Cinnamon

Cinnamon is a small tree normally found in South Asia and Middle east region. It has high anti-oxidant an the oil of cinnamon has strong anti-bacterial and anti fungal.
The benefits of cinnamon are as,

1.Lowering cholesterol
2.Reducing arthritis pain
3.Boosting memory
4.Treating toothache
5.Improve bad breath
6,Reducing blood sugar,especially tupe 2 Diabetes.
7.Digestion
8.Treating diarhea
9.Curing the common cold

Nutritious Tung Kwai Chicken Soup

Ingredients:-
2 chicken thighs
20gm tung kwai
1 litres water
¼ teaspoon salt

Method:-
1.Skin chicken thighs,wash and drain
2.Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan.
3.Simmer for 90 minutes on low heat. Drink warm.

Winter worm, Spring Grass (Cordyceps)

Ingredients:-
10gm Chinese cordyceps
10gm dried longan
½ duck
¼ teaspoon salt

Method:-
1.Clean duck, rinse and drain.
2.Put all the ingredients into stewing pot. Add one cup boiling water and stew for 3 hours. Serve hot.

Trotter in Black Vinegar

Ingredients:-
1 big pig’s trotter about 1.5kg
500 gm old ginger
2 tablespoons sasame seed oil
200 gm brown sugar
3 cloves garlic
5 bowls water
1 bowl black vinegar
Salt to taste

Method:-
1.Clean probably and cut pig’s trotter to a small size pieces.
2.Peel and wash ginger, pound to break.Cut into chunks.
3.Heat wok, add some oil and fry garlic and ginger until little brown.
4.Add trotters, stir for 10 minutes.
5.Transfer all trotters to a claypot and add water to cover the trotter.Bring to boil.
And simmer over slow fire for 45 minutes.
6.Add vinegar, salt and gula melaka and simmer for a further 15 minutes until the
meat texture is soft. Serve hot.

Bitter Gourd and Dried Oysters Soup

Ingredients:-
350gm spare ribs
1 bitter gourd
10gm oysters
10gm red dates
8 cups of water
½ teaspoon salt


Method:-
1.Wash and cut bitter gourd into slices and remove seeds.
2.Soak dried oysters in warm water for 20 minutes.
3.Add all ingredients into a 8 cups of water and leave it boil for 15 minutes over
high heat and simmer slowly for 3 hours.
4.Add salt and serve hot.

Pork and Snow Fungus Soup

Pork and Snow Fungus Soup


Ingredients:-
10gm snow fungus (shuet yee)
30gm pak hup
5 honey dates
1 drumstick chicken
½ teaspoon salt
5 cup of boiling water


Method:-
1.Soak snow fungus for one hour
2.Clean drumstick and put all the ingredients into a double-boiler.Pour 3 cup of
boiling water into the double boiler and leave it over low flame for 3 hours.
3.Add salt and serve it hot.

Lemon and Garlic For Cholesterol Reduction

This is an ancient recipe used by the Chinese since time immemorial to reduce cholesterol and possibly reduce heart disease and other related circulatory disorders. I have used it quite successfully to reduce weight as well. The good hting about this recipe is that it is food, hence there is no danger of overdosing and can be quite pleasant to the palate once you have gotten used to the tast of garlic and lemon.

Recipe:
1 lemon, with the seeds removed. (Pix 1)
6 pips of garlic with the shells removed (Pix 2)
200cc of water (Pix 3)

Method:
1. Put all three into a saucepan and boil at low heat for 15 minutes. (Pix 4)
2. Leave the items to cool.
3. The pour everything into a blender and blend until it becomes the consistency of condensed milk (thick and glue-like, for those who have not seen condensed milk). (Pix 7)
4. Keep in container/tupperware in the fridge.

Note: You can also make more by increasing the ingredients proportionally such as two lemons + 12 pips of garlic and 400 cc of water.
How To Use:
1. Take one tablespoon of the lemon-garlic mix and stir into a glass of lukewarm water. It is best when taken upon waking each day.
2. Drink this every morning, on empty stomach, at least 30 minutes before food.
What People Say About This Recipe:
According to testimonials, users claim that this mix is good for reducing cholesterol naturally. The lemon is believed to clean the arteries of plaque while the garlic breaks up fat for removal naturally by your digestive system. No scientific tests have been conducted of course.
Among benefits it is said to offer are:
a) Reduce blood pressure
b) Reduce cholesterol levels
c) Weight reduction.
Note: If you have experienced its goodness in overcoming any health woe you have, share it with others. Use the comments section here.

Cucumber and Spare Ribs Soup

This is one of my favourite, cucumber soup cooked with ribs. The cucumber, known also as 'Low Wong Kwa' by the Cantonese, is a cooling vegetable-fruit. This is not the green variety which you use for sandwiches but the yellow type. It can be purchased at the markets. This soup is believed to be good during hot seasons and contains lots of minerals for your body.

There is no recipe here in that you just buy a couple of cucumbers and slice them up to fit your soup saucepan. For the sake of measurement, use two large bowlfuls of water for each cucumber. If you like, you may add some spareribs. Just boil it like you do for any soup. The longer you boil it, the better it is because by then, the cucumber will be soft and jelly-like. It can be eaten with rice or just plain.

Note: If you like, you can add in some boxthorn berries (keichee) in the soup. This concoction is believe to aid circulation and improve vision.

Strengthen the Qi

Tong sum is well known among the Chinese as a poor man's ginseng. It benefits the lungs and is consumed to improve blood circulation during the cold winter months.

Longan (or 'dragon-eye fruits' ) and red dates are known for its blood fortifying properties while kei chi (hawthorn berries) is believed to be good for the eyes. In terms of active compounds, researchers have found out, it is better than eyebright herb in aid of the eye. Chinese children eat kei chi like raisins, munching as they read their books or when doing their homework. It relieves tired eyes.

When these herbs are combined, the concoction produced is believed by the Chinese as to be able to strengthen one's qi. Longan, red dates and kei chi fortifies one's blood and tong sum improve circulation and the healthy blood is carried throughout one's body and its extremities, hence improving the general health.

This recipe is used to make teas for women in confinement and is highly nutritious and boosts the immune system. My parents and their grand parents have used this herbal teas whenever a female member of the house delivers a baby. You may try it if you like.


Tung sum, longan, red dates and kei chi

Ingredients:-
25 gm tung sum
2 tablespoons Kei Chi , washed and drained
25 red dates, stones removed
80 gm dried longan, washed and drained
2 litres water

Method:-
1.Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan
2.Add water and bring to boil
3.Simmer for 3 to 4 hours. Drink it warm

Fortify The Body With Barley

Barley is an amazing crop and can practically thrive in any harsh conditions. To many civilisations, it is an important staple food. And recent research papers suggest that this humble crop serves humanity more than is earlier thought of. For instance, it helps lower blood cholesterol (hence good for people with blood cholesterol and heart disease).

Researchers in Canada, the United States, and Australia have found out that the components in barley not only effectively lower blood cholesterol but have also improved blood sugar levels in non-insulin dependent diabetics (Type 2). While scientists cannot pin point what exactly in barley causes these health benefits, they believe that the high soluble content in barley are the contributing factors.

The Chinese have long used barley in their diet, sometimes mixing with rice when the latter was scarce or crops fail, for their meals. On hot days, barley is used to cool down the body, as a herbal drink and diuretic.

Dried longan, lotus seeds and yok chuk (picture left) are traditional Chinese herbs used into cooking to improve appetite and digestion. Dried longan have been used to fortify the blood qi while lotus seeds are used to improve complexion.
Here is a recipe I use for my family every one or two weeks when the children will be having their examinations and are usually stressed out by their work.





Barley, dried longan, lotus seeds and yok chuk

Ingredients:-
100gm lotus seeds
75gm barley
100gm dried longan
50gm yok chuk
3 litres water
150 gm rock sugar


Method:
1.Put all ingredients in a big pot except the rock sugar.
2. Bring to a boil and simmer over low flame about 30 minutes. The aim is to extract all the goodness in the herbs.
3.You may add rock sugar for taste and simmer another 10 minutes. (If you are on sugar-free diet, you may add a tiny piece of rock sugar or avoid it totally. If you do not use rock sugar, do not substitute it with sugar-free alternative/herbs, which can result in the efficacy of this concoction).
4.Remove from heat and serve.