Herbs and How To's

Garlic. I absolutely love garlic. Eating it with every savory dish possible would be the ideal thing to do... (for me) but I HAVE to take into consideration those around me. Can't make them smell my every garlic laden word now can I?.

What is it about this pungent white pip that I love so much? Aside from the fact that it is a natural antibiotic, it has been developed into a supplement thus elimination the 'garlic breath'. However, I still believe in ingesting it fresh, organic and straight from the ground.

Other than that, it is rumored to be able to combat the common cold and the flu. It has been used extensively in herbal medicine (phytotherapy) as well.

Raw garlic is used by some to treat acne and there is also evidence that it can assist in lowering cholesterol levels . It can even be effective as a natural mosquito repellent.

It is sharp on the tongue when consumed raw, therefore cooking it would reduce this effect.
It should be kept in a dry place so that it does not begin to sprout and using it as soon as possible would of course be the best advice I could give you.

I do not use any garlic in any of my recipes ( I doubt there are any dessert recipes to begin with) so I hope this shared information helps. Please feel free to share your comments and ideas on this segment or article. Let me know if you want me to feature herbs, vegetables, spices, anything at all and I'll do the work (research) for you.



Picture courtesy of
http://wakawikiwiki.wikispaces.com/file/view/GarlicHarvest.jpg
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/uimages/kitchen/2008_05_28-MinceGarlic1.jpg
Information courtesy of
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garlic
http://www.garlic-central.com/garlic-health.html

Herbs and How To's - Star Anise

Dear friends,

It's been a while since my last H&HT (Herbs and How To's) segment and I apologize for that. That is why today, I'm going to give you not 1, not 2 but yea... 3 different herbs and their how to's.

On the menu, we have Star Anise.

Star anise is the fruit of an oriental tree. As the name would have it, it is star shaped and has between five to ten pointed sections. These hard sections are seed pods. Tough skinned and rust coloured, they measure up to 3cm (1-1/4”) long. The fruit is picked before it can ripen, and dried. The stars are available whole or ground.

Bouquet: Powerful and liquorice-like, more pungent and stronger than anise.

Flavour: Evocative of a bitter aniseed, of which flavor star anise is a harsher version. Nervertheless, the use of star anise ensures an authentic touch in the preparation of certain Chinese or Indian dishes.

Spice Scale: 3

Useful Information:

The whole stars can be placed directly to the cooking pot with a host of other spices and browned before the main ingredients are added. Another method would be to grind the whole stars as required and used as how you would ground cinnamon or nutmeg.

A note worth remembering is that small amounts are used, as the spice is powerful. Stored whole in an airtight container keeps for well over a year. A good time to toss it out would be when it is no longer fragrant.

Culinary Uses:
Good to be added in any meaty dish, especially pork and duck dishes. As for using it in desserts, it is used to flavor compotes and jams

Medicinal Uses:
.Like anise, star anise has carminative, stomachic, stimulant and diuretic properties. In the East it is used to combat colic and rheumatism. It is a common flavoring for medicinal teas, cough mixtures and pastilles.




Recipes which use star anise:

Sujee Spice Cake - RM 45/lb (alcohol optional)

Festive Sujee Fruit Cake - RM 45/lb (alcohol optional)

Rich Fruit Cake - RM 45/lb (alcohol optional)


picutres courtesy of
http://lh3.ggpht.com/blogmeeta/R77qfnEO1EI/AAAAAAAABoM/kPKbSSLmmGA/Star+Anise+01+framed%5B2%5D
http://www.soul-hunter.com/sailormoon/articles/supers_badiane3.jpg
information coutesy of
http://www.theepicentre.com/Spices/staranis.html