Looks like cucumber, sounds like cucumber, but not cucumber ......

Labu Air / Bottle Gourd

（ Lagenaria siceraria ）

Bottle gourd ( 瓠子 / 节瓜 ) have a variety of shapes and sizes.  This particular variety has cylindrical shapes, almost similar to a cucumber, only that it’s slightly lighter in colour shorter and fatter.  For untrained eyes, it may be mistakenly taken as a cucumter !

Bottle gourd is cultivated by human since beginning of time.  It was believed to be originated from Africa, carried to Asia and Europe via human migration and trade.

It is usually consumed cooked – stir-fry or soup.

Raw bottle gourd contains cucurbitacins that are cytotoxic at high concentrations.  Tetracyclic triterpenoid which caused the bitter taste, could cause stomach ulcers.  Thus it is not recommended to consume bottle gourd raw or juiced.

Timun Bulu / Labu Bulu

（ Benincasa hispida var hispida ）

Timun bulu / Labu bulu （ 毛瓜 ）is a variety of Benincasa hispida ( 葫芦 ).

It looks like a furry cucumber, but with slight different pattern on the skin.  They are sweet and succulent, almost similar to zucchini.

It is best cooked lightly : steamed or stir-fried,  or soup.

Covid-19 Man Shopping > Brinjal

Brinjal ( Solanum melongena ) is a plant species in the nightshade family Solanaceae.  

Botany

The fruit is botanically a berry.  There are different cultivars of different size, shape and colour.  

It was originally domesticated form of the wild nightshade species thorn or bitter apple, Solanum incanum, with probably two independent domestications : one in South Asia and one in East Asia.

There are 3 recognized varieties :

• S. elongena var esculentum – common brinjal, including white varieties

• S. melongena var depressum – dwarf brinjal

• S. melongena var serpentum – snake brinjal

Etymoloty

Eggplant

The name eggplant is usually used in North America and Australia.  First recorded in 1763, eggplant was originally referred to the white cultivars, which look very much like hen’s egg.  The white, egg-shaped varieties of the eggplants are also known as ‘garden eggs’ and ‘vegetable eggs’

Aubergine

The word aubergine and brinjal were derived from Arabic word bāḏinjān ( باذنجان‎).  Yet, āḏinjān is itself a loan-word from Dravidian language, which in turn borrowed from Indic languages.

 Culinary

The fruit is mostly purple, spongy, absorbent, but low in both macronutrient and micronutrient.  However, its capacity of absorbing oils and flavors make it popular in culinary.

Raw brinjal can have a bitter taste, with an astringent quality, but it becomes tender when cooked and develops a rich,

 Fun Facts

The colour of purple skin of brinjal is due to the anthocyanin nasunin.

The browning of the brinjal flesh is due the oxidation of polyphenols.