A moment of temptation ................

I am feeling  proud of myself .......yet  with  a pang of regret....an internal conflict indeed! At the wet  market this morning I caught sight of a couple of potted  red black roses., very healthy looking., very enchanting I have previously bought plants from this  same vendor before. He said a  pot costs RM18 (he already sold one pot) .....but he was willingly to sell to me for just RM15......so to buy or not? Well,  I have not been too successful on growing  roses (see my blog on 'Roses, roses, roses'), but I was sorely tempted to take the offer ....! The red-black roses were so beautiful and rather  unusual looking  (no, I did not have my camera with me) ! So  in a way, I am rather glad that I managed to keep to my pledge of not buying any rose plants - no matter how irresistible they are , until the day I can handle those existing roses in my garden! Mind you it was not easy to walk away from such lovely roses. .....but I did, with a heavy heart and a  sense of loss somehow.  Ok, so see how first next time......maybe, just maybe ......!   

Polygonum Minus (Daun Kesum or Laksa Leaves)

 Now this is an interesting herbaceous plant  The leaves produces the  pungent smell that is associated with the Assam Laksa dish!  This herb is actually used in many other local dishes as well - it gives a nice flavor to the spicy, hot and sour dishes.   This herb is actually very easily propagated. I bought some stalks, a bunch would cost about RM 1 in the wet market.  Soak those stalks unused  in water and when roots appear, plant them in a moist damp area under some shade.  The herb will grow easily and in no time, there will be enough to use for cooking. I like having this herb in the garden, although it looks more like a weed than a useful herb for cooking!  This herb need to be trimmed now and then for it to grow nicely, otherwise it will become all dangling and unruly. 

Something interesting to add, according to "Rimbun Dahan", (http://www.rimbundahan.org/environment/plant_lists/taman_sari/index.htm), the leaves can be  pounded, oil extracted  and mixed with water . Apply the mixture to scalp, leave a few minutes for clearing dandruff! Cool, should try this ! 

Herbs for Cooking ...

Thai "Tom Yam" - a delicious  hot, spicy, sweet, sour dish with all the aromatic herbs.....just thinking of it makes me salivates!!  There are many variations to cooking this dish, but in my opinion nothing beats  making a trip to Thailand just to taste this dish at its authentic best. Somehow the offerings here just doesn't seem to give the same 'kick', perhaps it is just psychological.  Anyway, back to talking on homegrown herbs.

This is the "Daun Limau Purut" or Kaffir Lime leaves. (  Citrux hystrix ) (Read more from this link : - http://www.pahang-delights.com/limau-purut.html). A neighbor who was moving house gave this plant to me about three years ago.  She said this plant  was grown from seeds.  Actually this plant  is more frequently propagated through grafting. Apparently the grafted plant will not bear fruits, but the ones grown from seeds will.  So far I have yet to see my plant flowers. For the Tom Yam dish, these kaffir leaves are essential.  In fact these kaffir lime leaves are used in many local dishes. I like the aromatic smell of these leaves. It just adds flavor to the spicy dishes one is cooking or salad preparation.  One of my favorite dish is the sambal sotong fried with prawns, tomatoes, chillies, etc. (Yes, I also love to dabble in cooking, except sadly I just can't master good cooking....perhaps should get a 'sifu' , then can improve...lol) . Once I forgot to add the leaves and immediately I received a complaint from you can guess who (lol)!    Without the leaves somehow the dish would taste flat!  The lime or fruit is not used for cooking, but supposed to be good for maintaining healthy hair growth.  Yes, hair....after washing with shampoo, just rub the juice of the lime into the scalp....let stand a couple of minutes, then wash....mmmm....exotic clean smell !

Below is the lemon grass bush, another essential ingredient to the Tom Yam. What is Tom Yam without this lemonly smell?  Overnight, lemon grass has become a health food. (can read this link : http://my.88db.com/my/Knowledge/Knowledge_Detail.page/Health-Medical/?kid=11068) .  People are promoting drinking the lemon grass tea.  Well, there is enough  literature in the internet if one is interested to read more about the lemon grass.  The lemon grass is easily grown. I bought a bunch of the lemon grass from the wet market. Just stick one or two in some water, and in a couple of days, roots will appear.  I planted mine alongside the drain beside the house. Well it will take 3-4 months before I can harvest some lemon grass for cooking. To take care of the plant, just ensure that it is watered well.  Feed it plenty of water and the lemon grass bulb will be big and juicy. I like to trim the leaves of the bush every now and then - as I cut them, the citronella scent released  is just heavenly....and the plus side? No more mosquitoes at least  for one night....! Well as they say, one man's food is another's poison.  Oh yes, mosquitoes are repelled by the scent from this lemon grass bush.  While cutting the leaves, one just  have to be careful about the fine hair that can irritate the skin, also the leaves are sharp like blades. Perhaps it is better to wear long gloves, but often I am careless.....!

 The trick to blogging is to keep things short and easy to read.....so I will continue more, meantime, go get a bowl of nice TOM YAM soup noodle or something.....yummy!

Herbs - Indian Borage (Plectranthus amboinicus)

Check out this herb. The strong distinctive smell can be either appealing or too strong for some. What is the significance of this plant? Many years ago, I was inflicted with this persistent cough that just refused to go away. Yes, I had been to see the doctors, taken antibiotics, cough medication by the bottles.....but no cure in sight. In the middle of the night when rest was most needed, I would wake up coughing non-stop.  Coupled with stress at work, and no solution to badly needed rest, I was so desperate to try anything, My mother made me a herbal drink from the leaves of this plant on one weekend I visited her.  Three portions of the  miraculous  herb within a day (morning, afternoon and evening) and I was on the road to recovery. That night I slept peacefully for the first time in a month! I continued to drink the herb until the cough cleared completely for the next couple of days! So what do you expect....it  is only concoction from this herb henever I feel the cough  or hear any cough  from anyone in the family!   Even though it works for me, I have feedback from some people that it does not work for them.

One need only pick a few of these leaves, wash them and put them in some boiling water. Once the water boils again, immediately off the heat and leave to cool before drinking. Do not over boil, the active ingredient is lost, I think.  Once the maid was coughing rather badly, and she said the herb did not work for her, so I checked  how she prepared it. She said she boiled it for at least half an hour.....no wonder it did not work!  Some people  say  chewing on the raw leaves is good enough, but I have never tried it.......! Normally one can add some rock sugar or dried logan to make the drink slightly sweet if that is preferred, easier to drink.  Always  drink the herb while it is slightly warm.

This herb is easy to propagate. Just stick some cuttings into some well drained soil and in no time, roots and leaves will sprout. This plant need no fertilizer and is also pest free. I have this plant sprawling all over my garden, on the ground and in pots.....that is how much faith I have in this herb!  Anyway I think it is rather ornamental looking as well.  Whenever I water  my plants, I can smell the herb's distinctive  scent the same as for basil, mints etc and it is rather refreshing. 

Interested to read more, go to this link  below :-     

http://hubpages.com/hub/Indian-Borage

Herbs - "The Black Face General"

I know I am dragging my fingers to type this blog.......just feeling unmotivated after the breaks I had been taking this last month and more. Actually we are just back from a two nights, three days trip to Cameron Highlands, attending a reunion with husband's ex-university mates. This morning, we decided to take a walk around the neighborhood. We had both been over-eating  from the reunion dinners and lunches, and lack  of exercise, despite the crisp cool highland air.  Too much time spent sitting around,  and catching up with one another.

We noticed that the council had replaced some plants along the roads.  Strangely the new trees  are all bound tightly with some sort of material.  Lets hope the new trees will soon grow strong and big. There was a man enjoying his plants  and the  cool morning air . In his hands were a bunch of leaves. He said  he had just plucked them. The leaves are from a plant called " Black Face General" (a direct translation from chinese word " Hei Mian Jian Jun"; its botanical name is Strobilanthes crispus  ) . I have this plant in my garden as well.

I got this plant from my mother. She planted it from cuttings. My mother's philosophy was to grow as many useful herbs as possible so that whenever anyone need them, they are available. She used to read all those chinese magazines and books on herbs and their usage.  My father would teasingly called her the 'Tua Lou Koon" (Specialist Doctor) because she  believed in using her herbal plants for ailments  like cough, fever, constipation, diarrhea, etc .     

Back to the the Black Face General., this herb is popular due to its  anti-cancer properties as well as other uses.  The reader is encouraged to read this article :http://www.greenculturesg.com/articles/jan06/blackfacegeneral.htm. to learn more on this plant.

This plant is really green and glossy as can see from the picture. It grows easily and needs constant pruning. So far I never have to use fertilizer nor do I need to water it a lot, even on hot days.  It grows well despite lack of attention given and is really fuss and  pest free. The leaves are rough to the touch, and the stem rather noddy. It is a hardy plant.   People tell me the leaves makes a cool refreshing drink on hot days, but I have to yet to try it.  The plant has only flowered once and they were yellow in color. 

Interested to know more herbal plants ? Okay, more next blog.

My Garden Friend

Say " Hello...." to this little fellow who seems to have made my garden his permanent home.  I have seen him numerous time sneaking here and there amongst my plants, but never had the opportunity to take his handsome picture until now.  He moves fast ... now you see him, now you don't! LOL. 

Well it is nice to see him enjoying the freedom in my garden, and I do not think he is destructive. I do not know how he contributes to the ecology of the environment, perhaps I should do some reading up......!