Candlenuts

Botanical name: Aleurites moluccana

Description

The candlenut is a flowering tree in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, also known as Candleberry, Indian walnut, Kemiri, Varnish tree or Kukui nut tree. The nut is round, 4–6 centimetres (1.6–2.4 in) in diameter; the seed inside has a very hard seed coat and a high oil content, which allows its use as a candle, hence its name.

Usage

The nut is often used cooked in Indonesian and Malaysian cuisine, where it is called kemiri in Indonesian or buah keras in Malay. On the island of Java in Indonesia, it is used to make a thick sauce that is eaten with vegetables and rice. Outside of Southeast Asia, macadamia nuts are sometimes substituted for candlenuts when they are not available, as they have a similarly high oil content and texture when pounded. The flavor, however, is quite different, as the candlenut is much more bitter.

Nutmeg

Botanical Name: Myristica fragrans

Description

Nutmeg is native to the Moluccas, but is also cultivated in Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and the West Indies. The nutmeg tree is usually 9 to 12 meters high but sometimes attains a height of up to 20 meters or more. Nutmeg is the dried kernel of the seeds of an evergreen tree with strong aroma and a slightly bitter taste. It is used in several important and widely used pharmaceutical preparations. Nutmeg has a very warm, highly aromatic – sweetish taste. It is very similar to mace in aroma and taste.

Usage

Nutmeg is widely used in honey cakes, rich fruit cake, fruit desserts, and fruit punch. It goes well in stews and meat pies, and in most egg and cheese dishes. The Dutch add nutmeg to mashed potato, white cabbage, cauliflower and vegetable purees; to macaroni; to meat stews; and to fruit puddings. The Italians use the spice in mixed vegetables, in fillings and sauces for pasta, and in veal. The Europeans use nutmeg extensively in sweet and savory dishes. The Arabs add nutmeg to mutton and lamb and in India they are found mostly in Moghul dishes.

Attributed Medical Properties

The powder of nutmeg, mixed with fresh amla juice is a valuable remedy for insomnia, irritability and depression. Nutmeg paste mixed with honey is given to infants who cry at night for no apparent reason, to induce sleep. It should, cause serious complications and addiction in the infants.

It is used beneficially in the treatment of skin diseases like ringworm and eczema. The paste of the herb prepared by rubbing it on a stone slab in one’s own early morning saliva – before cleansing the mouth –is applied once daily as a specific remedy in the treatment of these conditions.

The powder of nutmeg, about 5 to 15 grams, mixed with apple juice or banana, is used as a specific remedy for diarrhea caused by indigestion of food. The same quantity of nutmeg powder taken with a tablespoon of fresh amla juice thrice daily is effective for indigestion, hiccups and morning sickness.

It has beneficial results in treating dehydration caused by vomiting and diarrhea, particularly in cholera. An infusion prepared from half a nutmeg in half a liter of water given with tender coconut water in doses of 15 grams at a time, is an effective treatment.

Belacan Shrimp Paste 15 gram

A Malay-Indonesian sauce made with dried shrimp paste and chili pepper Belacan, a Malay variety of shrimp paste, is prepared from fresh tiny shrimp of a species known as geragau in Malay. These are mashed into a paste and buried for several months. The fermented shrimp are then dug up, fried and hard-pressed into cakes. Belacan is used as an ingredient in many dishes, or eaten on its own with rice. A common preparation is sambal belacan, made by mixing toasted belacan with chilli peppers, minced garlic, shallot paste and sugar and then fried. Popular recipe with Belacan Shrimp Paste is Kangkung Belacan (Water Spinach).

Fennel seeds

Botanical Name: Foeniculum vulgare

Description
Fennel yields both a herb and a spice. All plant parts are edible: roots, stalks and leaves, with the spice coming from the dried seeds. A native to the Mediterranean, Fennel is an ancient and common plant known to the ancient Greeks and spread throughout Europe by Imperial Rome. It is also grown in India, the Orient, Australia, South America and has become naturalized in the US. Fennel seeds split into two, one sometimes remaining on the stalk. They are 4 -8 mm (1/8 - 5/16 in) long, thin and curved, with colour varying from brown to light green (the green being superior).Bouquet: warm, sweet and aromaticFlavour: similar to a mild anise.

Usage
As a herb, fennel leaves are used in French and Italian cuisine’s in sauces for fish and in mayonnaise. In Italy fennel is also used to season pork roasts and spicy sausages, especially the Florentine salami finocchiona. It is traditionally considered one of the best herbs for fish dishes. The English use fennel seeds in almost all fish dishes, especially as a court bouillon for poaching fish and seafood. It is used to flavour breads, cakes and confectionery. It is an ingredient of Chinese Five Spices and of some curry powders. Several liquors are flavoured with fennel, including fennouillette, akvavit, gin and was used in distilling absinthe.

Attributed Medical Properties
It has since been used as a wash for eyestrain and irritations. Chinese and Hindus used it as a snake bite remedy. It is carminative, a weak diuretic and mild stimulant. The oil is added to purgative medication to prevent intestinal colic. Fennel was once used to stimulate lactation. It allays hunger and was thought to be a cure for obesity in Renaissance Europe. It should not be used in high dosages as it causes muscular spasms and hallucinations.

Cloves

Botanical name: Eugenia caryophyllus

Description
The clove is native to the North Moluccas, the Spice Islands of Indonesia. It is cultivated in Brazil, the West Indies, Mauritius, Madagascar, India, Sri Lanka, Zanzibar and Pemba. Cloves are the immature unopened flower buds of a tropical tree. When fresh, they are pink, dried, they turn to a rust-brown colour. Measuring 12-16 mm (1/2”-5/8”) long, they resemble small nails, with a tapered stem. The large end of the clove is the four-pointed flower bud.Bouquet: Warm, pungent and aromaticFlavour: Sweetly pungent, astringent and strongly aromatic.

Usage
Cloves can easily overpower a dish, particularly when ground, so only a few need be used. Whole cloves are often used to “stud” hams and pork, pushing the tapered end into the meat like a nail. A studded onion is frequently used to impart an elusive character to courts-bouillons, stocks and soups. Cloves are often used to enhance the flavour of game, especially venison, wild boar and hare. They are used in a number of spice mixtures including ras el hanout, curry powders, mulling spices and pickling spices. Cloves also figure in the flavour of Worcestershire sauce. They enjoy much popularity in North Africa and the Middle East where they are generally used for meat dishes, though rice is often aromatized with a few cloves.

Attributed medical properties

Traditional Chinese physicians have long used cloves to treat indigestion, diarrhea, hernia, and ringworm, as well as athlete's foot and other fungal infections. India's traditional Ayurvedic healers have used Cloves since ancient times to treat respiratory and digestive ailments. The medieval German herbalists used cloves as part of anti-gout mixture. Early American Eclectic physicians used cloves to treat digestive complaints.

White Fungus / Snow Fungus

Snow fungus (Tremella fuciformis, also known as white fungus or silver tree-ear fungus) is a type of jelly fungus (a kind of mushroom) that is used in Chinese cuisine. The fungus grows in frilly masses on trees and is off-white in color and very translucent.

The product is often purchased dried and must be soaked before use. It is used in both savory and sweet dishes. While tasteless, it is enjoyed for its jelly-like texture as well as its supposed medicinal benefits. Most commonly, it is used to make a sweet dessert soup called luk mei (六味), often in combination with jujubes and dried longans, among other ingredients. It's also used as a component of a drink

Dried Black Fungus Slice

Black Fungus: (Auricularia polytricha) also known as cloud ear; tree ear; wood fungus, mouse ear, and jelly mushroom. It grows rapidly on a variety of woods including mango and kapok and is very similar to another fungus called Jew's ear (A. auricula). This fungus is prized in Chinese cuisine for its crunchy texture and therefore added to dishes only for the last few minutes of cooking. Delightful in salads, soups and stir-fries, it has no flavour of its own, but absorbs the seasonings it is cooked with.

Preparation
Fungus must be soaked in warm water prior to use (15 minutes for small, 30 minutes for large). It swells to many times its size. After soaking, the fungus is rinsed thoroughly and trimmed of the tough, gritty part where it was attached to the wood. Then, particularly if using the large variety, it is cut into pieces of a suitable size and shape before adding to a dish.

Medicinal uses
Black fungus has a reputation in Chinese herbal medicine for increasing the fluidity of the blood and improving circulation. It is given to patients who suffer from atherosclerosis. Western medicine is now investigating centuries-old claims made by Eastern sages and finding them surprisingly accurate.