Smoked Catfish with Tapioca Shoots - DKKD#3

Star Q

i.  Au Revoir (not Adieu) to Education

ii.  Penyerahan Slip Keputusan

This is another recipe using yet another part of the tapioca which we planted in the small patch of land in front of our house.  After the Tapioca Cake recipe using the tuber of the plant, this time is a recipe using the tapioca shoots.

Tapioca Cake/Kek Ubi Kayu - DKKD #1

Star Q

i.  Penyerahan Slip Keputusan

ii.  A Serious Shock of Reality

The small patch of garden (kebun) that we have in front of the house, has been very faithful in providing with small but steady stream of crops.  There may be only a few types of plants there, but every time we gather the small harvest, there is always that feeling of fulfillment.  

Terrific Turmeric

This is another versatile herb that I plant in my small garden patch which always find its way into my cooking pot and somethings used as traditional medicine.  I call it a versatile plant because every part of this plant can be used.

The leaves, when shredded finely, can be used in dishes like the ever popular "Beef Rendang" or "Masak Lemak Telor Itik".  As a whole piece of leaf, it can be used to wrap seasoned fish and roasted over charcoal fire.  The turmeric, which is the root part of the plant, is also usually used to both colour and flavour dishes.

Can I Have Some of Your Lilies?

 I have been nurturing this lily species for quite some time now.  The row of bulbs I planted a few months back are presently flowering profusely, much to my delight.  To tell you frankly, not all the flowers and plants I have in my small garden were bought from nurseries; in fact, most of them were given to me by friends all over the place.

This flower in particular was given to me by one of the cleaners in a school where I was invigilating.  I was taking a breather from my duty, walking around the examination hall taking in the sights, when I chanced upon this small pot crowded to the brim with lily plants, the bulbs protruding from the soil.  I was so fascinated by the shades of pink of the flower that I braved myself and asked the cleaner for one lily bulb.  To my delight, she gave me ten lily bulbs! 

This lily flowers continuously, but in this tropical weather of ours, the blooms don't last for more than two days. However, I am enjoying the fruits of my labour; or in this case the blooms of my labour!

My Mint

Daun Kesum



"Why buy what you can plant?", I always ask myself.  This is true for all the herbs that we generally use in our daily cooking; because it doesn't really make sense to buy twenty to thirty stalks of a particular herb when all you want to use is just a few leaves.  And, for heaven sake, don't ask to buy only a few leaves of that herb from the vegetable seller for he may just laugh at your face!

So, I always find it useful to plant a bit of everything in my tiny patch, especially herbs that I often use.  Of course, you would have to buy some of the herbs in order to propagate them or better still, ask some from friends.

One of the herbs I have in my patch is the Vietnamese Mint or affectionately called 'Daun Kesum' locally.  It is widely used in local delicacies like 'Asam Laksa', 'Kerabu', 'Asam Pedas' and 'Laksam'.  And in every one of the dishes, one would only require a few leaves of the herb or at the most a stalk or two. 

So, it's worth using your two cents to save a few dollars!

Pottering With Pots!



Cat's Whiskers

Welcome to My Tiny Corner and I do mean it literally!

One of the things I like to do is to potter around in my small garden in a small corner of my front porch.  I don't have that many plants but I love the ones I have, like the 'Cat's Whiskers' in the picture on the right.  Other than its unique flowers that resemble a cat's whiskers, it also has medicinal purposes.