Stingless Bee Natural Honey

After reading the health benefits of the stingless bees honey (Madu Kelulut), I told my better half that I want to buy a bottle for my father and mum to try,  he has to whatsapp the farm owner on Saturday night to check whether they are opened for business on Sunday.  I am very happy that his reply is Yes.  My father is a stroke patient since 12 years ago and has been having lungs infections very frequently.

I am glad that my mum tagged along to see the stingless bee farm. The owner is so kind to let us try the honey and patiently explained to us on the goodness of this honey.  

I bought a bottle of 530gm honey to share with my parents.  This is the packaging and a natural product produced by the hard working stingless bees that can only fly the furthest 3km from their nests / hives.

I also bought a small bottle of ginger powder, produced locally as well.  It can be mixed with the honey drink,  Ginger possesses anti cancer properties.  

besides the Air Mata Pengantin flower (picture in my last post), I also sighted this type of flower in the Stingless Bee farm, anyone know what's the name of this flower ?  

My favourite dish, Bitter Gourd

Bitter Gourd is top of my favourite dish among the vegetable-fruit, though many dislike its bitter taste but to me the bitter, the better and it possesses many health benefits.

It doesn't matter how it is cooked, I like it anyway.  This is home cooked plain bitter gourd with garlic. 

My kids simply refuse to eat bitter gourd, it is understandable that kids do not like bitter stuff.  Sometimes me and my better half could not finish the whole vegetable fruit in one meal, I will keep the remaining for lunch in the office the next day.

  

Just couldn't resist stuffed bitter gourd with minced pork every time I see them in the shop.   

Bitter gourd with pork and black beans, simply delicious.

Bitter & sour lunch

Sour food seems to suit my palate well.  My Malay colleague brought us some bambangan from his home yesterday.  I usually have bread for lunch but I have made a point to having rice for lunch today because of the bambangan.   

My lunch - rice served with my favourite raw & salted bitter gourd and anchovies enhanced with a few pieces of bambangan fruit.  All raw fruit and vegetable, simple, healthier, delectable and satisfying all in one lunch for me.

Bambangan 野芒果

My colleague from Papar brought us some Bambangan from his family farm last week.  Our office immediately filled with its pungent smell as soon as he stepped in.  I have to keep these mangoes outside the office because some of them might not like its distinguished smell.

The fruit is brown in colour, selling at the tamu, we can also find the ready prepared ones in the containers, selling from RM4.00 per container.  It is one of the famous pickles in Sabah which believes to contain valuable source of antioxidant.

 

I like to eat jeruk bambangan (pickles) but never know how to prepare it.  My Kadazan colleagues gave me some guides on how to opening up the bambangan.  We have to open it up like a pomelo, petal by petal. That's my better half helping me out.  This is the first time we made Bambangan pickles at home.

looks like it is overripe

slicing into cubes, add some salt and keep in the containers, some would like to add chillies into it. 

Sour sweet Bambangan pickles are very appetising,  add some to the rice to make simple lunch for today.

Rock Sugar Barley Drink

I need something nice and easy to prepare cooling drinks for my whole family.  

I found a packet of Barley in the fridge on last Saturday, that's what I was looking for.  Half way through during the cooking, we ran out of gas.^_^  I was glad that the barley does not need long hours to cook, the barley grains have soften in less than half an hour of boiling.

A plain barley with rock sugar drink.  

Our girls like their drinks to be chilled.  

Barley has a lot of health benefits, I do not mind having it more often since my family love it.

Remedy for phlegmy cough

One of my mum's friend gave her this natural remedy for phlegmy cough a couple of months ago. The ingredient is simply Unsalted duck egg, water and rock sugar, a slice of ginger is optional, double boil all the ingredients for one hour. My sister gave it a try last week and it does relieve the phlegmy cough problem for her daughter who has been coughing for months and my dad whom is a asthma suffer, felt the relieve too, and my dad love it and asks for more.

My mum knows that I am having a bad cough since Chinese New Year and not getting any better, she asked me to try it too.

As the ingredients called for the Unsalted duck egg, it is hard to find unlike the salted duck egg which is plentiful in the market.  My sister only managed to buy some at the Inanam tamu.  I got 3 eggs from her.

 The ingredient : Unsalted Duck Egg, Rock Sugar

 I bought this pot especially for this purpose

the ingredients are all in my new pot now

Here you go into a bigger pot with half filled water ready to double boil for an hour

After an hour, the duck egg is now boiled and the rock sugar is all melted, very sweet. 

A small slice of ginger can be added to it if you do not want too much of the cooling effect of taking this.  I have taken it last night and have not feel any obvious improvement on my cough yet, like any other natural remedy, one can not expect to have miracle cure instantly.  I still have got 2 more duck eggs, I shall try them all to see whether this formula will do any good to my sensitive airway problem. 

Fine Multi Grains from Greenmax

After trying half a glass of my colleague's eight grains dessert the other day, I want to cook some for myself too, I like the taste, the ingredients and the health benefits of having natural grains as meals or dessert. She brought the dessert from home as lunch, so it was not nice of me to ask for a share of her lunch. She told me that she bought the mixed grains from the supermarket's organic food section, I set my mind to buy a packet this weekend.

Last night, I bought a small packet of Greenmax brand Fine multi grains from a hypermarket nearby. I would like to try cooking some this weekend by using slow cooker so I do not have to keep checking on it.

It consists of 11 types of grains and seeds, can be cooked into rice, or porridge (meat can be added too) or dessert (if you like it sweet). Hope my girls will like it; I think they prefer the porridge to be very soft and fine.