Tasty Arrowhead Chips

After reading SmallKucing's recent mouth-watering post on making arrowhead chips, my itchy hands found itself purchasing a kilogram of the said tubers/corms that very evening and raring to have a go at it!

Arrowhead tubers/corms are produced from plants known as Broadleaf Arrowhead, Chinese Arrowhead Plant, Duck Potato or Wapato [Sagittaria latifolia]. A herbaceous perennial usually grown in shallow water around streams, ponds and ditches, its leaves are arrowhead shaped and produces delicate white flowers (here) and tubers/corms.

In Malaysia, arrowhead tubers (usually called 'Nga-ku' or 'Chi-ku') are imported from China about 1 month before the Lunar New Year (or usually referred to as Chinese New Year here) and is an important item in the celebration. Its usually eaten steamed together with preserved meats like chinese sausages and waxed duck drumstick. It is also delicious eaten deep fried like potato chips.

Washed & awaiting

Close-up view

Peeled

Sliced

Deep-frying

Resulting chips

Can you guess from the last picture, which were the 1st batch out from the hot frying pan?? :)

Nga-ku tastes slightly bitter and raw but once steamed, the bitterness is not that noticeable as it had absorbed the flavours of the various preserved meats steamed together.

Incidentally, I have a very similar looking plant growing in my bath-tub pond, I wonder if its related although mine has a much narrower shaped leaf. Perhaps I won't have to wait for my annual Nga-ku fix afterall!

Have a fabulous time counting-down to Year 2012 this weekend my friends!

Mystery In the Garden

It popped up one day, unplanned and unannounced.

growing from a narrow opening in pavement

Emerging from nooks and crannies it lodged itself in,

with little regard to the condition therein.

growing from un-official compost heap!

A true 'survivor' and intrepid traveller, it made the

journey from the Parent some fences away.

With vining green stems and shiny broad thick leaves, 

it grows into a low shrub or climbs up with help from fences.

Stems turn brown, woody and thick with age while light green
heart-shaped flower pods are borne in clusters or racemes.

Maturing pods open to reveal pinkish red buds, 
which in turn 'hides' curled-up white filaments.

 red petals unfurl proudly to reveal long white filaments,
leaving behind a spent maroon-tinged pod.

 The flowers wave and nod in the wind for weeks 
providing refuge and sustenance for insects and birds.



Until at last, it dries up, turns brown and wither away
- flowers, pods, stems and all.

"Do you know my name?"- it seems to be asking.
 "I think I look somewhat like Bleeding Heart when young,
but more like Fetterbush in growth habit".


With nary a berry nor seed to be seen with the naked eye,
its a wonder to discover seedlings growing all over unexpectedly.

 Yes indeed, there is a mystery going on in the garden.

Update: Thanks to Autumn Belle, it's been identified as a Red Bleeding Heart Vine (also known as Java Glory Vine, Heart Vine) [Clerodendrum x speciosum] :)

Post 10: Linggi House

My family made our way down to Linggi, a small town in Melaka (Malacca) to visit my parents in law recently.


They had moved there from Selangor just over a year ago and being a keen gardener, Dad had been busy planting up fruit trees, vegetables, flowering shrubs, tending to his precious orchids and 'waging war' with lallang (our version of tough weeds!) in the available space there. 


My 2 young children have christened it 'Linggi House' and loves it there cause they are able to run about, laugh, scream, fight & generally make a frightful din to their hearts content since the nearest neighbours are quite a distance away. My hubby and I have gotten immune to their "playtime noises" but my poor parents in law DO get taken aback often, haha.


For the adults, it is a welcomed respite from the hustle & bustle of city life and a chance to inhale clean & fresh air, enjoy a misty morning and actually view the beautiful starry night sky without the glare of street lights & obstructing buildings! 

I wanted to post the pictures of the various fruit trees, vegetables and flowers at Linggi House before I forget their names :) I am posting up the fruit trees first in 2 parts (you see, I'm getting crossed eyed looking for their scientific names!)

Pineapple (Local name: Nenas/Nanas)
[Ananas comosus]

(A versatile fruit! Can be eaten as is, juiced, made into jam & cooked. The leaves are processed into fibres & made into clothing in some cultures)

Passion Fruit (Local name: Markisa/Buah Susu)

[Passiflora edulis]

(While the fruits are a treat to eat, I'm actually more excited to see & admire its beautiful flowers! These were grown from seeds obtained from both yellow & purple skinned fruits. Green chain-link fences are used to provide support)

Mulberry (Local name: Mulberri/Bebesaran)

[Morus]

(I'm not sure which cultivar it falls under as the fruits are still maturing. Hmm, looking forward to using these in muffins :) Incidentally, in Persian language, mulberry is pronounced as 'toot', haha!)

Papaya (Local name: Betik)

[Papaya carica]

(In some cultures, papaya seeds are used as a substitute for black pepper! We usually eat papaya as is but it can be cooked & used in gravies, made into jam and boiled into soup. In chinese culture, it is believed that drinking soup made from boiling unripe green papaya with herbs will encourage lactating mums to produce more milk! :) )

 Ambarella, Golden Apple (Local Name: Buah Kedondong/Umbra)

 [Spondias dulcis]

(Fruit is crunchy, sourish and slightly tart. Normally, it is juiced but can be eaten raw and made into jam. I like to eat this raw as a fruit salad with sliced green mango, diced pineapple & cucumber drizzled over with a sticky dark brown sauce made from shrimp paste, water, brown sugar, salt & chillies! We call the salad 'Rojak' & really, just any kind of fruits & raw crunchy veggies can be added into the mix. Sorry, forgot to take a picture]

Now for some background information on Melaka (Malacca). Melaka is protected by the Straits of Malacca (a narrow natural waterway) in Southeast Asia and historically, was an important port of call and trading post. It attracted a lot of people from different countries to settle down in Melaka and naturally, lots of different cultures meeting & melting together meant that amongst others, wonderful architecture and tasty food were created. 

A blog I visit often, Smallkucing had recently posted about the various sites and tasty food to be found in Melaka. Well, from the comments received when I post a recipe/dish here, I think you will also enjoy Smallkucing's posts on other Malaysia delicacies there :D Have fun!!

Please have a blessed week/weekend ahead!

Post 9: Edible Lady's Fingers!

Despite the title, this post is not about manicures or cannibalism, haha! ;D

My sole Okra plant (usually called 'Lady's Fingers' in Malaysia and in our national Malay language as 'Bendi')(Scientific: Abelmoschus esculentus) has been fruiting regularly since early October.

Out of the 5 seedlings germinated, only 1 survived the destructive eating habits of both grasshoppers and snails, sigh. I planted it next to the corn stalks in free-draining soil added with garden compost. It is a hardy plant and does not need a lot of tender loving care.

Flower buds on top, seed pod ready to flower @ middle & pollinated pod maturing @ bottom

Bee: Yay, sweet honey!

It is about 4 feet high now and producing flower buds right at the top and also at 1 lower side-shoot.

The buds do not all flower together at once but rather one after another when they are ready.

But when it does flower, the light yellow petaled bloom is very pretty! I think the bee inside the flower thinks so too! :D

Unfortunately, the pretty blooms only  last a day at most and will wilt & fall off leaving the fertilised pod to carry on growing into a yummy edible Lady's Fingers!

Since only 1 mature okra can be harvested at any one time, the plant should be grown in a group to get more okra per harvest.

Maturing okra next to emerging seed pod

I'll wait a few more days to let the okra grow longer and will check that its tip is still soft & flexible before snipping it off its stem. Okra gets tough and woody fast and should be harvested before then.

Chopped okra reading for cooking

And my favourite way to cook okra? 

Usually as a vegetable stir-fry together with minced garlic, brinjal (eggplant), long beans, four-angle beans & strips of red chillies in soy sauce.

Stir-fried goodness!

Tried it recently in a sauce made with minced garlic, ginger slices, diced tomato, a bit salt and water and poured over cooked giant river prawns! 

'New' dish

How do you like to eat okra? Denise commented on my previous post that she loves okra soup! I have never tried okra like this!

Would LOVE to read your fave okra dishes :D

While writing this post, I found some interesting information on okra from Wikipedia and here. I never knew okra seeds may be used as a substitute for coffee, did you? 

Have a happy weekend (it is Friday afternoon here)!