Herb guide
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Anybody know where to get potted herbs? Does the plant dies off after a while considering the weather here in sg?
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i dunno simi hir, my friend in Aus who was doing aquaculture gave me one, they are actually from the lab, but are sea fish......... safe to eat one, dun scaredOriginally posted by Wanda:Simi heer is this?
So blue the fish....like not chet cooked....or baked under ultra violet light.
blue blue becos of my lousy camera lah
maybe i shd get another camera...... like tik0k0s one.... since he said price drop to $300 liaos... -
Cook again, then take pic and post lah.Originally posted by TehJarVu:and i used corriander seeds to cook my famous lamb chops
that time cannot post pics so i didn't take any shot of my famous lamb chops -
Cold Storage has some, but a very pathetic variety. You could try those large nurseries.Originally posted by Croaking_Toad:Anybody know where to get potted herbs? Does the plant dies off after a while considering the weather here in sg?
Herbs do survive in our climate, provided you don't expose them to too much sunlight. My first pot of basil turned greenish-yellow cos I put it out in the garden.
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Ginger tea is normally used to dispel wind, or bloatedness. Not sure about your weak stomach leh...depends on the cause or symptoms.Originally posted by MooKu:Ginger as stomach settlers?
So if I have a weak stomach, drinking ginger tea frequently would be good? -
i dun cook nowadays... and cannot get the exact same kind of spices here oredi......Originally posted by Wanda:Cook again, then take pic and post lah.
i used to use mixed pepper i got from the supermarket + corriander seeds
now i dun even know where to get lamb chops and corriander seeds....... the mixed pepper in green packets lagi no need to say.......
anyway gone are the days when i hv to cook for my survival.......
thinking back i feel a bit nostalgic -
Those potted herbs grow best under full sunlight. If not, they tend to have problems, dun grow well or get fungus. My mint and basil plants both died bec of insufficient sun.Originally posted by Croaking_Toad:Anybody know where to get potted herbs? Does the plant dies off after a while considering the weather here in sg? -
Oops, seem to be opposite of what Mooku said hor. So which is which?Originally posted by Wanda:Those potted herbs grow best under full sunlight. If not, they tend to have problems, dun grow well or get fungus. My mint and basil plants both died bec of insufficient sun. -
it will not be the same....... wat i am huai nian-ing are the lamb chops i cooked during my days of slogging.........Originally posted by Wanda:Cook again, then take pic and post lah. -
eh! my friend said mine died cos too much sun!Originally posted by Wanda:Those potted herbs grow best under full sunlight. If not, they tend to have problems, dun grow well or get fungus. My mint and basil plants both died bec of insufficient sun. 
so which is it?
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Too much nostalgia is a sign of you know what....Originally posted by TehJarVu:i dun cook nowadays... and cannot get the exact same kind of spices here oredi......
i used to use mixed pepper i got from the supermarket + corriander seeds
now i dun even know where to get lamb chops and corriander seeds....... the mixed pepper in green packets lagi no need to say.......
anyway gone are the days when i hv to cook for my survival.......
thinking back i feel a bit nostalgic
Coriander and mixed herbs can get mah...otherwise, mix your own. -
of what??? old age ah? lolzOriginally posted by Wanda:Too much nostalgia is a sign of you know what....
Coriander and mixed herbs can get mah...otherwise, mix your own. -
What I'd said was what the nursery plant experts told me, and also what I'd read. I think can do a search lah.Originally posted by MooKu:eh! my friend said mine died cos too much sun!
so which is it?
How big was your plant? If very young, it's possible to die from too much sun. -
Yeah, I also think you need a new camera....hopefully we won't see blueish hued photos any more.Originally posted by TehJarVu:i dunno simi hir, my friend in Aus who was doing aquaculture gave me one, they are actually from the lab, but are sea fish......... safe to eat one, dun scared
blue blue becos of my lousy camera lah
maybe i shd get another camera...... like tik0k0s one.... since he said price drop to $300 liaos... -
oh.Originally posted by Wanda:What I'd said was what the nursery plant experts told me, and also what I'd read. I think can do a search lah.
How big was your plant? If very young, it's possible to die from too much sun.
then I think you are right.
my basil was newly bought
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Growing own herbs and plucking them when needed for cooking (like those cooking shows) sure beats buying them from the supermarket. Of course the quality is nowhere near from those being sold.
With most of us living in flats here, not many of us have access to direct sunlight into our units.
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Unfortunately, yes, unless you have a sunny balcony....even for a few hours of sun. I have the corridor, but all the good sunny spots were "chope" by my neighbour's plants, including our portion.Originally posted by Croaking_Toad:Growing own herbs and plucking them when needed for cooking (like those cooking shows) sure beats buying them from the supermarket. Of course the quality is nowhere near from those being sold.
With most of us living in flats here, not many of us have access to direct sunlight into our units.
Just wait for my neighbour's maid to leave...then there would be no one to take care of their plants... -
Bergamot
(Monarda didyma)
Monarda didyma (Bergamot, Scarlet Monarda, Oswego Tea, or Crimson Beebalm) is an aromatic herb in the family Lamiaceae, native to eastern North America from Maine west to Ohio and south to northern Georgia. Its name is derived from its odor which is considered similar to that of the bergamot orange. The scientific name comes from Nicolas Monardes, who described the first American flora in 1569.
Bergamot was once widely used by native Americans and was introduced to the early colonists by the Oswego Indians. The name Oswego Tea comes from the Oswego Indians who taught the immigrants how to use it for tea after the Boston tea party in 1773.
The dark pink, red and purple flowers smell pleasantly of oranges. They are a nice addition to the flower border and attract bees. Besides its medicinal qualitites, the flowers and leaves are good ingredients for potpourri making.
Note that the bergamot herb is not the source of bergamot oil, used to flavor Earl Grey tea; that comes from the bergamot orange, a Mediterranean citrus fruit.
Culinary Uses
Use fresh young leaves sparingly in salads, fruit salads and fruit drinks.
Five or six large fresh leaves or 1 teaspoon dried leaves in 8 ounces boiling water make a refreshing and relaxing tea.
Improves the flavor of pork dishes.
Other Uses
Use the leaves to make a facial steam.
The leaves and flowers add color and flavor to potpourri.
Lemon bergamot is a long-lasting cut flower. -
GARLIC
Garlic (Allium sativum) is a perennial plant in the family Alliaceae and genus Allium, closely related to the onion, shallot, and leek. It does not grow in the wild, and is thought to have arisen in cultivation, probably descended from the species Allium longicuspis, which grows wild in south-western Asia. Garlic has been used throughout all of recorded history for both culinary and medicinal purposes.
Garlic plants
The portion of the plant most often consumed is an underground storage structure called a head. A head of garlic is composed of a dozen or more discrete cloves, each of which is a botanical bulb, an underground structure comprised of thickened leaf bases. Each garlic clove may often be composed of just one leaf base, unlike onions, which almost always have multiple layers. The above-ground portions of the garlic plant are also sometimes consumed, particularly while immature and tender.
Garlic bulb and individual cloves, one peeled
Garlic has a powerful pungent or "hot" flavor when raw, which mellows considerably when it is cooked. Raw or cooked, garlic is noted for its strong characteristic odor, and for giving those who eat it a distinctive breath odor as well. Some cultures accept the odor of garlic more than others. Northern European cuisines, for example, use garlic only modestly and tend to cook it for long periods of time to diminish its strength.
Like other members of the onion family, garlic actually creates the chemicals that give it its sharp flavor when the plant's cells are damaged. When a cell of a garlic clove is broken by chopping, chewing, or crushing, enzymes stored in cell vacuoles trigger the breakdown of several sulfur-containing compounds stored in the cell fluids. The resultant compounds are responsible for the sharp or hot taste and strong smell of garlic.
Although people have come to enjoy the taste of garlic, these compounds are believed to have evolved as a defensive mechanism, deterring animals like birds, insects, and worms from eating the plant.
Garlic flowerhead
Culinary use
Garlic is most often used as a seasoning or a condiment. When crushed or finely chopped it yields allicin, a powerful antibiotic and anti-fungal compound (phytoncide). It also contains alliin, ajoene, enzymes, vitamin B, minerals, and flavonoids.
Garlic is widely used in many forms of cooking for its strong flavor, which is considered to enhance many other flavors.
When eaten in quantity, garlic may be strongly evident in the diner's sweat and breath the following day. This is because garlic's strong smelling sulfur compounds are metabolized forming allyl methyl sulfide. Allyl methyl sulfide (AMS) cannot be digested and is passed into the blood. It is carried to the lungs and the skin where it is excreted. Since digestion takes several hours, and release of AMS several hours more, the effect of eating garlic may be present for a long time.
The well-known phenomenon of "garlic breath" is alleged to be alleviated by eating fresh parsley. Because of its strong odor, garlic is sometimes called the "stinking rose".
Medicinal Uses
Garlic has been used throughout the ages to ward off disease, and has saved many lives in epidemics of infectious diseases. It is antibacterial and gives protection against colds and flu. Garlic improves circulation and lowers blood pressure. In clinical studies, garlic reduced cholesterol levels. Further studies indicate that garlic may have a positive role in the prevention of coronary heart disease, thrombosis and arteriosclerosis. It may even offer some degree of protection against cancer.
Superstition and mythology
Garlic has been seen as a force for both good and evil. A Christian myth says that after Satan left the Garden of Eden, garlic arose in his left footprint, and onion in the right. Even in Europe, though, many cultures have turned to garlic as a protective force or white magic, perhaps because of its reputation as a powerful preventative medicine. Central European folk beliefs considered garlic a powerful ward against devils, werewolves, and vampires. To ward off vampires, garlic could be worn on one's person, hung in windows, or rubbed on chimneys and keyholes. -
WASABI
(a spice)
Wasabi (Wasabia japonica, Cochlearia wasabi, or Eutrema japonica) is a member of the cabbage family. Known as Japanese horseradish, its root is used as a spice and has an extremely strong flavor. Its hotness is more akin to that of a hot mustard than a chile pepper, producing vapors that burn the sinus cavity rather than the tongue. The plant grows naturally along stream beds in mountain river valleys in Japan.
Wasabi growing on Japan's Izu peninsula
Culinary uses, History and Cultivation
Wasabi is a condiment traditionally served with raw fish (sushi and sashimi) and noodle (soba) dishes in Japan. The ground root-like rhizome pungently flavors many foods in Japanese cuisine and its bright green color adds color contrast, for which Japanese dishes are famous. In the last twenty years, because of low supply of fresh Wasabi rhizomes, substitutes made of mixtures of horseradish, mustard and food coloring have taken the place of freshly prepared Wasabi. Other parts of the Wasabi plant are also used. The leaves and petioles are picked or can be powdered for use as Wasabi flavoring, used now in many foods.
Wasabi is generally sold either in the form of a root, which must be very finely grated before use, or as a ready-to-use paste, usually in tubes approximately the size and shape of travel toothpaste tubes. Once the paste is prepared it should remain covered until served to protect the flavour from evaporation. For this reason, sushi chefs usually put the wasabi between the fish and the rice.
In traditional Japanese cuisine, Wasabi is prepared by grating the fresh rhizome against a rough surface. Some Japanese Sushi Chefs will only use a sharkskin grater. The sharkskin gives grated Wasabi a smooth, soft and aromatic finish.
The best way to enjoy the full flavor of Fresh Wasabi is to spread a little on the fish and then dip the fish side of the sushi into soy sauce so that the sauce does not touch the Wasabi. Good Fresh Wasabi and Wasabi paste does not just have add spicy hotness, and sweetness but also a gentle fragrance to assist the taste of fresh fish with soy sauce.
Many diners, however, prefer to mix the Wasabi paste with soy sauce, called "Wasabi-joyu," and use this as a dipping sauce for the raw fish, or mix the Wasabi directly into a bowl of noodles.
Tofu topped with soy sauce and Wasabi paste is an example of another traditional food using Wasabi. Wasabi leaves pickled in sake brine or soy sauce are popular accompaniments to white rice. It should be pointed out that a considerable amount of the volatile aroma and taste of the Wasabi paste would be lost when mixed with soy sauce or a heated dish.
A tube of wasabi
Why Real Wasabi?
Don't be fooled. The green smooth textured clump on the side of your sushi dish is rarely real wasabi. More commonly it is ordinary horseradish with food coloring added.
Real wasabi is one of the rarest and most difficult vegetables in the world to grow. Few geographical areas are suited for growing wasabi.
More recently, wasabi has found widespread appeal in western cuisine due to its unique flavor. Used as an ingredient in dressings, dips, sauces and marinades, wasabi is a versatile spice and is rapidly becoming one of the most popular new flavors.
Wasabi and imitations
Almost all sushi bars in America, and most in Japan, serve imitation wasabi because the real product is relatively more expensive. Imitation wasabi is usually made from horseradish, mustard, and green food coloring (sometimes spirulina), often as a powder to be mixed with water to make a paste. Since real wasabi loses its flavor if dried, its presence as an ingredient in some powders is of questionable value.
Hon Wasabi
A real and fresh raw wasabi is often called 'hon-wasabi' (true wasabi) specifically to differentiate from other fakes. Once grated, it presents an excellent mild flavour and taste not comparable to a commercial tubed paste or ones that are made from powdered ('kona'-) wasabi, those are prepared just from only (100%) dried and powdered (European) horseradish, called "seiyo'o - wasabi," which is FAR different from the Japanese green and fresh horseradish, and they contain mustard and colorants as additives to presume the wasabi.
But such fakes are playing an important role today because the real wasabi is so precious and difficult to obtain. Without such products, we cannot easily taste wasabi and sushi cheaper. We should not and could not simply disregard such artificial fake wasabis, or they are also great as hon-wasabi indeed.
Wasabi powder -
HORSERADISH
Horseradish (Armoracia rusticana, syn. Cochlearia armoracia) is a perennial plant of the Brassicaceae family, which includes mustard and cabbages. The plant is probably native to southeastern Europe and western Asia, but is popular around the world today. It grows up to 1.5 metres (five feet) tall and is mainly cultivated for its large white, tapering root, although the leaves are also edible.
Its root is used as a vegetable or ground in a condiment called prepared horseradish, and has at times been used as the bitter herbs in the Passover meal in some Jewish communities. Horseradish, sometimes blended with cream and called horseradish sauce, is often served with roast or boiled beef or sausages, as well as smoked fish. Horseradish is also used in some prepared mustards. Also, much of what is styled wasabi is actually common horseradish dyed green.
The horseradish root itself has hardly any aroma. When cut or grated, however, enzymes from the damaged plant cells break down sinigrin (a glucosinolate) to produce allyl isothiocyanate (mustard oil), which irritates the sinuses and eyes. Once grated, if not used immediately or mixed in vinegar, the root darkens and loses its pungency and becomes unpleasantly bitter when exposed to air and heat.
Culinary Uses
Horseradish is a very popular spice in Central and Northern Europe, where the fresh root is grated and eaten together with cured ham or cooked or roasted meat (e.g., British roastbeef); at Easter time, cured ham with horseradish is a traditional meal in Austria. Since the aroma is so volatile and instable, the tearful process of grating must be repeated several times during the meal. Horseradish preservatives, usually grated and tinned root with a few stabilizing additions, are available, but true lovers of the root think them inferior, though much more convenient.
The pungent allyl isothiocyanate is not heat resistant; therefore, horseradish is only seldom used for warm foods and then added immediately before serving. Even in cold water, allyl isothiocyanate is not stable for longer than a few minutes. However, in sour environment the hydrolysis of thiocyanates takes place much more slowly.
Horseradish flower
In Austria, freshly grated horseradish (or tinned product) is frequently mixed with grated apples (sour varieties preferred, otherwise some lemon juice is needed) and then eaten as a spicy relish to fried or cooked meat. This mixture (Apfelkren) can be stored for about one day without substantial loss in pungency. To prevent darkening of the apples (enzymatic oxidation of phenolic compounds by oxygen), the apples may shortly steamed before mashing them; this won't much affect the flavour but gives a softer, smoother texture.
Creamy Horseradish Sauce
Yield: 1 cup
Ingredients:
2/3 cup freshly grated horseradish
1/3 cup white vinegar
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Preparation:
Combine the horseradish and vinegar in a blender container. Process at high speed. Add the mayonnaise and blend well. Add the oil and continue blending at high speed until purèed. Refrigerate, covered, until serving time.
Recipe taken from "The Purple Kiwi Cookbook" by Karen Caplan
Bottled horseradish
History
by Judy McCann
Horseradish is a perennial herb and a member of the mustard family, to which cauliflower and Brussels sprout belong. This pungent root grew in Greece more than 3,000 years ago. Medieval people regarded horseradish as an aphrodisiac and claimed it to be the cure for everything. From the Bible, it is known as one of the five "bitter herbs" and is traditionally served at Passover. Folklore also has it that the Indians used horseradish to treat toothaches. Horseradish syrup was taken as a cough medicine.
The plant was brought to the New World from England, but Germans, and Eastern Europeans had been complementing their meals with it long before the English.
The word "horseradish" first appeared in print in 1597 in John Gerard's English herbal on medicinal plants. A different view is that this herb was first called "harsh" radish because its volatile oils were bitter on the tongue. The word "horseradish" is believed to denote large size and coarseness, while "radish" comes from the Latin radix, meaning root.
Horseradish potatoes
Perhaps the first person to grind horseradish for profit was Henry J. Heinz (Oct. 11, 1844), the founder of the mammoth H. J. Heinz Company. As a small boy, Heinz helped his father grind the root in the basement of their home. It wasn't until the fall of 1933 that studies were initiated by the Illinois Agricultural Department. The most recent discovery came at M.I.T., where scientists say that the enzyme "horseradish Peroxidase" removes a number of pollutants from waste water -- another testimonial to the potency of this surprisingly delicious root! -
Sugar & spice & all things nice....
Although theoretically neither a herb nor spice, one of the nicest items that adds zing to local food and deserves special mention has got to be:
Recipe for Sambal Blacan
Ingredient:
Bird's eye chillie (the hottest chillie in this part of the world)
Blacan (shrimp paste)
limau kesturi(small round lime)
Method:
Toast Blacan (shrimp paste) over fire till fragrant, pound chillies to a smooth paste and add toasted blacan, squeeze lime over and serve.
Yum!
Source: makantime -
How about the tomato vines? Note some herbs are alkaloid carriers and thus not all parts can be consumed.
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You're right. I read that the vines and stems of tomatoes can be toxic....the same goes for some other fruits.Originally posted by Herzog_Zwei:How about the tomato vines? Note some herbs are alkaloid carriers and thus not all parts can be consumed.
Perhaps can post in "common but poisonous" thread....you're free to post too, u know.
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ROCKET
Rocket, also known as arugula, garden rocket, rocket salad, rugola, rucola and roquette, is a type of leaf vegetable, and although often mistaken for a sort of lettuce, is in fact an herb, being a member of the Brassicaceae (cabbage) family. It is rich in vitamin C and iron.
Rocket has been grown as a vegetable in the Mediterranean area since Roman times, and was considered an aphrodisiac. Before the 1990s it was usually collected in the wild and was not cultivated on a large scale and not scientifically researched until the 1990s. Today, it is cultivated in various places, especially in Veneto, and available throughout the world.
Rocket leaf
Varieties
Scientifically, arugula consists of three species: Eruca sativa, Diplotaxis tenuifolia and Diplotaxis muralis.
Two main forms are found - wild rocket, with smaller, more peppery leaves, and wide leaved or cultivated rocket, with a less pronounced taste.
Sensory quality
All rocket species have a distinct, pungent-aromatic flavour; the pungency increases with the age of the leaf. The aroma is often described as nutty, herbal or green; voices from people who dislike the herb speak about penetrating or petroleum-like.
Wild rocket
Culinary uses
The potent flavour of rocket became quite popular in a couple of European countries, and also in the USA. Although the herb had enjoyed considerable popularity all over temperate Europe in the Middle Ages, both for the aromatic leaves and the pungent seeds, its cultivation was neglected afterwards, and since the 18.th century, rocket was practically restricted to the Mediterranean, where it grows wild. Now, rocket is back to Western and Central Europe.
In the last years, there was a constant trend to use more herbs in cooking, and every year new herbs become known and available. At present, rocket as well as basil, coriander and bear's garlic (the latter only in Central Europe) have become symbols of good cooking that can hardly be ignored by any chef.
Wild rocket, flowering plant
The most typical use of rocket is as a flavouring for salads; it lends an interesting, spicy note to all kinds of lettuce, but I like it less for tomato salads. Chopped rocket leaves are a good garnish for many Mediterranean foods, but care must be taken that the rocket flavour does not dominate. Rocket leaves prepared with olive oil, aceto balsamico and freshly grated Parmigiano cheese makes an excellent appetizer for any Mediterranean, especially Italian, feast.
In its pungency, rocket reminds of the various cresses (e.g. garden cress, water cress); but it has, in addition, a powerful flavour of its own which some people dislike, at least on first try. In Italy, it is often used in pizzas, but is only added after baking. It is sometimes used as an ingredient in pesto, either in addition to basil or as a (non-traditional) substitute.
If heated (boiled or steamed), rocket quickly loses all pungency, but acquires a characteristic, rather subtle flavour that fits well to some kinds of tasty food, e.g., Italian pasta or risotto dishes. In such applications, however, one needs a lot of rocket to impart a noticeable flavour, and one should keep the heating period as short as possible
Arugula
