Simple Cooking Ideas

Long ago in China, Seamen often enjoyed longevity, because they eat no other grains except sweet potatoes. According to a survey, sweet potatoes are particularly good for spleen, pancreas and kidneys; and they are good for those who have chronic constipation and diarrhea with blood in the stool. They seem to be strange that the same food can be used to treat both constipation and diarrhea, which are two opposing symptoms. However to make these clear, sweet potatoes are yin energy food and can lubricate the intestine. When the intestine is lubricated, bowel movements will occur. Sweet potatoes are good for constipation due to dryness of the large intestine.

In a study which said sweet potatoes contain plenty of carotene which is the precursor of Vitamin A. This is because carotene is stored in the liver and is converted to vitamin A. That is why sweet potatoes are good for night blindness. The young leaves of sweet potatoes are also use for the remedy of night blindness and can get rid of blood in the stools.Sweet potatoes leaves are said to contain an ingredient resembling insulin and is also good for diabetes. As a remedy you just boil the leaves in water, strained and mixed with honey or just drink it as a tea.

According to modern research, unpolished grains are fibre-rich foods and many other disorders can be treated by the consumption of unpolished grains such as reduce the risk of cancer of the colon. A deficiency of fibre will slow down the passage of foods in the intestines and cause chronic constipation which in turn will produce a toxin that cause colon cancer. Therefore, a regular consumption of unpolishhed grain will improve elimination and reduce the chances of developing colon cancer.

Besides that, unpolished grains are also good for diabetes, high blood pressure and helps avoid abrupt spikes in sugar levels. High intake of unpolished grains can also reduce cholesterol level, which is important in preventing heart disease. Unpolished grains also contains other nutrients like B vitamins, manganese, selenium and iron. Therfore a high intake of unpolished grains, will certainly prevent various diseases.

Bananas are always available in Malaysia throughout the year. They are cheap and among the

most versatile of local fruits. Malaysians are lucky to have so many types of bananas to

choose from and usually they cost about RM3.00 or more for a large comb. Some bananas are

good for frying and making puddings are cost less. Those top grade may cost a bit

expensive. Top quality bananas should be bought when they appear firm, fresh and plump.

The tastiest method is just peel and eat them raw.After being kept in the home for two

days, they will become solid yellow, flecked with dark spots. If refrigerated at this

stage they may keep a few more days to eat. You must avoid bananas which are dull yellow

with a smoky appearance.

Bananas are delicious and nourishing snack on their own and and have excellent flavour.

They go well with many food such as baking, frying and make into puddings or use in

curries. They are rich in potassuim and vitamin A,B and C. They are also rich in calcium,

fat, iron, phosphorus and iron.

Sometimes, things go wrong when baking a cake. Here are some tips for baking a perfect cake:

(a) Why are you told to beat the fat and sugar well? To incorporate air into the mixture and to make it light, and to make certain that the sugar is thoroughly blended with fat. Castor sugar is the best sugar to use. If your cake is not beaten correctly, it will not be light, although modern luxury (soft) magarine does help to overcome this.

(b) Why do you have to use a metal spoon when adding flour to sponge cakes? A metal spoon, or a palette knife, ensures that the mixture is put together gently. A wooden spoon (used for creaming) or a whisk (used for beating) eggs and sugar in the true sponge automatically give a more vigorous movement. Metal spoons and palette knives enable you to turn or fold in the flour correctly.

(c) Why are you told to add the eggs gradually to creamed fat and sugar? Because if they are added too quickly you will curdle the mixture. Curdling in a cake means separatilg fat and sugar into rather solid looking lumps leaving you with a liquid round them. If this happen your cake will not be smooth in texture as it should be. Fortunately, there is a remedy: at the first sign of curdling, add flour and stir this in fairly briskly.

Chinese herbs are used to ward off variety of illnesses and to strenthen a person’s constitution. There are two types of constitution: liong (cool) and yeit (heaty). A person with cool constitution can consume heaty food without much trouble, while too much heaty food - fried food,durians and certain herbs; can be bad for those with a ” heaty” constitution.

Thus eating and drinking the right things can help one retains his or her normal balance Yin ( representing the female, dark and cold qualities and Yang ( male, hot and dry). The herbs are valued for their curative, or nuritious qualities. Among the most common herbs are:
(a) kei chi: tiny little red seeds. It is suppose to improve function and also believed to be good for the kidney and the eyes;
(b) dried longan: good for the spleen, kidneys and lungs;
(c) lotus seeds(lin chi): promotes virility and good blood circulation;
(d) pak kei: Fights fatigue and bad blood circulation;
(e) yoke chok: for illness related to the pancreas,lungs, and throat;
(f) tong kwei: usually consumed by women;
(g) wai san : helps to relieve inflammation of the uterus;
(h) cordceps; (toong choon chou) combat body aches and pain;
(i) ginseng: (pau sum) It adds as a tonic, helps respiratory ailments,relieves insomnia, back pains, lumbago and many others.

Raw food advocates believe cooking destroys the “life force” in food, leaching nutrients, phytochemicals such as antioxidants, and destroying valuable enzymes. Cooking does indeed reduce the vitamin C and B in vegetables because both are water-soluble. Vitamin C and some B vitamins are also heat sensitive, says Christine Scaman, a food, nutrition and health researcher at the University of B.C. Boiling a vegetable can remove as much as 50 to 80 per cent of its vitamin C.

But at the same time, cooking any fruit or vegetable breaks down indigestible cellulose in the plant cell walls, making the nutrients easier for us to absorb. Tomatoes and carrots are two stellar examples, Scaman says.
Other vitamins, such as A, D and E, are fat soluble, so the best way to get at those nutrients is to eat the food with a fat such as olive oil. Cooking does destroy most fruit and vegetable enzymes, but don’t let that bother you. We don’t need them. Banana enzymes, for instance, help bananas grow, ripen and decay, but they don’t aid human digestion.

Our own enzymes break down food enzymes along with everything else we eat, so we can absorb them as amino acids and get nutrition from them. On the other hand, simmer vegetables on the stove all day, and you’ll lose more nutrients than if you zap them quickly in the microwave.

Nutmeg is the actual seed of the tree, roughly egg-shaped and about 20–30 mm long and 15–18 mm wide, and weighing between 5 and 10 grams dried, while mace is the dried “lacy” reddish covering or arillus of the seed.

Nutmeg and mace have similar taste qualities, nutmeg having a slightly sweeter and mace a more delicate flavor. Mace is often preferred in light-coloured dishes for the bright orange, saffron-like colour it imparts. Nutmeg is a flavorsome addition to cheese sauces and is best grated fresh (see nutmeg grater).

In Indian cuisine, nutmeg powder is used almost exclusively in sweet dishes. It is known as Jaiphal in most parts of India. It may also used in small quantities in garam masaala.

In the Middle Eastern cuisine, nutmeg powder is often used as a spice for savoury dishes. In Arabic, nutmeg is called Jawz at-Tiyb.

In other European cuisine, nutmeg and mace are used especially in potato dishes and in processed meat products; they are also used in soups, sauces and baked goods.

Japanese varieties of curry powder include nutmeg as an ingredient.

Nutmeg is a traditional ingredient in mulled cider, mulled wine, and eggnog.