Jack fruit

Another fruit in season around Jun/July. Saw the hugh pieces of Jack fruit bulbs being removed and arranged nicely by the fruit vendors for sale. It sure looked attractive and recalling a recent sampling of the fruit cooked in Sri Lankan Curry, I couldn't resist to purchase a packet though mum had expressed concern about the heatiness of the fruit which the vendor kindly advised that by washing the bulbs with lightly salted water before consumption, it can help reduce the heaty effect of the fruit. Another wonder of salt.:-)


And guess what? Was told the seed of the Jack fruit is edible too if boiled or roasted. I tried boiling it and it softened to taste much like the chestnuts.

Searching the internet for its nutritional value, was impressed that it is not only rich in dietary fiber which is good for the colon, its combination of Vitamin A & flavonoid pigment aids in antioxidant and vision functions but it is also rich in Vitamin B & C and good source of minerals such as potassium and iron. Wow...will eat more while it is in season...:P

BBQ for Vegetarians

Had a family gathering BBQ and what thoughtful mum & host had got me: Fried vegetarian meehoon, sweet potato & sweet corn (must have in BBQ for non-vegetarians too, sweet & juicy!), fresh tempeh fom market. On top of that, mum also purchased this : Vegetarian Roasted Mutton Bunch. It is supposed to be vegetarian satay that its look certainly need improvement but taste wise is still quite acceptable.

Its ingredients on label: Water, Dried Mushroom Top, Soybean Oil, Soybean Protein, Sugar, Salt, Vegetarian Natural Flavour and Flavouring, Flavour Enhancer (E627, E631).

However, the sweet corn is still the best natural and healthy food to have in BBQ though :-)

Baby corns

New vege introduced by the vendor : Baby corns with corn Silks still covering it.
Unlike the usual baby corns with exterior removed, the immature maizes were harvested early and sold to us just like the mature maize with external leaves covering it.
Was told that these baby corns made a good ingredient to cook with barley water and has good detoxing effects.
Just cleanse the covered baby corn with some water to remove any soil or dust and throw a few stalks with its cover unremoved to brew with barley water.
Unlike the exterior removed baby corns, the protected corn is much softer in texture and much sweeter and fresher that after brewing in barley water, one can remove the exterior and munch on it which has a natural sweetness and soft to chew.
A great difference in comparison to the usual baby corns with exterior protection case removed and has harder texture in comparison especially after cooking.
Try it! :-)

Vegetarian Snack Time!

D visited a fair and bought this Brown Rice Biscuits (a product from Taiwan).
Tasted like those cone biscuits for ice-cream and it states "Lacto-Vegetarian" (allows dairy pdts) on the packaging and yes, it goes well with ice-cream.:-)

Ingredients:
Flour, Pearl Barley, Brown Rice, Peanuts, Sugar, Butter, Whey protein, Salt, Vitamin E.

Alternative to Dairy Milk

S had a minor surgery recently and in the surgery arose some complications that she had to be given transfusion of 2 bags of blood. Her incident made me realise the importance of regular blood donors and am really grateful to them.

However, as she was later prescribed with iron tablets to increase her red blood cells, she experienced some side effects of unsmooth bowels.

Understanding her problem, a vegetarian friend introduced her to Biogreen Five Grain Oatmilk Energy from an Organic shop. Oat is believed to be helpful in smoothing bowels.

This is suitable for Vegans as this Oatmilk energy claimed to be an alternative to Dairy Milk with the benefits of Oat, Omega 3, Soy Lecithin.

One just needs to take 2 table-spoons of it and mix with 250ml of water, just like preparing a milo drink.
The oat had been very finely-grinded with no coarse texture of oat tasted at all and the drink tasted like milk-water with strong fragance of vanilla.
It is now been used as an alternative to coffee for S's coffee-break.

Ingredients on label: Oats (non-GMO), Buckwheat, Soy Lecithin (non-GMO), brown rice, black rice, red rice, Pearl Barley, Amaranth, Wheat, Black bean, Flax seed.

Sounds like a nutritious drink on normal days too.:-)

Vegetarian Snack Time

What a cute attractive packaging!

B bought me this packet of seaweed from local supermart, a product of Thailand -
Roasted Seaweed Giant Sheet.
Extremely crispy maybe bec of its Ziploc package and individually wrapped.
1st time tasted Seaweed so crispy/crunchy and Sweet!
It is stated as 100% Vegetarian.

Ingredients on label: Seaweed 98%, Salt 0.5%, Sugar 1%, Pepper 0.5%

Quick Cold Remedy

I prefer Chinese to Western Medicine (even if it is much bitter:P).
My 1st choice of cold remedy is to take Ge Gen Tang and my favourite brand is this Red Sun Cold Remedy manufactured in Japan.
It disappeared from the Chinese Medicine market for a period & returned recently with this packaging (somehow I preferred previous packaging which looked more Japanese & professional:P).

The medicine effect can be immediately felt and after a good sleep, one usually recovers.
It is also a must bring item for my tour. :-)

The label states that the herb extracts include:
Radix Pueraiae Lobatae (Ge Gen), Herba Ephedrae (Ma Huang), Fructus Jujubae (Da Zao), Radix Glycyrrhizae (Gan Cao), Rhizoma Zingiberis Recens (Raw Ginger), Cinnamon Cortex (Gui pi), Radix Paeoniae Rubra (Shao Yao)

Quite a number of Chinese herbs and quite a number of brands of Ge Geng Tang on market which I tried during its absence, but I still prefers this brand and glad it returned. ;-)