Happy Birthday.....to a Great Man

I like to pay tribute to Mr Lee Kuan Yew in my small way. As a Singapore Citizen, I am glad I am not born in the era of unrest and it is because of the stable and safe society in Singapore now, many of us, a younger generation do not know what our grandfathers or fathers went through.

It is indeed a blessing to live to 90 and I pray you live many more years in good health and among your family and people who truly love you. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MR LEE KUAN YEW.

Many of us will not make the mark of 70s. In the Chinese Alamac, any living beyond that is no longer recorded as you have lived beyond the age and is consider long life.

I am sad to see people posting negative remarks and ill wishes hiding behind psuedo names. They are not brave enough to be up front, these are the people we Chinese call "little people - 小人". Too bad, this great man have more merits than all the little acts behind the scene. If one is not brave enough to face the challenge therefore such people are not worth the attention. It is a bark from a little puppy.

Mr Lee is a strict father. He had to be. We are a multi-racial country and "one grain feed a thousand kinds of people", how to please everyone? People are not able to see the bigger picture and see far. Many matters are not to the heart content. How about living in a corrputed society? Look around us and count your blessings.

Anyway a Nation need to move ahead. It is what the people want and the Nation will grow that way. I believe what goes up must come down. What good days we have, the bad days are only waiting eagerly to come. All the peace of a country can only be maintained by people who want peace and harmony. If Singapore loses its Peace and Harmony, hope we will find a second Mr Lee Kuan Yew.

Once again Thank You Mr Lee, for all that you have done for the Nation!

Wonder Vege - Brococoli

This is a well known vegetable. People without teeth will find it hard to chew, but cooking it till it is too soft will lose all the nutrient.

I love this vegetable but I don't always eat it. I knew it has many many benefits and again I have friends who undergo Chemo has been consuming this. It helps to regenerate the blood cell because every chemo killed the blood cells.

But I am sure there is one thing not many will know - this wonder vege is an effective sunblock. Yes! It is better than any sunblocks because it protects the skin against cancer.

Whether this vege is consumed or rubbed on the body, it helps to guard against Cancer because of a compound called Sulforaphane. Researchers said that this is an inhabiting agent to Cancer and "it triggers chemoprotective gene".

I have known someone who is going to chemo. She takes this vege practically everyday. The miracle happened. Her cancer cells did not grow or spread. She is still living today.

Therefore how to eat this"? If eating this vege day in and day out, you would probably phuit. So to help oneself this friend learned ways and means to make this vege likable. So she

1) She boils it over hot water for 5 min., add a little salt and a drop of oil, scoup it up and eat it just as it is.

2) She puree the vege and drink it like a beverage

3) She stirr-fried it and add a little egg white, add a little water with starch and she had a dish ready to eat.

4) She puree the vege, add flour and dough it until it blends in nicely. She ran it over a machine that make noodle and she had broccoli noodles

5) She also make broccoli bread with her little bread making machine. She add raisins and we have a green looking hulk bread.

6) She chopped some broccoli with lean meat, stuff it into broccoli dough that she made and we have broccoli dumplings. These dumpling can be steamed and it also can be a bowl of dumpling soup.

7) She also made broccoli cake, add walnut and raisins.

Actually it is endless to how you want to consume this vege or as a matter of fact, everything edible. It is experiments, trail and errors and most of all "imagination". I am an ad hoc chef. I have no recipe but I will find anything in the fridge and cook things I like to eat.

Therefore for people fighting cancer, this is your wonder vege. I supposed all green vegetable carried Sulforaphane but broccoli is the Winner. 

Next time when you want to go to the beach, blend some broccoli puree and rub in on your body. This is good for people who love to swim in the sun. Asian are not so keen on sun tanning but in the West, I suppose skin cancer is common and this is natural, cheap and no added chemicals.

Three cheers to this wonder vege - BROCCOLI !!

Chrysanthemum & Wolfberries Tea

See the floating flower petals and red wolf berries, aren't they beautiful? This golden color tea is much loved by the Chinese for decades. 

It is an easy to make beverage. You just have to pinch some dried Chrysanthemum  flowers, add in a tablespoonful of  Wolf berries, pour in hot water (and if you like you can boil it over heat for a few minutes) and cover it for 15 minutes. To those who prefer it sweet can add sugar.  I love to drink it original without sugar.  The taste of flowers fragrance lingers in my mouth and nose and it is so refreshing.

Given so many flower teas, this one is definitely Chinese. Mum used to make it and it is believe to take away heatiness. The word 'heatiness' is associated with imbalance of  fire element in our body. This 'heat' will cause sore throats, hot body, sticky eyes etc. When you eat too much BBQ, spicy food and lack of sleep, this tea detox and keep you well.

So what good is Chrysanthemum? Here it says that Chrysanthemum tea contain Vit C and is anti spirochetal in nature. It helps to ease heaviness in the head which maybe caused by viral infection. The flower is free from caffeine and thus from all the side effects like anxiety, tension, irritation, nervousness and confusion. As a natural coolant it helps to lower temperature if you have a fever. For those who are all time worrying about pimples and acne, this drink helps to cool down your liver and lungs (皮和肾） and detox so that you can look beautiful again. There are many goodness in drinking this golden beverage but it gives additional benefits coupled with wolf berries.

Do you know that Wolf berries has a Chinese name called Gouji?  Gouji is around for thousands of years. This item boost the immune systems and is high in vitamins, minerals. It is a known antioxidant. Chinese cooking loves to sprinkle a few of Gouji for medicinal purpose. Wolf berries is very high in ORAC and it simply mean Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity. This mean its properties has many goodness like age-defying and protect against free radicals that is detrimental to good health. You may like to know that these include heart disease and cancer. Gouji is rich in Vit B1 and C. It contains minerals like calcium, chromium, magnesium, potassium, copper, manganese and zinc. These minerals in the body balance electrolytes, act in muscle and joint health and immunity. It is high in Carotenoids which is anti-cancer. It also support eye health. There are many more goodness and to list them will be endless.

Therefore the combination of  Chrysanthemum & Wolf berries Tea have many benefits and it is a wonder drink and can be consumed Hot or Cold all based on one's preference.

I suggest you try and I am sure you will love this golden fragrance drink. It is cheap and effective.