Contributed Recipes

Izza’s Lempah* Kulit Semangka
by Izza Iskandar

2 cups Watermelon skin**
1½ Ikan Lumek salai***/Bombay Duck fish

The soup base:
10g Ikan bilis
8g Belacan
1 Red chili
1/2 teaspoon Black peppercorn
3/4 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Sugar
1 stalk Serai/lemongrass

Fill up a medium sized pot with 2+ 1/3 cups of water.
Lightly toast the belacan.
Pound/tumbuk the toasted belacan together with the rest of the ingredients for the soup base. Tumbuk everything sampai halus (till fine), except the lemongrass (which is to be bruised). Or just use a chopper/blender.
Add the tumbuk stuff including serai, into the water. Let it boil gently for 2-3 minutes. Medium heat is okay, or else everything will boil over.
Prepare the watermelon skin by removing the green part. Slice the rind about 1cm thick by 5cm long.
So the soup has been boiling for about 2-3 minutes. Then add the melon skin + ikan salai. Add a bit more ikan bilis if you can’t find ikan salai. Boil for 8 minutes or until the melon skin is translucent & soft enough but not mushy.

* Lempah refers to anything that is boiled, with chili & belacan.
** Watermelon skin doesn’t keep well. So best to cook immediately after you cut up the melon.
*** Ikan salai is not to be confused with dried salted fish. Ikan salai is fish that is smoked till dry and will impart that wonderful smokey taste into the soup. Upgraded umami.

Mr Neo’s Snow Chrysanthemum tea
Transcribed on April 2, 2021

Snow Chrysanthemum/Xue Chi Hua 1 cup
Honey rock sugar ½ cup
Kam chao/Licorice root 3-4 pieces
Water 1500ml

Put all ingredients (except the sugar) into a pot. Do not worry about the impurities – the boiling water will sanitise everything. Add water to the herbs & bring it to a boil for 5 minutes. Let the tea sit for another 10-20 minutes. Stir in the sugar.

Indra’s Lassi
Submitted by Mahita Vas

For a 250ml glass:

In a bowl, whisk 3 tablespoons yogurt until smooth.
Add: 1/2 tsp grated ginger, 1/4 tsp coriander powder (optional), salt and pepper to taste (1/2 tsp each). 3 pieces curry leaves, torn.
Add cold water slowly, stir to combine.

A simpler version which some people make and drink twice daily – whisk yogurt, add salt and pepper, pour water, stir.

Connie’s Job’s Tears
Submitted by Raymond Wu

Job’s Tears/Coix seeds 1 cup
Candied Winter Melon ½ packet
Red dates 10 pieces
White Fungus 50g
Dried Longan (optional)
Water 8 cups or 2000ml

Soak for a while & wash the coix seeds (sometimes known as Chinese barley).
Soak the white fungus for 10-15 mins.
Put all ingredients into a pot of water & let boil for 1 hour.
Serve hot or chilled.

Antonia’s Lotus Root Peanut Pork Rib Soup
by Antonia Lau

800g Pork ribs
Lotus Root (6-8 inches long)
100g-150g Large peanuts without skin
2-3 L water
1.5 inch old ginger
3-5 red dates
1-2 Tbsp of Goji berries

Method:

Wash and scald pork ribs with hot boiling water for 3-5 mins, letting it boil briefly for 3-5 mins.

Drain the water and fill a claypot with cool water, add scalded pork ribs, bruised ginger and start to boil on a medium low flame.

Scrub and clean the lotus root, remove the skin with a peeler and slice to roughly 1/4 inch thick.

When the soup boils, lower the flame and add the lotus root, soaked peanuts, dates and Goji berries.

Let the soup simmer on the lowest flame for an hour or more until peanuts are soft. Season with sea salt and white crushed pepper.

Ideally, this soup is best prepared early during the day. Allow the soup to cool and settle before reheating for dinner as this allows the flavour to develop.

Air Katira by Emylia
Submitted by Emylia Safian

Selasih seeds/basil seeds 1/2 cup
Katira/tragacanth gum 5-6 pieces
Kembang semangkuk/malva nuts 2

Soak 3 ingredients separately, overnight. Pour in the oatmilk. Sweeten as desired. For homemade oatmilk – blend ½ rolled oats, 2 cups cold water, 2 pitted dates or 1 tablespoon honey for not more than 45 seconds & strain.

Ah Ping’s Tek Chia liang teh
Transcribed on April 2, 2021

Tek chia/dried sugar cane 10 pieces
Arrowroot 3 pieces
Dried Carrots 8-10 pieces
Rhizome Imperatae/Bai Mao Gen 20 sticks
Water 1500ml

Rinse all dried ingredients once over & add to the pot of water. Bring to a boil & then reduce to simmer for an hour. Let the tea cool before drinking.

Olivia’s Watercress Soup
Submitted by Olivia Sim

Serves 4

Ingredients

300g pork ribs
5 slices ginger
2 carrots – peeled and cut into chunks
8 red dates
3 tbsp goji berries
2 bundles watercress
8 cups water

Blanch pork ribs with ginger in a pot of boiling water for 5 minutes to remove surface scum. Remove, rinse and set aside.
Put blanched ribs, carrot, dates, goji berries and water into a pot. Simmer for 90 minutes.
In the meantime, prepare watercress by trimming off large touch stems. Wash thoroughly.
After 90 minutes, season the stock with salt. Use a fine-mesh strainer to remove any floating particles. Skim off excess grease.
Add watercress and boil for another 10-15 minutes. Boil for 30 minutes if a stronger watercress flavour is preferred.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Roadside Beauties

Wildflowers, herbs & such

Instant Liang Teh

Acknowledgements

Home

Healing Traditions

Adeline Kueh

Roadside Beauties and
other tales of healing

Divaagar

soft salves

Ila

buang angin: throwing caution to the wind

Behind-the-scenes

Quiz on Traditional Healing Practices

Video of Artists Talk

Further Reading

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