11th fia fia cooking--Lady's Finger(13/04/2012)

 <<<To Eat is To Be Healthy>>>   13/04/2012

TODAY SPECIAL: Changeable Lady’s Finger  (10 Servings)

1. Lady’s Finger Roll

PLACE: Niutao Maneapa

RECIPE 

Ingredient	Condiment
200g Okra	Salt
500g Pork	Black pepper
1 apple	Sugar
2 cloves of garlic	Soy sauce
Cool water	Corn flour

 

photo by Tracy

photo by Lader

 

 

 

 

photo by Lader

photo by Lader

         DIRECTION:

1.     Slice the pork, and marinate with some garlic, 1 teaspoon of black pepper, 1 teaspoon of sugar, grated apple, and 1 tablespoon of soy sauce for 20-30 minutes. (Marinating over night will be better.)

P.S The apple and paw paw could make the meat softer.

2.     Wash and scrub the skin of okras gently.

3.     Cut the pedicles of okras.

4.     Boil the okras for 10 seconds, and put them into cool water to keep them crunchy.

5.     Fold the pork with the okras. (Wrap the pork rolls.)

6.     Roast or fry the pork rolls until the color become golden brown. 

 

2. Lady’s Finger Salad

RECIPE

Ingredient	Condiment
200 kg Okra	Salt
3 cloves of garlic	Sugar
Chili	Vinegar
Ginger	Soy sauce
	Corn flour

photo by Tracy

  DIRECTION:

1.     Wash and scrub the skin of okras gently.

2.     Cut the pedicles of okras.

3.     Boil the okras for 3-5 minutes, and put them into cool water to keep them crunchy.

4.     Make the dressing:

·      Chop the garlic and ginger finely, and slice the chili.

·      Mix 1 ½ tablespoon of soy sauce, 1 ½ tablespoon of vinegar, and ½ tablespoon of sugar, boil the sauce with all the spices, and add some corn flour to make it sticky. 

5.     Pour the sauce on the top of the okras before serving.

 

3. Crisp Lady’s Finger

RECIPE 

Ingredient	Condiment
200 kg Okra	Salt
2 cloves of garlic	Wasabi
½ Radish	Black pepper
Egg	Soy sauce
Water	Flour
	Baking powder
	Sugar

 

photo by Tracy

DIRECTION:

1.     Wash and scrub the skin of okras gently.

2.     Cut the pedicles of okras.

3.     Add 1 bowl of flour, 2/3 bowl of water, some salt, and 1 egg to stir till it become batter .

4.     Make the dip or spice:

A.

·      Grate the radish and garlic.

·      Mix 1 ½ tablespoon of soy sauce, and ½ tablespoon of sugar.

·      When tasting time, add the radish paste, garlic, wasabi into the soy sauce to taste.

B.   Mix some black pepper and salt.

5.     Dip the okras in the batter, and then drop them into the hot oil.

6.     Deep-fry the okras with temperature of 150-180°C for 3-5 minutes.

7.     Sift the deep-fry okras and put all the spices and sauce aside before serving.

 

Benefits Of Okra

The versatile vegetable called okra is characterized by green color, elongated and tapering ridged pods (infused with double row of seeds) and slimy texture when cut open. It was discovered 3500 years ago in Ethiopia, though later it transcended to North America through slave trade and then to Europe, Asia and South and Central America. Early Egyptians are known to have loved its taste. Okra has several heath benefits, as it is rich in vitamin A, thiamin, vitamin B6, vitamin C, folic acid, riboflavin, calcium, zinc and dietary fiber. It is also enriched with amino acids, with the likes of tryptophan, cystine and other sulfur amino acids. Read through the following lines to know more about the nutrition and health benefits of okra, while exploring its nutritional value.

Nutrition & Health Benefits Of Eating Okra

1.    Okra is recommended for pregnant women, as it is rich in folic acid, which is essential in the neural tube formation of the fetus between the 4^th and 12^th week of pregnancy.

2.    The mucilage and fiber found in okra helps adjust blood sugar by regulating its absorption in the small intestine.

3.    The fiber present in the vegetable helps in maintaining the health of the

           gastro-intestinal tract.

4.    It helps absorb water and traps excess cholesterol, metabolic toxins and surplus bile in its mucilage, slipping it out through the stool.

5.    Okra is the ideal vegetable for weight loss and is a storehouse of health benefits, provided it is cooked over low flame to retain its properties.

6.    The vegetable is completely non-toxic, non-habit forming, has no adverse side effects, is full of nutrients, and is economically within reach of most individuals.

7.    The sodium content of okra is quite high. This is the reason why it is made into tablets, for replenishing sodium deficiency in the body. These tablets are also good for stomach ulcers.

8.    It contains a vegetable mucin that is soothing to the irritated membranes of the intestinal tract.

9.    Okra proves beneficial in normalizing blood sugar and cholesterol level in the human body.

10. The vegetable is good for asthma. The vitamin C present in it is an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, helping curtail the development of asthma symptoms.

     11. Okra is good for atherosclerosis, and it is also believed to protect some forms of  
           cancer expansion, especially colorectal cancer.

     12.Some researches have shown that eating okra lowers the risk of cataracts.

     13.Okra is good for preventing diabetes and protects from skin ailments like pimples and acne.

10th fia fia cooking--Pumpkin Sandwich (05/04/2012)

 <<<To Eat is To Be Healthy>>>   05/04/2012

TODAY SPECIAL: Pumpkin Sandwich (10 Servings)

PLACE: SDA School

RECIPE     

Ingredient	Condiment
1 Pumpkin	Salt
2 Potatoes	Corn flour
1 carrot	Black pepper
2 cucumbers	Butter
5 eggs	Sugar
5 Chicken legs
1 loaf of bread

                                 photo by Lader

                                 photo by Lader

                                            photo by Tracy

                                           photo by Tracy

 

                                           photo by Tracy

       DIRECTION:

1.     Bone the chicken legs, dice it, and marinate it with salt, black pepper, some sugar and corn flour for 20 minutes.

2.     Peel the pumpkin and potatoes, chop them into chunks.

3.     Steam the pumpkin and potatoes until being soft. (You can use the rice cooker or gas stove, steam them for 30-40 minutes.)

4.     Boil the eggs for 8-10 minutes, put them into cool water, and peel the eggshells.

5.     Remove the yolks, and dice the egg whites.

6.     Peel and dice the carrot, and after boiling for a while, put them into the cool water to keep the crunchy taste. 

7.     After marinating the diced cucumbers with salt for 10 minutes, squeeze it.

8.     Boil the diced chicken.

9.     Press the pumpkin with the yolks, crush some of the potato, and dice others.

10. Add some butter into potato paste, and stir it at high speed until the potato paste become sticky. 

11. Mix all the ingredients with pumpkin paste:
diced carrot, cucumber, egg white, chicken, and potato, potato paste.   

12. Spread the pumpkin paste on one sliced bread, cover with another one, and cut along the diagonal before serving.

Benefits Of Pumpkin

Pumpkin is GOOD for:

• Artery: Beta-carotene helps prevent build up of cholesterol on the arterial walls, thus reducing chances of strokes.
• Staying young: Being rich in alpha-carotene, pumpkin is believed to slow the process of aging.
• Eyes: Pumpkins have been known to reduce the risk of macular degeneration, a serious eye problem than usually results in blindness, and also prevent cataract formation.
• Bowel: The high amount of fiber, present in a pumpkin, is good for the bowel health of an individual.
• Blood pressure: Being loaded with potassium, pumpkin is associated with lowering the risk of hypertension.
• Immune system & Bone: The presence of zinc in pumpkins boosts the immune system and also improves the bone density. 

Pumpkin Seeds are GOOD for: 

• Prostate: They promote overall prostate health, apart from alleviating the problem of difficult urination that is associated with an enlarged prostate.
• Mood: They comprise of L-tryptophan, a compound that has been found to be effective against depression.
• Bone: They are believed to serve as a natural protector against osteoporosis.
• Anti-inflammatory: They have been known to reduce inflammation, without causing the side effects of anti-inflammatory drugs.
• Kidney: Studies have revealed that they help prevent calcium oxalate kidney stone formation.

9th fia fia cooking--3-Cup Bottle Gourd(31/03/2012)

 <<<To Eat is To Be Healthy>>>   31/03/2012

TODAY SPECIAL: Sweet and Sour Bottle Gourd or
                              3-Cup Bottle Gourd  (10 Servings)

PLACE: Nanumea Maneapa                            PHOTOS by LADER

RECIPE 

Ingredient	Condiment
3 cloves of garlic	Soy sauce
Spring onion	Oyster oil
Ginger	A.Tomato sauce & vinegar B. Rice wine & sesame oil
Basil	Sugar
Chili	Corn flour
5 Chicken legs	Soybean oil
	Black pepper

        

        DIRECTION:

1.     Bone the chicken legs, and marinate it with garlic, soy sauce, black pepper, some sugar and corn flour for 20 minutes.

2.     Peel the bottle gourd and chop it into chunks.

3.     Deep-fry the bottle gourd chunks in hot oil (about 180 to 200 ° C temperature) for 5-10 minutes.

4.     Sift the oil of the bottle gourd and put it aside.

5.     Slice the garlic, ginger, and chili.

6.     Cut the spring onion into small pieces, wash and trim the basil.

7.     Make the sauce

A. Sweet and sour: mix 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of vinegar, 1 tablespoon of tomato sauce, some oyster oil and sugar.

B. Spicy and sweet: Mix 1 cup of soy sauce, 1 cup of rice wine, 1 cup of sesame oil, some oyster oil and sugar.)

8.     Quickly stir and fry the garlic, ginger, chili, spring onion (white part) and the chicken.

9.     Put the bottle gourd chucks into the wok, pour the sauce in, and stir-fry for a while.

10. Add the basil and spring onion (green part) into the wok, and quickly stir-fry before serving.

Benefits Of Bottle Gourd

            Not very familiar to the western world, bottle gourd is one of the favorite vegetables in Indian cuisine. Known by various names, the bottle gourd is yellowish-green in color and usually in the shape of a bottle. Bottle gourd is cultivated in the humid weather of Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, China, tropical Africa and South America. Though the vegetable is quite bland and tasteless, it has many nutrition benefits. Read on further to know the nutritional value of bottle gourd, along with the health benefits of eating it.

 

Bottle Gourd is good for:

•       Bottle gourd is an excellent vegetable for hypertension patients.
•       It is a suitable vegetable for light, low-cal diets as well as for children, people with digestive problems, diabetics and convalescents.
•       High in water content, and easy to digest when cooked.
•       Be effective in treating constipation.
•       Be helpful in treating urinary disorders.
•       Bottle gourd is recommended by ayurvedic physicians for balancing the liver function.
•       Drinking a glass of bottle gourd juice once in the early morning helps in treating grey hair.
•       Mixing the juice with sesame oil for massaging the scalp every night, provides an effective medicine for insomnia.
•       A glass of bottle gourd juice, mixed with a little salt, helps in preventing excessive loss of sodium from the body. It quenches thirst, prevents fatigue and keeps one refreshed during summers.
•       Bottle gourd juice is also very useful for shedding extra calories and maintaining optimum health.

 

Rainy Tuvalu

   Rainy Tuvalu

Be trapped in Lan Gi Hotel, thanks to the heavy rain that I can face the sea with peacefulness.

Such beautiful raindrops slide down from the leaves.

The drops are dancing on the floor.

           

After the heavy raining, the court become the children's surfing paradise

                            

Nothing better than the wooden surfing board !

Even my nose is runny, I'm still surfing!

So Cool!! The surfing boys!

8th fia fia cooking--the Bottle Gourd Pancake (2012/03/23)

8th Fia Fia Cooking in Vaiaku Maneapa

 <To Eat is To Be Healthy>  

TODAY SPECIAL: Bottle Gourd Pancake  (5 Servings)

  

       RECIPE 

Ingredient	Condiment
500g Bottle gourd	Salt
200g carrot	Black pepper
Spring onion	Soy sauce
2 bowls of flour	Oyster oil
2 cloves of garlic	Tomato sauce
2 bowls of water	Vinegar
½ bowl of corn flour or cassava powder	Sugar
1 egg
Chili

photo by Jancsi

        DIRECTION:

1.     Peel and grate the bottle gourd and the carrot.

2.     Wash some spring onions, and shred them.

3.     Add some salt into the shredded bottle gourd and carrot to marinate for 10 minutes.

4.     Squeeze the shredded bottle gourd and carrot.

5.     Sift the plain flour.

6.     Mix 2 bowls of flour, ½ bowl of cassava powder, 1 egg, and 2 bowls of cool water, blend all the ingredients until becoming to the paste.

7.     Peel the garlic and chop them finely.

8.     Quickly stir-fry the garlic and the shredded bottle gourd and carrot, and put some salt, oyster oil, soy sauce, and black pepper to taste.

9.     Put all the ingredients into the paste and mix them well.

10. Pour the paste in the pan, fry it over low heat until the both sides become golden brown.

11. Make the dip:

a.     Mix some ground garlic, soy sauce, chili, few drops of sesame oil.

b.     Tomato sauce. （You can also add some chili, sugar, vinegar, and put some dissolved corn flour to boil to make it sticky.）

photo by Jancsi

photo by Tracy

photo by Tracy

Why the Bottle Gourd is Good For You?

• Bottle gourd is an excellent vegetable for hypertension patients.
• It is a suitable vegetable for light, low-cal diets as well as for children, people with digestive problems, diabetics and convalescents.
• High in water content, calabash gourd is cooling, calming, diuretic and easy to digest.
• The vegetable is very effective in treating constipation and other digestive disorders.
• It helps in treating urinary disorders.
• Drinking a glass of bottle gourd juice once in the early morning helps in treating grey hair.
• Mixing the juice with sesame oil provides an effective medicine for insomnia. Massage the scalp with this preparation every night.
• Bottle gourd juice is very helpful in treating epilepsy, stomach acidity, indigestion, ulcers and other nervous diseases.
• A glass of bottle gourd juice, mixed with a little salt, helps in preventing excessive loss of sodium from the body. It quenches thirst, prevents fatigue and keeps one refreshed during summers.
• Bottle gourd juice is also very useful for shedding extra calories and maintaining optimum health.

7th World Water Day--3 Simple Veggie Dishes & Water C (2012/03/22)

         World Water Day--the Cooking  Work Shop & Competition     

                                                                                                              Photos by Jancsi

          TODAY SPECIAL 1: Stir-Fry Water Spinach (20 Servings)

          RECIPE

Ingredient	Condiment
Water spinach	4-6 teaspoons of salt
6 cloves of garlic	Sugar
2 chili	Soybean oil
	Vinegar or lemon juice

           

            

          

           DIRECTION:

1.     Wash and trim the water spinach.

2.     Slice the garlic and chili.

3.     Pour some oil and quickly stir-fry the garlic and chili.

4.     Put the water spinach into the frying pan, and add some water if necessary.

TIPS: add some drops of vinegar or lemon juice to keep the water spinach green.  

5.     Add some salt and sugar to taste and be ready to serve.

   TODAY SPECIAL 2: Colorful Soup (20 Servings)

           RECIPE:

Ingredient	Condiment
Chinese cabbage	4-6 teaspoons of salt
3 cloves of garlic	Sugar
3 spring onions	Black pepper
Tomato
6 eggs
2 L water