3 COCONUT WATER RECIPES. COCONUT SMOOTHIE RECIPE. COCONUT SMOOTHIE WITH DRAGON FRUIT- COOKING-VARIETIES “WATER IS LIFE” RECIPE SERIES.

CUT GREENS WHEN IMMERSED  IN WATER, WILL REMAIN FRESH  FOR  A WEEK.

NAME OF COOKING VARIETIES RECIPE:
COCONUT AND DRAGON FRUIT SMOOTHIES
COOKING-VARIETIES "WATER IS LIFE" RECIPE SERIES

COCONUT SMOOTHIE WITH DRAGON FRUIT

Ingredients: from cooking-varieties "Water Is Life" original recipes collection. Serves 4.
Water from 1 half ripe coconut (about 2 glasses)
1 medium size red dragon fruit (about 2 glasses)
1 cup yogurt or 1 glass yogurt
Peel dragon fruit and blend with coconut water and yogurt. Serve immediately with ice cubes. Use chilled glasses if you don’t like ice cubes. Coconut water is slushy and has a uniquely delicious taste.

UNRIPE COCONUT FRUIT SUITABLE FOR DRINKING IT'S JUICE

Health benefits of Dragon fruit
The dragon fruit or( Pitaya thanh long in vietnamese) contains a lot of water, is rich in vitamin C, minerals and fiber. Eating dragon fruits can help prevent colon cancer and diabetes, neutralize toxic substances, lower cholesterol level and high blood pressure. The red dragon fruit variety is rich in antioxidants.
Health benefits of Coconut water
Coconut juice has a cooling effect on the body, thus a cure for fever and lower down body temperature.
Fruits contain a lot of water. Water covers 70.9% of the Earth's surface and is vital for all known
forms of life. The human body contains from 55% - 78% water, depending on size
The next essential element after oxygen for human life is water. WATER IS LIFE. Water should be highlighted in cooking-varieties recipes
The UN General Assembly recognized WATER AS A HUMAN RIGHT. 

DRAGON FRUIT SLICES

Global rivers are in severe crisis due to pollution of all sorts, loss of wetlands, changing climates, and other natural disasters such as earthquakes.
 Earthquakes too have gone global, not just in Indonesia but also Mexico, New Zealand, Japan, The Philippines and latest quake at Myanmar, with the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami being the hardest hit.
The Fukushima nuclear plant, still emitting radioactive vapour that made the Japanese capital's drinking water unsafe for infants and sparked a global food scare.
Water is used in every cooking, Keep your rivers and water sources clean.,
'WATER IS LIFE' RECIPE SERIES FROM COOKING-VARIETIES

PASTA VARIETIES WITH BEEF AND MUSSELS RECIPE- AND A TOUCH OF NUSANTARA SPICES



Image-of-Pasta-with-Beef-and-Mussels

NAME OF COOKING-VARIETIES RECIPE:
PASTA VARIETIES WITH BEEF AND MUSSELS
Ingredients:  from cooking-varieties pasta collections
Pasta for two persons- Use a mixed variety of pastas for this recipe. Boil pasta until cooked (10 minutes or more). Drain water, fold in 1 tbsp olive and mix well, this is to prevent the pasta from sticking to each other. Set aside.
1 large white onion- cut into cubes
2 pieces garlic- minced
1 cup minced beef
8 pieces green mussels.
2 slices young ginger root- minced
2 tablespoons chili sauce
4 tablespoon tomato puree
1 stalk leek- cut into slices
4 tablespoon olive oil
Salt to taste
Parmesan cheese
Heat up oil in a non stick pan. Add in onions. Stir until golden and add minced beef, ginger and garlic.
It’s good to add in ginger, it helps empower the beefy smell
When water/juice from minced meat is almost dried up, add in mussels and 2 cups of water.

When water boils, add tomato puree, chili sauce and salt. After mussels already cook, add pasta and leeks. Stir for 2 minutes and put off fire. Serves hot and garnish with parmesan cheese.
BEEF AND SEAFOOD (MUSSELS) PASTA RECIPE--   

PASTA
BEEF AND SEAFOOD  PASTA

Health benefits:

Pastas are made from refined wheat grain. Most refined grains are enriched. This means certain B vitamins (thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid) and iron are added back after processing. Fiber is not added back to enriched grains

Mussels contain omega 3 fatty acids- decreases heart disease, reduces blood pressure, helps prevent arthritis and abnormal heart rhythms and promotes healthy brain function.
Tomato is rich in vitamin C and potassium. Diets rich in potassium helps maintain a healthy blood pressure
Health experts recommend eating lots of green vegetables- green color is formed by chlorophyll, the compound that has proven effective against cancer.

SALT CRUSTED OR SALT CEMENTED FISH BARBEQUE RECIPE



 SALT CRUSTED OR SALT CEMENTED SEA BASS FISH BARBEQUE

NAME OF COOKING-VARIETIES RECIPE:
SALT CRUSTED OR SALT CEMENTED FISH BARBEQUE RECIPE.
SEA BASS FISH BARBEQUE WITH NUSANTARA DIP RECIPE
Ingredients:
1 large sea bass fish. Do not remove the scales.
Alternatively you can use any very scaly fish of a reasonably large size.
Clean the fish and towel dry the scales and inside of fish properly.
Blend the following into a paste and marinate fish with this paste for 1 hour
3 pieces garlic
3 cm ginger
1 teaspoon sugar

You can now get your barbeque set ready and light up coal etc
Place 2 layers of aluminium foil wrapper on flat surface- the size must be big enough to wrap and totally seal your fish. Put 2cm thick of coarse rock salt on the foil, spread it wide enough to fit size of fish. Put the fish on top of salt.

Next, spread also 2cm thick rock salt to cover top of fish. Put more salt at the sides and ensure that the fish is totally covered with salt. Wrap up fish with foil and ensure its properly sealed. thus forming a salt cement when heated up and hardened. The salt cement will turn brown after barbeque.

Barbeque fish for an hour, by then, the outer layer of salt will turn brown in color and the fish inside is really cooked. The outer part of the salt is really cemented together and not loose. This also depends on how hot your coal (fire) is, if your are not sure, add another 15-20 minutes. This means, the fire must be hot enough to turn the salt into cement and not loose as this will make the fish salty. That’s why it’s very important that the fish must be towel dry, before putting salt on it..

Serve hot. Put the whole thing on a large serving plate. When ready to eat, break the salt and put aside.
You may want a dip, here is a nusantara dip recipe for fish… Mix the following ingredients and leave for an hour before serving.
Dip Ingredients:
4 tablespoon dark soy sauce
3 pieces garlic –minced
1 tablespoon dates vinegar
1 large onion- cut into paper thin slices
1 red/green chili- cut into slices
The health benefits of Sea bass
I have researched Sea bass and found that it - contains omega 3 essential fatty acids, which helps to reduce cardiovascular disorders, improve heart, arteries and veins, and other parts of the cardiovascular system. Essential fatty acids lowers the 'bad' LDL cholesterol, and increase the 'good' HDL cholesterol levels in the body.
Study shows, a regular intake of sea bass, significantly lower blood pressure levels.Sea bass also has good phosphorous and protein content and of course fish oil is good for the eyes.Two servings of

fish in the diet per week, can reduce instances of death from heart diseases

From the Washington Health Department:-Fish is brain and heart food. Fish with omega-3 fatty acids,provides protection from heart disease and are great brain food for you, your children and if you are pregnant, for your unborn child. It is important to continue to eat fish to gain the healthy heart and brain benefits

STEAMED SAGO PUDDING WITH CORN SYRUP RECIPE- A NUSANTARA SAGO PUDDING RECIPE- ( RESIPI PUDING SAGU)



Image of Steamed Sago Pudding with corn syrup

NAME OF COOKING-VARIETIES DESSERT RECIPE:
STEAMED SAGO PUDDING WITH CORN SYRUP (RESIPI PUDING SAGO)
Ingredients: from cooking-varieties exclusive recipe
2 cups sago pearls
2 cans of 425 grams Corn in syrup
6 tablespoon sugar
2 pandan leaves- shred (substitute with 2 drops vanilla essence)
Banana leaves (about 20 pieces, 11 cm width)
Permitted food coloring- orange
1 1/2 cup coconut milk (substitute with 5 cups low fat milk
3 teaspoon cornflour

Image of Steamer filled with Sago wrapped in banana leaves

Banana leaves need to be softened or slightly wilted, so that it won’t tear off, when folded. To do this, you can heat the leaf over your stove fire for a few seconds. Or u can put it under the hot sun for 20 minutes. You may substitute this with some other large non-poisonous leaves. The leaf texture should not be too soft.

Cooking-varieties use leaves, to ensure that the sago cooks with excellent results and not soften and get ruined if it’s boiled directly in water. This is the intricate part of cooking sago, although the recipe is very simple to follow.
When that is done, cut the banana leaves into pieces,about 11cm wide. Set aside. Leave the length as it is.
Wash sago pearls and drain away water. Do not use strainer. Add food coloring and 3 tablespoon sugar- mix well with sago pearls. Set aside for 15 minutes, to let sago soften a bit.
Boil water in a Steamer pot.
While waiting for water to boil, start wrapping up the sago using banana leaves.
After 10 minutes, sprinkle sago with some water and turn over to ensure it is evenly spread (use about ½ cup of water only-not more than this amount).
Shape banana leaf into a cone, fill it up with sago and fold down the top to close the cone. Place and arrange this cone directly onto the Steamer pan. Repeat this, until all sago has been wrapped up.
Put pan on Steamer pot. Cover with lid and let it cook for about 20 minutes- depending on your steamer size/layers of cones stacked, as in the case of a small-size steamer.

Image of Sago pearls in a mixture of yellow and white color

While waiting for sago to cook, boil corn syrup with 3 cups of water, pandan leaves (or vanilla), 3 tablespoons sugar, cornflour and coconut milk. Do not add water, if you use low fat milk. The sugar may be too much, if the brand of corn syrup is already very sweet. Stir continuously and let boil for 5 minutes .Turn off fire.
You can open up one cone and check- if sago has turned translucent color, then it is already cooked. Remove from Steamer and leave to cool.
When ready to serve, pour corn syrup into individual serving plates or bowls. Add sago. When served, do not remove the leaves.
Health benefits:
Sago is mainly carbohydrate (carbs) with very little protein, vitamins, or minerals. Energy in the form of glucose, is obtained faster from carbs, as compared to protein intake. Some cell tissues (eg. in the brain) are dependant on glucose from carbs souces, hence low carbs intake can result in slowing down brain function.
It is in Ayurvedic belief- sago helps to cool down body heat.
For more Appetising Sago recipes, view cooking-varieties-nusantara- click at Tab menu above.

Image-of-Sago-Pudding-cooked-by -Steaming

NUSANTARA SPICY RADISH RECIPES- EAT RADISH TO CURE YOUR COUGHS.

NAME OF COOKING-VARIETIES RECIPE:
RADISH,FISH BALLS AND RIDGE GOURD SOUP

 WHITE RADISH VEGETABLE

 

RADISH SOUP RECIPE- WITH  FISH BALLS AND RIDGE GOURD ADDED
 FOR A MORE FLAVORFUL TASTE

Take note: Do not eat radish 1 hour before or after you take your medicine,
because the radish properties will wash it away.
Ingredients: from cooking-varieties
1 small Ridge Gourd- remove ridge and scrape the skin, then cut into 2 cm slices
10 pieces fish balls- whole or halves
1 medium size white radish- peel and cut into 2 cm slices
3 pieces shallots- fine slices
2 pieces garlic- minced
2 tablespoon soup powder- mix with a bit of water to form a thick paste
1 tablespoon minced coriander leaves (optional)
2 tablespoon olive oil
Pepper and salt
3- 4 cups of water
Heat up oil in a non-stick pan. Fry onion and garlic until light brown. Add soup powder.
Stir for 1 minute, add water and fish balls. After 10 minutes, add ridge gourd, radish slices, salt and pepper. Cook until radish changes in color texture or crisp tender. Put off fire and add coriander leaves. Serve hot.
Radish taste has a sharp bite and children will not like it.
SHARE THIS AMAZING STORY ABOUT RADISH  FROM MY FRIEND, KAT. 
EAT RADISH, A NATURAL HOME REMEDY FOR COUGHS

RAW RADISH SLICES

RADISH? My 2nd son was premature, weighed only 900gms, 11inches 28weeks at birth. He was so small and was paced in the incubator for over 60days. He had health problems, as the film covering of his brain (selaput otak) did not mature. He had fits & also suffered ASTHMATIC bouts.
I had 2maids, one to just clean the house, as dust will trigger his Asthmatic attacks. Bedcovers, pillow cases have to be washed daily, even put out his mattress in the sun daily too. No carpets, no toys. Daily steam bath for 30mins, every 3am-took him to the balcony for a whiff of fresh air, to ease his endless coughing. I tried all tips…
Then, i found a book on FOOD CURES & REMEDY- this American Chinese Doctor… I tried all his remedial tips & alhamdulliah- found the cure. NO MORE ASTHMATIC ATTACKS from age 2yrs till 19yrs now- it disappeared!! I followed this RADISH FOOD CURE.

I blend about 5cm (or2inches) white radish with sugar/honey and fruits, for a more flavorful taste and sometimes with ice cubes. DRINK FRESH. He will sleep peacefully until the next day. I cut thin slices & add in fried rice, cucur udang, soups, mixed vegetables and noodles. When we travel, I will prepare radish cubes, boil in a little water till tender. If he coughs, i gave him a few cubes to chew.
Alternative recipe is to grate the radish, then marinate for half hour with lime or orange juice. For children,
eat 1 tablespoon of grated radish at a time and 2 tablespoons for adult. Today, at the slightest signs of an oncoming flu, i sure include radish in our family diet.
I GAVE THE SAME TIPS TO A FEW PROBLEMATIC KIDS (Asthma) and it worked too.

Kat’s website is on “Learning how to pronounce English words the Phonics way”,
“Google translate” available- please click  at  Bloggers Link on the right side of this blog
http://www.where2-where2.blogspot.com/

NUSANTARA SPICY MUFFIN RECIPES. AN ORIGINAL BANANA BLUEBERRY MUFFINS RECIPE WITH A TOUCH OF NUSANTARA SPICES.



GARDEN TEA WITH MUFFINS

THE NUSANTARA  BANANA BLUEBERRY MUFFINS ARE SO POPULAR AND SO DELICIOUS. HAVE THEM WITH JAVA TEA ...... from cooking-varieties

Ingredients: from cooking-varieties
2 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp flat ginger powder
2 large ripe bananas
½ teaspoon vanilla
2/3 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup butter-melted
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups of blueberries

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Apply cooking spray on muffin tray or paper cups
Put flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and ginger in a bowl and mix well (dry ingredients).
Blend bananas, eggs, brown sugar, butter and vanilla using electric mixer.
When mixture is properly blended, add in the dry ingredients, stir and mix well.
Gently mix in 1 cup of blueberries. Scoop batter and fill up the muffin tray or paper cups.
Place the remaining blueberries on top of each muffin- slightly embedded.
Bake for 25 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove from oven to cool. cooking-varieties likes hot Nusantara Banana Blueberry Muffins.
Health benefits:
COOKING-VARIETIES will have more blueberry ingredients after reading the excerpts below:
Source from WIKIPEDIA: At a 2007 symposium on berry health benefits were reports
showing consumption of BLUEBERRIES (and similar berry fruits including cranberries) may alleviate the
cognitive decline occurring in Alzheimer's disease and other conditions of aging.

A chemical isolated from blueberry leaves can block replication of the hepatitis C virus
and might help to delay disease spread in infected individuals.
Feeding blueberries to animals lowers brain damage in experimental stroke.
Research at Rutgers has also shown that blueberries may help prevent urinary tract infections.

Other animal studies found that blueberry consumption lowered cholesterol and
 total blood lipid levels, possibly affecting symptoms of heart disease.
Additional research showed that blueberry consumption in rats altered glycosaminoglycans  which are vascular cell components affecting control of blood pressure.

A study soon to be published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
 found that supplementation with wild BLUEBERRY juice enhanced memory and
learning in older adults, while reducing blood sugar and symptoms of depression-

FRESH ORANGE JUICE WITH MANGO AND BITTER GOURD RECIPE

  ADDING BITTER GOURD AND MANGO TO FRESH ORANGE JUICE, MAKES THIS RECIPE  A  LOT MORE NUTRITIOUS AND FLAVORFUL

Ingredients: from cooking-varieties
1 small bitter gourd- seeded
2 oranges- peeled
Half of a medium size ripe mango
Sugar to taste (about 1 1/2 teaspoon)
Blend all of the above ingredients with 2 cups of mineral water.
Recipe is for two glasses of Fresh Orange, Mango and Bitter Gourd juice.
Add ice cubes if you wish.
Tips from my mom, on how to get rid of the bitter taste in gourd.
Cut bittergourd into paper thin slices, wash with salt water, then rinse.
Health benefits:
Bitter gourd is known to help improve diabetic conditions and
its high beta-carotine content to improve eyesight and alleviate eye problems.
Bitter Gourd is one of cooking-varieties favorite ingredient.

SALAD NUSANTARA RECIPE- AN ORIENTAL RAW VEGETABLE-SALAD RECIPE

RECIPE ON VEGETABLE-SALAD-NUSANTARA
 My very own Oriental Salad Recipe, a combination of raw vegetable ingredients
Ingredients:
1 cup ripe pineapple slices-see picture
1 cup cauliflower slices- see picture
2 ripe tomatoes- quartered
1 green chili- slice
3 pieces shallots- slice
1 teaspoon sugar
4 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoon preserved prune powder (use non-salted)
Salt to taste

Put shallots, chili, sugar, prune powder, vinegar and salt in a mixing bowl and mix until sugar dissolves. Add in pineapples (nenas/ anana), tomatoes and cauliflower.
Marinate for an hour. Eat by itselr or with rice and complimented with some other dishes like fish or beef curry and prawn crackers.
THIS "VEGGIE-SALAD-RECIPE" IS REALLY A  VERY SIMPLE SALAD-RECIPE TO FOLLOW.
Health benefits:
Pineapple contains vitamin A, B and C. Many belief that eating pineapple helps kill worms in the intestine and heal digestive infection. Also helps prevent stroke and heart problems. The best and sweetest variety in Malaysia is the "Sarawak pineapple" or "Nenas Sarawak". This is an image of "Sarawak Pineapple"

MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL, WHO IS THE SWEETEST OF THEM ALL ?  :)

OATMEAL-CHICKEN PORRIDGE- RECIPE ON OATMEAL PORRIDGE MADE SIMPLE

One of the best health cereal is oats. Oats cereal helps lower blood pressure, thus reducing hypertension tendencies- Researched by the American Heart Association. Oats is also believed to help lower cholesterol levels.

Chicken with Oatmeal Porridge-servings for two persons
Ingredients: from cooking-varieties
3 pieces boneless chicken breast- cut into small pieces
2 pieces garlic- minced
2 cm young ginger root- minced
1 carrot- slice 2 cm thick
Spring onion for garnishing- cut into thin slices
1 1/2  teaspoon Soup spice powder
Salt & pepper to taste
2 1/2 cups ‘quick cook’ oats
Boil 5 cups of mineral water with chicken, garlic, ginger, spice powder and salt.
When chicken is cooked take out about 1 piece of the chicken breast and set aside to cool.
When cooled, shred these chicken pieces and use them as garnishing.
Add in oats and pinch of salt and pepper inside the chicken soup. Put off fire after 2 minutes.
Serve hot. Place oats porridge in serving bowls. Garnish with shredded chicken and spring onions

HOW TO COOK FRIED-SALTED- FISH WITH CHILI AND SPICES OR SALTED-FISH WITH CHILI RECIPE (SAMBAL IKAN MASIN)

Chili Salted-Fish Ingredients
 3 cups (cut) salted fish –use the fleshy part and cut into small pieces.
Soak in water for 1 hour to wash excess salt
½ cup young ginger root- cut very fine strips- see picture
1 large onion- Coarse blend (dont add water)
1/2 cup coarsely blended pickled radish (lobak asin)
1 clove garlic-peeled. Do not slice. Wash and towel dry
10 pieces shallots- Do not slice. Wash and towel dry
5 tablespoon curry powder
4 tablespoon chili flakes
5 pieces buah keras (kemiri) powder (grounded)
2 1/2  cups vinegar
Mix curry powder, chili flakes and buah keras with vinegar to form a paste
1 piece lemon grass-cut into 3
1 cup cooking oil
Oil for frying salted fish
10 pieces (whole) chili padi (small hot chilis-see picture)
1 teaspoon sugar
Use non stick pan. Fry salted fish until brown. Drain fish and wash pan.
Heat up 1 cup cooking oil in non-stick pan. Add in ginger, blended large onion and
pickled radish. Stir continuously with a spatula, until onions turn light brown.
Cook on low fire. Add in lemon grass, garlic, shallots, chili, curry and buah keras paste.
Stir until onions are  half-cooked and crisp tender.
A pungent aroma here, due to vinegar content. Add sugar, chili padi and salted fish.
 Mix well for 1 minute and put off fire. This dish can last for 3 days without refrigerating,
 since no water is used in this recipe.