Instant Funori Jelly

It's quite a tedious process to make Funori dessert the traditional way but with the popularity of Funori as a good supplement for Collagen & being inexpensive, it had caught the attention of merchants to come up with different brands & ways to let people enjoy it. The most popular form is the jelly style which is often being served in those organic cafe. I would thought it difficult to home-made to the softness & smoothness of cafe standard (tasted like the ice jelly found at dessert stalls) but no longer a trouble after the invention of such rock sugar cube type of instant funori dessert.

(dissolving the cube in hot water)

This was bought outside the promotion stall set up for CNY goodies outside the Fortune Centre Vegetarian supply shop near the escalator. (However, I found out that there is another new vegetarian supply shop: "Tian Yuan Healthy Vegetarian Food Paradise" which just opened at #02-23 Fortune Centre & is retailing this product)

The product from Taiwan has 2 version. This brown version that I bought was pre-added with brown sugar, red-dates and dried longan, there's also the plain version which you could add lime or passion fruit syrup or any creation yourself.

Method:
Add 500ml (5 cups) of hot water to cube & stir til dissolved.
If you find it still too sweet, which I do, simply add more water till to your taste.
Cool it & put in fridge (non-chiller section), within hrs, you could enjoy one whole big bowl of Funori jelly with a family of 6 at the price of 1.5 cup at cafe. Really refreshing on a hot day!

Crystal had a good post on her blog on the after-product of the jelly. Pls click here:
http://crystalbyblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/funori-jelly-aka-algae-essence-jelly.html

For convenience, these instant products are great, however, to really feel the collagen presence, I would prefer the conventional way of processing it, as maybe psychologically, you know through the process that there is really rich collagen content in the funori you are having. :-)

Himalayan Rock Salt

Before seeing this product, I knew only about 2 types of salt: table salt & sea salt. The label states that the Himalayan Rock Salt is mined from ancient salt deposits formed over millions of years :P , is naturally fortified with 84 trace minerals and compleletly chemical free. Wow! In comparison to sea salt, it is also lower in sodium content (less salty) and certainly a healthier choice for cooking . I was even recommended to use this to to brush my teeth & as a substitute to soap for bath/facial scrub.The price is rather reasonable, just slightly expensive than table salt in considering the various advantages so I bought a bottle to try. I had tried using it as facial & body scrub & it sure work as well as those expensive scrub bought. The only problem with scrub is your skin will feel dry so you will have to apply moisturiser after that to replenish your moisture. Hence, I would recommend using it on weekly rather than daily basis.
Had too much heaty food that you developed mouth ulcers? You may also use it to mix with water to rinse your mouth, I think it does help :-)
Wonders of salt... :-)

Fruit Mask

Being a lazy person, I hardly spend time to take care of my skin. There is a saying that there is no ugly women but lazy women:P.

When my skin starts to give signal that it needs attention & moisture, and not in time to wait for my next facial appointment, I will do a quick DIY by getting a packet of the strawberry facial masque from Watson store (at <$2).

The product label has indicated that it contains vegetarian collagen (most other facial product collagen are mostly non-vegetarian unless specifically indicated) and is against animal testing.

The masque is able to let me apply twice even when I use it generously, so that makes it <$1 per use:-)

The product is so natural that you can actually see strawberry ingredients (the seedlike rough exterior of strawberry?).

And is easy to use for a lazy person like me, just cleanse your face & apply generously on your face & neck & leave it for 10-5minutes then rinse. Ater the rinse, I feel that my skin is revitalised & moisturised. Have a try :-)

Disclaimer: Natural extract can cause sensitivity too, it is always advisable to apply a small amt to inside of your upper arm to test for any reaction.