Garden Herbs ( Part 1)

Herbs......plants that  give flavor, scent, medicinal value  or other qualities other than food value to food or drinks. We use herbs in cooking, for medicine and even for spiritual purposes. Well, talking about Herbs can be rather involved and complicated.  Animals seems to know by instinct what plants they should eat when they are sick. I have seen our family dogs and cats do that often enough.  They normally sniffed around, chew on the selected plants....whenever they don't feel well.   We, humans on the other hand have lived on commercialized grown vegetables and synthesized medication that we have  lost touch with what nature can offer.  Perhaps it is time we go back to basics - using plants to promote better health.  Oh dear, I am going off track, ..... lets return to some herbs in my garden.   

What shall I start off with? I guess the pandan or screw pine should be listed first. Pandan provides the green colour to food as well as a nice scent  to food and drinks.  On a hot day, one would welcome very much  a glass of barley boiled with a blade or two of  pandan leaves.  Pandan  is widely used in cake baking, biscuits, pastry,  desserts,  local kueh  (nyonya  kueh, malay cakes, etc ) .  Meat such as chicken wrapped in pandan leaves can be deep fried or baked .  Rice steamed with pandan and coconut milk gives off the nicest aroma possible. Pandan is so versatile when used in culinary dishes.

The pandan grows easily.  The lush green leaves can be rather ornamental looking if grown in a pot.  The pandan is propagated from the young babies that sprouted around the mother plant.  Since the plant grows easily, they need to be trimmed regularly.  Some pandan plants are more aromatic than others,. I did not realize this until I did some comparison.  Someone told  me that cockroaches dislike the pandan scent.  So what I do nowadays  is to cut the overgrown  leaves and stuff them under the car mat or  in the car boot and the kitchen cupboards/oven.  Whenever the  doors are opened,  one can  catch the whiff of pandan aroma .  The bad side of it,  the car and cupboards have these dried leaves that can be unsightly, nevertheless  still better than having to artificial scents!

The Thai Basil is not so often used in malaysian cooking, but popular in  vietnamese or thai cooking. However, I do so love the smell of these basil leaves.  These leaves can be eaten raw and often added to salad to give a nice appetising smell. However some people might find it too strong for their liking.  The Thai Basil is propagated with seeds. Where are the seeds?  The flowers are purplish and grows at the tips of the plant.  When the flowers dry up, the seeds can be found hidden away amongst the dried petals.  

For curry lovers, the curry leaf plant (  Murraya koenigii) is a must in the garden. These plants can be planted in pots as well. I think if the plant is well taken care off,  kept free from insects attack,  it  makes a nice ornamental plant as well. Just look at how lovely the leave formation is, and the lush green color.  The aromatic scent it gives off when touch is just heavenly, well at least to me it is. The curry leaf plant actually flowers even though the  small white flowers are nothing to shout about, but they as highly fragrant. as the leaves The small black shiny berries are edible, but their seeds are said to be poisonous.   Aside from cooking curry, the curry leaves has other culinary uses as well.  I like to use the curry leaf in cooking seafood dishes such as  prawns, shellfish, crabs etc.

The curry leaf apparently are said to be anti-diabetic antioxidant antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, anti-hypercholesterolemic etc.  (The reader can read more on this by referring to sources quoted in the Wikipedia).

Recognize this herb? Yes, it is the mint leaves, used in the assam laksa.  The fragrant scent is very distinct and one never fail to recognize this plant.  This herb propagates easily.  I bought a bunch of these mint leaves from the wet market. After picking away the leaves to be used for cooking, I just stick the stalks in some fresh soil. Very soon the stalks would have taken root and leaves appearing. Like most herbal plants, this one need needs moisture and well drained soil. Add a little general fertilizer or even fish water, and the leaves will be big and nice......yummy! 

More on next blog.