Good morning, dear friends

Come weekends, I am usually unsure of what to cook for dinner as it is either an elaborate affair since everyone is home and can have dinner at the same time, or I don’t cook dinner and we eat out. Eating out can be costly if done too often and cooking lavish meals can be quite tiring as I would like to rest on weekends, too!  :roll:

So, when the right mood hits me, I can cook a simple but yet delicious meal in a short time. For my family, they love Western food as we often have Chinese food during weekdays. Here are ideas that you can follow if you don’t know what to cook for your family  (click on the names to get the recipes I had posted before)  :-

Buffalo Wings … smothered in Barbeque Sauce

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A simple Garden Salad with a Lemon Juice-Olive Oil-Garlic Dressing drizzled over it

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Easy, Aromatic Butter Rice

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Yummy Easy Potato Salad (recipe below)

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Celery Sticks with a Sour Cream Dip

Yummy, Easy Potato Salad Recipe

Ingredients :-

1 1/2 kg or 3 pounds potatoes – skins scrubbed clean

5 large hardboiled eggs, shelled

1 cup of chopped scallions or green onions

1 small red onion (peeled and chopped finely)

A little bit of finely chopped carrots for colour (optional)

1 tbsp of creamy mustard (I used the type for hot dogs)

4 tablespoons of mayonnaise

Salt and Pepper to taste

Method :-

1) Boil the potatoes whole in a pot of water for about 20 minutes or until they can be pierced easily with a knife or skewer.

2) Remove potatoes and run under cold water to cool down. Cut into chunks or cubes to your preferred size.

3) Mash hardboiled eggs

4) Mix in mustard, mayonnaise and chopped scallions/green onions

5) Season to taste

6) Add in the potatoes and mix thoroughly.

7) Refrigerate until serving time. This salad tastes better if prepared in advance, say at least one hour.

Do have a wonderful weekend!

With best wishes,

choesf

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A delicious, healthy side of Korean Kimchi..Yummy!

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Good morning, dear friends

Heheh, of late since I started making cleaning enzymes, I have been caught in the  mood for fermenting anything for health, such as Drinking Fruit Enzymes, Homemade Raisin Wine (I will only post this recipe when I harvest it on 02 Jan, 2010 and know then if it is successful or not ), and Kimchi.

I have always love Kimchi for its tangy, sour, spicy and crunchy taste. Every time my family goes for Korean Barbeque meals, I would ask for lots of Kimchi. I used to think making it was difficult as I didn’t know where to get the Korean ingredients but since I saw a Malaysian adaptation of the recipe, I made a huge batch of Kimchi a month ago and my family have been eating it as an appetizer or side dish with all our meals for health.

Why is Kimchi healthy? The Koreans have been consuming Kimchi for ages and it is a must to be had with meals. As usual, I did some reading over the Internet to find out about its wonderful health benefits and to learn about the various Kimchi recipes……and that was enough to give me the zest to make my own Kimchi for the first time. It is so much cheaper this way as I have seen a very small tub of Kimchi selling at RM12 or USD2-80 at the local supermarket (I would need to spend a lot to feed my family Kimchi! ).

Here are some sites you can check out for a very interesting read :-

1) Why Kimchi prevents obesity – by Ann Olson

2) Say Kimchi – from my local newspaper, The Star

3) The Hidden Benefits of Kimchi - by Ann Olson

It was found that the fermentation process of Kimchi produces lactic acid to penetrate the food and forming healthy bacteria called Lactobacillus Kimchii, and the ingredients used in Kimchi are high in anti-oxidants. In summary, Kimchi is very good for  :-

• prolonging endurance
• regulating the digestive system
• increasing metabolism (it is especially good for men)
• helping lose weight
• low in calories, high in fibre and vitamins
• improving absorption of Vitamin B12 (from garlic)
• good body immunity
• cooling to the body (good to counter heatiness)

Here is my version of Korean Kimchi :-

2 large Chinese or Napa Cabbage

Washed, cut into preferred sizes, and soaked in a brine solution consisting of 10 litres water (2.5 gallons) and 1 cup salt for 3 hours (I used my kitchen sink for this .) Remove cabbage from brine and rinse in water twice. Squeeze out all the water and put into a large container.

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Some Chinese radish or daikon, a good bunch of green onions, 2 whole bulbs of garlic, 2 thumb sizes of  fresh ginger, 4 medium onions

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Slice radish or daikon thinly and cut green onions on the diagonal into 1-inch lengths

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In a blender, place the garlic, ginger, onions from above and the following ingredients ===>

1 Korean or any Yellow Pear and 1 Apple (peeled, seeded and cut into chunks)

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1 cup of Baba’s Pure Chili Powder (this is very spicy, reduce half if you prefer less spiciness),

1/3 cup of fish sauce (can replace with soy sauce or 1/4 cup anchovy paste)

and 1/4 cup of honey( or sugar)….or you can adjust all these ingredients accordingly

Blend everything finely and pour into the bowl containing  Chinese Cabbage.

Wear gloves to protect your hands from the spicy chili and mix everything thoroughly in a large basin like below :-

I placed everything into a large Corningware casserole and left it overnight (covered) in the kitchen to ferment in a warm place

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This is how my Kimchi looks the next day…I had sprinkled some sesame seeds on it to make it look more yummy

Warning :- It is best to put the Kimchi into clean, airtight bottles and refrigerate because the Kimchi gives out a very strong smell, which may affect the other foods and drinks in the fridge.

The Kimchi gets more sour and the flavour improves as the days go by and my family finished all of it within one month.

It is delicious when eaten with hot cooked rice, with instant noodles or just add some cooked sliced beef into it to make it a main dish. Yummy!

Hope you like this recipe ….

With best wishes for good health,

choesf

Chinese Herbal Prescription for building up body resistance to the A H1N1 virus

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A packet of Chinese Herbal Prescription for countering the A H1N1 Flu

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Happy Saturday, dear friends

A month or so ago, I have been receiving through emails and my cell phone a Chinese Formula/Prescription for a herbal tea to stave off the Influenza A H1N1.  For my family, I have been brewing Ng Far Char or “Five Flower Tea” (read my earlier post on this HERE) to reduce body heatiness, which in Traditional Chinese Medicine is  believed to be the root cause for weak body immunity and susceptibility to any flu virus.

Recently, I saw these herbs for the AH1N1 prescription prepacked for  sale at my regular Chinese Medical Hall (shop) – it costs only RM10 for each packet. I bought some to try for my family. Seeing as how the rate of deaths arising from the A H1N1 flu in China is so low given its large population, I was convinced that this herbal formula must be working well to build up our body immunity.

I thought to post this Chinese formula here for those of you who live abroad and you have access to your local Chinatowns…hope that you get the herbs shown in the formula.

How to prepare the herbs -

1) Just bring to boil the herbs in 3 litres of water, lower heat to small and simmer for 2 hours.

2) Remove herbs with a slotted spoon and add in red or brown or white sugar according to taste.

3) Drink one cup or two  per person per day. Keep any left over refrigerated.

Important Note :- If you are on Western medication, please keep 3 hours apart between consuming this herbal drink and taking your medication (to prevent contra-indications/clash)

With best wishes,

choesf

Good evening, dear friends

Ah, my wonderful blogger friend, Louise, has shared this recipe  on how to make our own wine vinegar at my About page and I thought to set up a new post here so that you can have easy referral to it. I’m very sure you will be delighted to find a way of making your own vinegar.

All credits of this recipe goes to Louise who has a really interesting blog called “Months of Edible Celebrations” – every day of the year, there are some fascinating festivals or themes going on and Louise has certainly put in a lot of research, thought and heart into writing those articles.

Thank you very much, dear Louise, for sharing this recipe with us! I know I will enjoy making the vinegar and thinking about Count Dracula and Transylvania! 

READ HERE for Louise’s fascinating post titled “Nibbling my way to Count Dracula’s Castle” for more recipes and information….

With best wishes,

choesf

Hi choesf,

I will be posting a few recipes from the following book in the next day or so, (I haven’t decided which day yet as it is a sort of halloween themed post, Dracula included:) Anyway, the following recipe is one I will be posting. I thought you might appreciate so I am posting it here not to interfere with your regular posts. I tried to email you but it seems I either misplaced your email address or never had it. I am a bit hurried but I wanted to get it off to you before I forget. Hope you like it, Louise…

A Wine Vinegar for Autumn from Transylvanian Cuisine by Paul Kovi

Ingredients :-

• A bunch of green grapevine tendrils
• 2 ounces raisins or dried, pitted sour cherries or cornel
• 1 ear of young corn
• 2 ounces lentils
• 3 quarts dry white wine
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 or 2 pieces fresh and ripe fruit (any kind), cleaned and stemmed

Instructions :-
1. At the beginning of the summer fill a wide-mouthed glass gallon jar one fourth full with the following ingredients: green grape vine tendrils,raisins (or dried sour cherries or cornel) ear of corn, and lentils. Pour in enough wine to fill jar halfway and stir in half the honey.

2. Cover the top of the jar with cheesecloth and tie it down. The mixture will first ferment then turn cloudy before it eventually clears up.

3. When 2 weeks have elapsed, place the jar in a cool but not too cold spot. Add 1 or 2 pieces of cleaned, stemmed ripe fruit of the season to the jar and let stand.

4. At the beginning of September add enough wine to the jar to fill it. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons honey. Place the jar in a sunny spot again for 1 week (be sure the contents do not become too warm), then return it to a cool spot.

5. Do not move the jar until the first days of October. By this time the vinegar will have a layer of sediment on the bottom, and will be clear on top.

6. Carefully siphon off a bottle (1 quart) of the clear, ready to use vinegar and fill the jar again with the same amount of white wine.

7. If the vinegar is handled carefully (not moved or shaken), it will not spoil. This procedure of draining off the clear vinegar should be repeated again from time to time (taste it occasionally, and siphon it about every 2 to 4 weeks). Be sure to replace the removed amount with fresh wine. It produces a very good vinegar.

Variations:

Using an existing vinegar base, one can prepare new vinegar from a favorite wine and some fruit (or other sugar-containing plant) in the following manner:

Fill a 2-quart wide-mouthed jar with wine (or with any kind of fruit soaked in wine), Cover the mouth of the jar with cheesecloth and tie it down, then put the jar in an evenly warm place.

The top of the wine will develope a skin after a while; stir it back into the wine by shaking the jar. Continue this process until 1/4 or 1/2 quart gelatinous wine skin forms. Transfer this gelatinous wine to a similar size jar. Fill the jar with some vinegar from the recipe above.

Let stand in cool spot. When the contents settle, slowly siphon off the top for use. Replace the removed amount with fresh wine. Be sure to siphon off new vinegar at least once every 4 weeks. Bottle the vinegar and store it in a cool place.

Note: If the wine develops a skin on top, be sure to skim it off. Wine vinegar prepared in such a manner can be used as a base for flavored vinegars as well.

Hi there, dear friends

Two years ago, I had written about using bleach and vinegar to get clean my washing machine in the post :-

Remember to clean your washing machine monthly

However, since I started using the miracle homemade fruit enzymes (READ HERE on how to make your own enzymes at almost zero costs) for all my household cleaning purpose, my washing machine no longer has any bad smells and mildewy buildups.  Because I also use enzyme to do my laundry daily, my washing machine is going to stay odour free and clean on the inside all the time.

For those who will be cleaning their front loading washing machine for the first time using homemade enzyme, here are the instructions :-

1) unplug the washing machine

2) remove everything on and around the washing machine

3) get ready the following items :-

• a small pail,
• 2 old face towels or rags,
• 2 to 4 cups of enzyme,
• scrub brush with a long handle,
• a roll of paper kitchen towels,
• a spray bottle filled with enzyme (use full concentration for tough cleaning, diluted with some water for milder jobs)

4) remove the detergent drawer. To remove caked mould and dirt effectively, soak it in some concentrated enzyme for the moment.

5) spray inside the area which holds the detergent drawer with undiluted enzyme

6) use a few pieces of paper kitchen towels to wipe off the yucky mess in the folds of the rubber ring at the door opening.  Remove as much of the dirt as you can

7) dilute one cup of enzyme with 5 cups of water in  the pail

8 ) wet the rag in the diluted enzyme and rub it all around the folds of the rubber ring. Rinse cloth and repeat again until as clean as possible.  Pour away the pail  of water that is now dirty

9) prepare another batch of cleaning solution in the pail, i.e. 1  cup of enzyme with 5 cups of water

10) wet another piece of rag in pail of  diluted enzyme and wipe all the other surfaces of the washing machine, i.e. door, knobs, sides, top, etc…

11) use the long-handled brush to scrub at the area that holds the detergent drawer. If possible, do like I did – use a hose to spray some water at the same time you brush away the caked dirt there. If not, then just spray more enzyme or water while you remove the dirt. Flush or spray with water until that area is as clean as possible.

12) for the detergent drawer that has been soaking in the enzyme, use a brush to scrub away the grime there. If need be, use an old toothbrush to get at those hard to reach area. Rinse clean and put back the drawer back into the washing machine.

13) the final step of cleaning your washing machine is to put in 2 cups of enzyme into the detergent drawer, plug back in your washing machine and put it through a normal wash cycle (without any dirty laundry) with a temperature of 37 degrees Celcius or 98 degrees Fahrenheit. The enzymes work best at this temperature.

There you have it…your washing machine is now clean on the inside and the outside and even the water pipe outlets should be cleaned by the enzyme….and most important of all, there is no more smells and fungus and  mildew there!

How to get your laundry really clean and good smelling ?

Answer :- Just add in a quarter cup of enzyme to the detergent!

I noticed that when enzyme is used together with laundry detergent, my laundry no longer smells funny. Even the fragrance of the fabric softener is enhanced. Somehow, the enzyme helps to remove the bacteria in the laundry – a good confirmation this is my laundry no longers smells mildewy even when we have no sun and it has been raining for 2 days. Previously, in this kind of environment, my clothes will smell a bit mouldy and I would have to re-wash them again.  :roll:

For really dirty laundry, just soak it overnight in your washing machine (remember to add in 1/4 cup of enzyme), and continue the wash first thing the next morning! Voila! My towels are so white and fresh smelling these days!

Hope you can try the enzyme out yourselves to see how it will work for you. I bet you will be happy with your washing machine and doing laundry from now onwards!

With best wishes,

choesf

Chicken Rendang

(Click on picture for a more yummy view)

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Beef Rendang

(Click on picture for a more yummy view)

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Hi there, dear friends

Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri and Happy Id to all my Muslim friends from around the world!

This is the third year that I had cooked a traditional Malay feast for Hari Raya. The first time, I made Rendang with Beef but for the second year, we had Chicken Rendang instead. This year, I couldn’t decide on which meat and so I had cooked both Chicken and Beef Rendang instead!

Am I glad I did! Because the new recipe that I had followed this year turned out to be so delicious that all my rendang was finished in just 3 meals! We had it for lunch, dinner and for dinner the next day with Nasi Lemak.  When my husband first tasted this year’s Hari Raya feast, he was in absolute heaven and he said, “If I were to die right now, I will die a very happy man!”…and he continue to stuff himself with more Ketupat, Kuah Kacang and Rendang!

Ketupat (Rice in Coconut Casings) and Kuah Kacang (Satay or Peanut Sauce)

(Click on picture for a more yummy view)

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Somehow, this year, my Hari Raya cooking was perfect (IMHO) as even the Ketupat was of the right texture. The Ketupat was the main star of the meal as the coconut casings are NOT available throughout the year but only for the Hari Raya festival and the other Muslim festival in November/December…I forgot the name of that festival.

READ HERE for my Kuah Kacang Recipe, and for instructions on how to cook the Ketupat, READ HERE.

For 2009, I cooked 1 1/2 kg of Beef Brisket and 1 large whole chicken (separately). Because I was also making Kuah Kacang, I made 3 portions of the ingredients for the Rendang recipe. This helps to cut down some of the cooking time and in one go, I had already cooked the Rendang/Kuah Kacang paste together.

The Beef Rendang was simmered over 3 hours, with frequent stirring to prevent burning at the bottom of the wok, whilst the Chicken Rendang was slow cooked over 1 1/2 hours (chicken take a shorter time to get soft).

Although the recipe may seem like tedious, cooking rendangs is like that but its heavenly taste will more than make up the time and effort that you have put into cooking this. Best is when you see your family or friends tucking happily into your rendangs and you will be very proud of your achievement!

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Here is the recipe for the Delicious & Fragrant Beef Rendang (for more meat, just increase the amount of ingredients accordingly) -

250 grated coconut, to make kerisik or toasted coconut (READ HERE for Kerisik recipe. You can make this in advance and refrigerate)

1 1/2  kg Beef Brisket, washed, cut into cubes  ( can use Beef Chuck also)

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(A) Ingredients to be dry roasted in a wok/pan over a small fire for about 5 minutes, cooled down, and then pounded or grinded :-

100 whole black peppercorns

100gm coriander seeds

100gm fennel seeds

100gm cumin seeds

(the dry roasting makes these spices very aromatic, but if need be, you can substitute them with the powdered version but use 75gm of each only, whereas the whole black peppercorns stay at 100)

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(B) Ingredients to be blended with a cup of water to make a spice paste :-

100 gm galangal

60 gm ginger

60 gm fresh turmeric root

1 whole clove garlic

60 gm dried red chili (soaked in hot water until soft. Can be replaced with 1 cup good Chili Boh)

300 gm shallots

3 to 4 stalks serai or lemon grass (use bottom white part only)

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Other ingredients to be prepared and set aside :-

2 cinnamon sticks (about6 cm long each)

20 cloves

6 star anise

1 cup or 250 ml oil for frying rendang paste

Thick Santan or Milk from 3 coconuts, or 3 cans or 3  180ml packets

2 cups or 500 ml of water to be added to coconut milk

3 turmeric leaves, cut into 2 cm lengths

5 pieces kaffir lime leaves

Salt & Sugar to taste (for me, I had put about 3 tbsps of sugar and 2 tbsp of salt, but it is better that you estimate your own amounts)

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Cooking Instructions :-

1) Heat up wok with oil and add in cinnamon sticks, cloves and star anise. Fry for 1 minute.

2) Add in the blended ingredients/spice paste (B)  and fry until they are dry and aromatic… and the oil separates. Keep stirring frequently.

3) Add in the powdered spices (A) and mix thoroughly into spice paste.

4) Add in the beef cubes. Fry for about 5  minutes.

5) Add in the coconut milk and water.

6) Bring to a boil…..then lower heat to small and simmer for about 2 to 3 hours, depending on the cut of beef that you are using.

7) Add in the turmeric and kaffir lime leaves, and the kerisik and stir thoroughly….bring up the heat again to boil the rendang again, then lower heat to simmer until the oil separates at the top, from the kerisik.

Add salt and sugar to taste.

Tips

- if your rendang mixture gets too dry but your meat is still tough,  add in half cups of water at a time.

- if you don’t want your rendang to be too dry, you can add more water to it and simmer for at least another 20 minutes

- to make your rendang lasts longer over a few days, refrigerate immediately when cool and only take out enough portions for a meal

- you can also freeze some rendang for eating later. Just bring to a boil again over a small heat.

- my family all agree that the Beef Rendang tasted much better than the Chicken Rendang.

Hope you will give this recipe a try and do let me know how your rendang turns out, okay?

Happy Cooking!

With best wishes,

choesf

Left – 1 teaspoon of yeast was added

Middle – 2 teaspoons of yeast was added

Right – Sludge from another matured enzyme was added (about 1/2 cup)

Good morning, dear friends

All credit of this wonderful tip to shorten the fermentation period of the Eco or Fruit Enzyme for cleaning goes to visitor Jon Q, who had commented at my post earlier of Recipe For Eco or Fruit Enzyme for Cleaning.

Jon Q said,

August 20, 2009 @ 11:16 pm ·

This is a great idea! I’m trying it now. The reason it takes so long to ferment is that you’re relying on the tiny amount of natural yeast that lives on the citrus peels to reproduce and eat all that sugar. Since there isn’t much yeast at the beginning, it takes a long time to get the fermentation going.

You can speed it up considerably by adding a spoonful of yeast at the beginning. It should take less than two weeks if there’s enough yeast. Another way to speed it up is to save the liquid / sludge at the bottom and use it in your next batch, it will speed things up a lot. Try using a balloon instead of a lid, it will stop the bottles exploding.

If you look at the picture above, you will notice that the bottle with the enzyme sludge added has a more “mature” look in the colour of the enzyme. This shows that enzyme sludge is more effective in speeding up the fermentation process of the cleaning enzyme.

Hmmm….I wonder if the same concept (of using the slush) will work for drinking enzymes?

With this method, I can now harvest a lot of cleaning enzymes in a shorter time, enough for me to liberally use the enzymes for cleaning effectively.

Happy Cleaning!

With best wishes,

choesf

P.S. Due to the feedback received from visitor, tt, that the bottle of enzyme exploded overnight – please exercise caution before you open the enzyme bottle in case it explodes and the bottle cap hurtles like a missle and may hurt you.

When yeast is added to speed up the fermentation process, the amount of gas buildup is multipled also, and you will need to check your bottles for tension more often.

Here are some tips to stay safe and not have to clean up a big mess :-

1) to test the extent of the gas buildup in the bottle, give the bottle a slight squeeze (if the bottle is not made from hard material) – the degree of tension or flexibility of the squeeze will tell you whether an explosion if likely or not

2) invert a plastic bag over the bottle before opening it – in the event of an explosion, the mess is contained within the plastic bag and the cap will not hurt you

3) to prevent an explosion – remember to check the bottles frequently by opening the caps daily (even a few times a day if time permits).

4) do not make the bottles airtight but keep the cap closed partially with just a couple of twists.

Right – Rice Water Enzyme Concentrate

Left – Rice Water Enzyme + Dish Detergent + Water

===>  For washing dishes

Good evening, dear friends

Quite some time ago, I was watching a show from Hong Kong on TV where chefs were taking part in a culinary competition. During the show, they were asked what was most effective in cleaning the oily surfaces in restaurant kitchens – their answer was a real surprise to me ===> rice water!

The chefs said “Mai Shui”, which in Cantonese means “Rice Water” or water left from rinsing the rice before cooking.

Naturally, my interest was perked upon hearing that we can use rice water for cleaning purposes. Of course, I tried using some to clean my kitchen hob and splatter wall tiles but it didn’t work at all. In fact, I got a messy and really oily wash cloth – more oily stuff to clean!

So, I forgot about the whole thing until last month, when I was told about the Rice Water Enzyme by a lady who has a “economy rice’ or “mixed rice” stall. We were sharing notes on the using of enzymes for cleaning and she said she read about the Rice Water Enzyme in a magazine.

Here’s the Rice Water Enzyme Recipe :-

Rice Water (from the first rinse when washing rice before cooking)

Brown or Red Sugar or Jaggery – at least 100 gm per liter of rice water

Method – mix both thoroughly in a plastic bottle. Enzyme is ready to use after ONE (1) WEEK!

Tip – this enzymes smells a bit and to overcome that, I added some bruised lemon grass and lemon peels.

To use – I added 1/2 cup of Rice Water Enzyme to 1/4 cup dish detergent and 1 cup water and stored this cleaning solution in a bottle. This mixture is further diluted with water depending on the degree of oiliness of my dishes, pots, kitchen wall tiles and stove tops, etc.

The dish detergent is to give the cleaning mixture some suds, because the enzyme on its own has no suds/lather.

I am very happy with the efficacy of the Rice Water Enzyme in cutting grease and oils effectively…more so than the Eco Enzyme or Fruit Enzyme that I had made earlier. Only problem is this enzyme is also more abrasive on my hands compared to the Fruit Enzyme, which had, on the contrary, helped to soften my hands a bit from all those cleaning.

I find the Rice Water Enzyme especially good in heavy cleaning jobs like washing oily plastic containers like Tupperwares, greasy pots and woks, oil splattered wall tiles in the kitchen and mixing bowls with remains of cake batter.

With a normal dish detergent previously, I would have squirted lots of it and many rounds of washing to get my plasticware oil free. But with this enzyme, just an easy rub or two with the sponge would make the plasticware quickly oil free. It’s really amazing how the Rice Water Enzyme works but you have got to try it yourself to see.

To clean my kitchen sink outlet pipes, now and then, I would pour about 1 cup of the enzyme into the sink holes when all the washing in the kitchen is done for the night. I am hoping that the enzyme would help to cut some of the grease in the pipes as well as breakdown the sludge buildup in there.

Happy Cleaning!

With best wishes,

choesf

Two bottles of Dragon Fruit Enzymes and a bowl of Dragon Fruit “Jam”

A small cup consisting of 2 to 3 tablespoons of Dragon Fruit Enzyme, mixed with water.

To be had first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach for better absorption.

(Please read the comments below for feedback on my family’s health after we started drinking this)

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Good evening, dear friends

Ah, finally…. I am posting my recipe for making enzymes for drinking. All thanks go to my blog visitor, Jessica, who so graciously shared with me her recipe for making drinking enzymes at Comment # 14 at my cleaning enzyme post HERE .

I did some reading over the Internet to find out more on drinking enzymes .

Some links with good information, recipes and tips on fruit enzymes :-

1) here,  from e-How

2) here, from Leah’s Cafe

3) here, from Penang-Island

4) here, from Cooking Momster - this site has some background on a Chinese recipe for fruit enzymes using “San Cha” used to make Haw Flakes. There are some interesting recipes there as well as the benefits of the various fruit enzymes.

Different sites have different information on the recipes – like how much fruit in proportion to sugar/honey, when to shake the enzyme during fermentation, how long to wait before harvesting enzyme (period ranges from 2 weeks to 6 months), and how to take the fruit enzyme for health.  So, I would suggest that you gather as much information as you like on the Internet before you start making your own enzymes.

In general, it was reported that drinking fruit enzymes improves our vitality, ensures regularity in our bowel system, aids in digestion and enhances body absorption of nutrtients.

Initially, I was going to buy a large glass jar to prepare the enzyme in, but at the last minute, I decided that I would just use the inner pot of my slow cooker  - the reason being, I didn’t know how much of liquid enzyme would be yielded and I wanted to get the size of the jar right.

I had used my crockpot to prepare the enzyme. My fruits all layered with the last topping being lemon and sugar. After that, I poured in 1 cup of apple cider and 1 cup of Australian honey

I covered my crockpot with the glass lid and a piece of aluminium to keep out the light. Beside it is a new glass jar that I had bought to prepare more Fruit Enzyme the next time.

Some tips to share with you :-

1. make sure that the fruits, chopping board and knives are completely dry as even a drop of water can spoil the enzyme. I washed them thoroughly and left them to dry overnight. But, if you are rushed for time or you find that your items are not 100% dry, do like what Jessica does – she uses a hairdryer!
2. as you cut your fruits, it is best to place them straight in the jar – this is to ensure that the fruits are not contaminated or exposed to fruit flies
3. you have to use a glass jar for safety reasons because we are going to drink this enzyme.  If plastic bottles are used instead, it is feared that the fermentation process may leech out some unhealthy stuff used to make the plastic bottles
4. the fruit enzyme needs a dark, cool place to ferment. You can also wrap a piece of aluminium foil or an old t-shirt or cloth around the glass jar
5. shake or stir the fruits often to prevent build-up of a whitish mould at the surface. Don’t worry, the mould is safe and is a sign that fermentation is well underway.
6. if black spots or black moulds are seen, it would mean that the fruit enzyme is contaminated. Some people recommended that the black moulds be scooped out and the fruits left to ferment further. For me, I would prefer to throw the whole batch away and start a new one, for fear of food poisoning  from the contamination.
7. upon harvest, pour the liquid enzyme into old, clean wine bottles. The leftover fruit can be used as jams, or it can be fermented further to be used as a facial wash or plant fertiliser. I gave half of my fermented fruit to a friend, and the other one is kept in the fridge to eat as a jam with my toasts.

This is my one day old Fruit Enzyme

Because 2 of my dragon fruits were over-ripe and there were some worms inside (I am terrified of worms ), I had a paranoia that my other fruits may have eggs that will turn into worms! So, I decided at the last step of the preparation to add 1 cup of apple cider (I thought that should kill anything inside and of course, I had thrown away the worm infested fruits!) and for added fragrance and to cut down the sugar level, I replaced one cup of sugar with Australian honey.

I had read that the apple cider will speed up the fermentation process, and that was also another reason that I added the apple cider.

This is after a week – there is more liquid produced and there is some white bubbles on the surface – a sign of fermentation in progress

My Dragon Fruit Enzyme ready to be harvested – 2 weeks after preparation

My Dragon Fruit Recipe

3 kilos or 6 1/2 pounds of Pink Dragon Fruit

8 lemons

1 kilo or 1 3/4 pounds slabs of brown sugar (or loose brown sugar)

1 cup apple cider

1 cup honey

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Method

Remove skins and cut to slices about 1 cm or 1/2 inch thick

Arrange dragon fruit starting at the bottom, alternating with slices of lemon and sugar

The last layer at the top must be sugar

Pour apple cider and honey over everything

Cover and keep for 2 weeks, shaking gently the contents in the first few days, and stirring thereafter occasionally

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The fruit enzyme was harvested exactly 2 weeks after preparation and there was just enough to fill 2 wine bottles. Half a bottle was consumed immediately for a few days, while the rest will be left for a further duration until 4 to 6 months, with a taste test at every 2 weeks.

In a few days, my enzyme will be exactly 1 month old, and I will see how the taste goes.  A website had mentioned that the ph of the enzyme improves over time, especially after 4 months. I’m not sure exactly what that meant and I just assume that the enzyme will not be so acidic after a longer period. I guess it is like wine, which tastes better over time!

Also, new enzymes are more alcoholic in nature and some websites do not recommend that the enzyme be consumed at this stage because the alcohol is not good on the liver. My opinion is the new enzyme should be fine for consumption as we are not drinking large amounts of it enough to damage our liver. We are just having 2 to 3 tablespoons a day as a tonic for our health.

The 2-week old fruit enzyme tasted like a mild apple cider mixed with alcohol, with a hint of apple cider and honey. My children hated the taste of it and I had to tell them to pretend that it was Ribena! Anyway, they never liked apple cider either!

It is best to drink the enzyme first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, rest for half an hour before taking breakfast. I mixed the enzyme with  2 times its amount of room temperature water. For me and my second daughter, the dragon fruit enzyme tasted absolutely delicious – like a fruity wine! It didn’t smell bad or rotten at all as I had thought it to be.

The period that we consumed the dragon fruit enzyme (5 days all in) was too short to notice any significant improvement in our vitality and health. But all of us reported easier and better bowel movements, as if the enzyme is removing toxins faster from our bodies. Another reason why I stopped drinking the enzymes after 5 days was because I developed a mild food poisoning from eating some bad curry at a mamak shop. My husband and second daughter continued to take until 1 week and they didn’t report and adverse side effects in their health.

In summary, I would definitely recommend to everyone that they should try to make some fruit enzymes to drink. I think the enzymes will do more good than harm. I have seen some stalls at the TTDI pasar (markets) selling the homemade dragon fruit enzyme for RM39 (USD10) for a 750ml bottle. My cost was only half of that and by making my own enzyme, I can be sure that I use good quality fruits and there is hygiene in preparing them.

My next post will be how to make our own rice enzyme for washing dishes. A friend gave me a bottle to try and it is really effective in cutting grease!

Do have a lovely week ahead!

With best wishes for good health,

choesf

Ng Far Cha or 5-Flower Tea

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A A glass of cold “5 Flower Tea”

(Read HERE for a Chinese  Prescription Formula to get the herbs to brew a tea specifically to boost body immunity agains the A H1N1 Flu pandemic)

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Hi there, dear friends

I am always on the lookout on natural home remedies for good healh and last week, I overheard a few ladies talking about the Influenza A Type H1N1 and what they are doing from the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) perspective to boost body immunity.  I joined in their conversation and learned that they are brewing a type of tea using dried flowers, known as “Gold and Silver Flowers” (translated literally from Cantonese as “Kum Ngan Far.”)

So, I quickly went to my regular Chinese medical hall and told the boss there what I had learned from those ladies. He said according to  TCM, it is very easy to catch a flu, sore throat and fever when our body is experiencing heatiness (especially “fire” in Chinese terms). As long as we can balance our body’s yin (cold) and yang (hot) carefully at all times, we can lessen the chances of catching any flu because our body immunity is stronger.

Instead of using just the “Gold & Silver Flowers”, he recommended instead the “5-Flower Tea” or “Ng Far Cha” in Cantonese. In his prescription of this tea, it has Dried Chrysanthemum Flowers and 2 other types of Flowers (I forgot the names )  in addition to the Gold & Silver Flowers. This tea will work even better in dispelling body heatiness and dampness, and especially heatiness in the colon (which is caused by irregular bowel movements and toxins are absorbed into the body).

To brew this tea – I bought 2 packets (RM5 each) Ng Far Cha and boiled the herbs in large pot of water (about 6 to 7 litres) for 2 hours. Remove the flowers and add “red sugar” (Hoong Tong or Gula Merah) or brown sugar to taste. The red sugar has anti-inflammatory properties.

Store the tea in bottles and drink some everyday. They can be kept refrigerated up to 1 week.

Do get some Ng Far Cha and make this for your family to drink, especially now that we are experiencing the hot weather and with the H1N1 and Dengue Fever going around, it is best to keep our body “cool” internally.  This cooling tea are sold at “leong char” or “cooling herbal tea” stalls and shops in town and you can buy from there if you don’t have the time to brew it.  

Actually, I wanted to sell herbs and teas like this for health at my Happyhomemaker88’s Webstore but couldn’t because, I found out that for some countries (especially in US), their Customs are really strict and they forbid any mailing of herbs and medicine.

With best wishes for good health,

choesf