Archive for May, 2008
The Fascinating History of Malaysian Food
Malaysia is the home of multiple ethnicities which found its roots during the colonial times where hundreds and thousands of immigrants arrived here to find an honest living in this prosperous land. The migrants’ mostly Chinese working in the tin mines and the Indians placed along the rubber estates brought along with them their cultures not forgetting rich culinary heritages. The cultures go along fine with their cooking where unusual traditional gathering usual accompanied by exotic mouth watering cuisine, that make up the Malaysian food recipes.
As time goes by these cooking somehow assimilated with the Malaysian local customs thus giving birth to a much more diverse and uniquely types of cooking not found anywhere else in the world, such as the famous ‘roti canai’, a kind of bread unlike any other bread is not made of yeast and has a uniquely oily textures, thanks to the acrobatic ways the dough is being flung around while in the process of making it. Other types of Malaysian foods which have its origin in India are the tasty ‘mee Mamak’ and ‘rojak Mamak’. The word mamak means uncle in Tamil, so the Indian muslim community locally are referred to as mamak. The ‘mee Mamak’ is different from other noodles it has thick spicy flavour that’ll leave you feeling hot in a slurp, while the ‘rojak Mamak’ a form of salad with the gravy made of finely pounded chilies surely will satisfied most vegetarian. The curries served in ‘mamak’ restaurants are definitely Indian but yet different then those found in India. To top it all these delectable dishes are eaten with ‘the tarik’ tea with milk that’s hard to make, literally we need to pour the tea between two big glasses or mugs and increasing the heights by pulling the pouring glass or mug higher and higher to achieve that distinctive foamy rich flavour and also to cool it. All these Malaysian Indian cooking are not found in India itself simply because the original recipes have been Malaysianize, improvised using locally available ingredients which is much cheaper and tastier.
The same thing can be said with the Malaysian Chinese cuisine like the ‘Yong taufu’ and ‘Su’un, the Chinese immigrants can’t find the ingredients for their original recipes from China so they decided to replace it with cheaper alternative sources commonly found in Malaysia like the ‘buah keluak’ and ‘kayu manis’. Other Malaysian local pride cooking which originated from abroad is the like of the popular ‘laksa’ which can be found almost everywhere in Malaysia and even has its own sub version in ‘laksa Johor’, ‘laksa Kedah’ and ‘laksa Penang’. ‘Laksa’ is thick rice noodles. ‘Laksa’ is served with tangy fish soup/gravy which is made from mackerel or sardine and lots of herbs and not fish at all because of the aroma of the herbs. It’s a favourite with the tourists for it is not too hot and spicy flavour.
Other Malaysian gourmets particularly the rice based which is the Malaysian staple diet can be traced to our neighbouring countries such in Indonesia and Thailand like the ’soto’
and ‘nasi kerabu’ of Johor and Kelantan respectively. These cooking are being cook up with the influence of border communities centuries ago like in Golok when the people started to interact and barter together especially goods at the border town marketplaces.
The arrival of these Chinese and Indian migrants certainly spice up the Malaysian culinary scenes without them Malaysian cooking and Malaysian food recipes will not be as colourful and wonderful as they’re today. Nowadays Malaysian foods are a bigger attraction to the tourists just like the KLCC and the KL Tower. When they say Malaysia boasts of its rich cultural melting pot, the tourists must have meant plenty of Malaysian foods in the pots for the picking. Once the foreigners colonized our country now we managed to get back at them and colonize them at least their taste buds with our hot and spicy Malaysianize cooking which they fall deadly in love.
Rohana Ismail is a cooking enthusiast who has been preparing Secret Malaysian Recipes since her early childhood. Secret recipes that were been passed down to her through generations of ancestors. To discover the secret ingredients that goes into a traditional Malaysian dish, please visit Malaysian Food Recipe web site today!
Tag: Malaysian Food recipeRecipe Granola
Homemade granola is one of my very favorite health foods for many reasons you will read below. It is something the allergic person can closely regulate by making modifications to the recipe. This recipe is perfect because it is cheap, healthy, can be organic and pure, makes a lot, and stores well. It’s a great food to stock in the house for hungry teenagers.
Why do I use the ingredients I use? Well, let me tell you
I use grains in keeping with Eat 4 Your Type (eating for your blood type.)
I use wheat germ because it is high in selenium and zinc. Lots of my clients test they need this for their reproductive health.
Celtic Sea Salt is used because none of the wonderful minerals have been removed from this particular salt and it has not been processed with high heat. High heat makes salt inorganic and difficult to bind to bodily fluids and tissues. This salt actually has a moist texture and is grey in color.
I use sesame seeds (lots of them) because they are high in Tyrosine which helps with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). Sesame products such as tahini, halvah, and raw sesame seeds help with the balance of serotonin and dopamine in the brain. When taken at about 1 tablespoon/day, it prevents depression.
Whole flax seed acts differently than ground flax seed. Whole flax seed is very mucogenic. It swells and gets slippery helping the bowels to empty without strain.
Pumpkin seeds are a wonderful seed for the reproductive system of both males and females. Something in it binds the breakdown byproducts of testosterone which cause Benign Prostate Hyperplasia. Pumpkin seeds also act as the base ring for progesterone and estrogen, so I often recommend the seed for perimenopausal women and great reproductive health. It gives the body what it needs in the form of hormones.
Udo’s Choice Oil is the best combination of oils on the market. It has a perfect blend of Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids. I use the oil and the Wholesome Fast Food Blend.
Blackstrap molasses is extremely high in bioavailable minerals and has lots of iron in it. These days I am seeing lots of people with tan chins which is an early sign of iron anemia.
Recipe: Granola
From the Kitchen of Denice Moffat
11 cups rolled Spelt, Kashi, or Oats (not instant)
2 cups shredded coconut (the organic kind may not have sulfites in it)
2 cups Wheat Germ
Tips For Making Your Own Homemade Dog Meals and Treats
Dog meals and snacks don’t have to hard to make or take a lot of time. Many snacks can be grabbed straight out of your refrigerator and are much healthier than baked goods.
However, there are a few things that I have noticed regarding many homemade dog food recipes that you should avoid doing.
1. Don’t microwave your dog’s food. Microwaving kills vitamins, minerals and nutrients. The radiation also alters the cell structure of the food. Scientific studies have shown that humans that eat microwaved foods have significant and disturbing changes in their blood cells. Microwaving has many serious side-effects, including altering the minerals in vegetables into cancerous free radicals. It’s bad enough that we humans continue to use microwaves to cook our food… let’s not subject our animals to it as well.
2. Many recipes that I’ve seen promote using beef/chicken bouillon cubes and/or canned beef/chicken broth. These products have very high and unhealthy sodium levels. Either use sodium reduced broths or better yet make your own.
3. Obviously, some sort of flour is needed to bind together baked dog biscuits. However, instead of using white flour, whole wheat flour and/or cornmeal in your recipes, substitute spelt flour instead. It’s much more easily digestible for both humans and animals. Flour and cornmeal are hard for animals to digest and many are or can become allergic to these grains.
4. Don’t feed your dog too many “baked” treats that contain flour and cornmeal. Opt for more natural, healthy, and uncooked treats (some recipes are listed below).
Healthy Homemade Dog Food Recipes
You can make up several days worth of dog food at one time or cook them up while you prepare your own supper. Here are a few recipes to try out:
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Shepherd Pie
6 oz beef or chicken broth (low sodium or make your own)
1 pound ground beef, chicken or turkey
1 cup mashed potatoes
1/2 cup mixed vegetables (no onions or mushrooms)
Mix broth, meat and vegetables together. Grease casserole dish and pat mixture into dish. Top with potatoes. Bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes.
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Sometimes your dog may have a slightly upset stomach with possibly some diarrhea involved. The following recipe is a nice bland mixture that still tastes good and should help to solve your pup’s tummy problems.
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut up (either raw or cooked)
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 cup cooked carrots
1 cup non or low-fat cottage cheese
Mix together and serve according to you’re dog’s size, weight and activity level. This recipe should be good for one large dog for 1 main meal or 2 smaller meals. If you desire, you can also add 1 tbsp of flax seed oil for added essential fatty acids.
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Quick Dog Treats
Dogs, like humans, like to have their snacks. The following two snacks are healthy and quick to prepare:
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Frosty Cube Treats
1 large container plain yogurt (make sure it contains live acidophilus cultures and no sugar or artificial sweeteners)
1 cup ground carrots OR ground apples OR lightly cooked ground liver
Mix together and fill ice-cube trays. Freeze. Pop one out for a treat when frozen.
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Banana and Cottage Cheese Mash
1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese
1 ripe banana, mashed
1 tbsp flax seed oil
Mix together and serve for a nice, quick, healthy snack.
Rose Smith operates several sites featuring natural and organic relief solutions for everyday health problems - both in humans and animals. If you would like to know more about natural dog nutrition visit http://www.caringforcanines.com
Tags: canine nutrition, homemade dog food recipes, homemade dog treats