It's 2nd February 2008 and I am still in the kampung, and really enjoying it here. So do my babies - they love the space and the loads of company in the form of birds, squirrels ( or are they shrews), roosters, not to mention all kinds of insects and passing cows sometimes! Ashely dragged in a protesting bird one day and I was so happy that after a few rounds of pouncing and pawing by Ashely, the poor little bird managed to escape! Ashely was probaly distracted as I kept screaming "No, Ashley...no, no, let birdie go. No, No, naughty Ashley!" over and over again!
I really need to get off my butt and drive back to KL with my entourage. I need to fix a follow up appointment with my Surgeon and Oncologist for the 3 monthly checks ( and imaging ) since the last visit was in late October!
Yesterday on City Day, a pathetic looking but very pregnant cat appeared from nowhere. She is clean but scrawny , as though she hasn't eaten for days, maybe weeks. We reckoned that she was abandoned in our vicinity when the previous owner discovered she is going to have kittens and did not want to be bothered by that. People here know that we take to cats.
So instead of packing up to go back to KL we stayed behind and tried to ask around if the cat belongs to anyone nearby, if it is lost. No one claimed ownership, so the least we could do is make it feel welcomed, especially in her condition. If she is still around by the time she is due to have her litter, she will find that we have left some boxes in strategic places around the compound as she will need a hide-away to deliver in peace. I will likely be in KL by then as I do need to be in KL before the Chinese New Year.
After providing a sanctuary of sorts to over 20 cats in the past ( some died, others catnapped) with 10 actively living withing our compound, we have run out of names. We toyed with the idea of calling her Li-Po 2 in memory of our dear Li-Po who must have been catnapped more than a month ago, but the reminder is too painful, and also, what if Li-Po comes back? She wouldn't be too happy to share her name! So, we settled on Cik Siti as she dropped in on February 1 which happens to be City Day. Soon, we will have to crack our heads for the litter that will be emerging from her very, very tight, almost bursting belly!
I have been spending time experimenting with a lot of local recipes using the rich variety of local produce, plants and herbs that I chanced upon at the Pasar Tani and Pasar Malam around here, and delighting at the results. The weather is unpredictable, hot and sunny one day and pleasantly mild and windy the next, so activities are based on the weather.
After reading so much about VCO (Virgin Coconut Oil), I realised that it is a wonderful local alternative to EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil), based on the health benefits it offers ( a rich source of MCFA - Medium Chain Fatty Acids is one). How interesting that coconut oil has gone one full circle - from good press (pun intended) during my great- granny's time when we process our own home grown Minyak Kelapa, also used as Minak Kepala then - to bad press by the western producers of alternative oils (soya, corn) during which I was also a believer that it was as good as poison - to the recent incredibly good press about how healthful it is.
VCO is exactly the Minyak Kelapa that a lot of people in their 50's and 6o's would be familiar with during their childhood, together with Minyak Kacang and Mazola. I was so excited to realise that I could easily produce some VCO myself - that way I can vouch for it's authenticity, that it is freshly produced from fresh coconuts from our very own organically grown coconut trees, and that it is hygienically prepared and absolutely no additives or preservatives added. 10 coconuts presented me with just about a litre of VCO, and I find it easier to take it by the tablespoon daily as recommended as a health "tonic" to help with immunity. It tastes nicer than EVOO, although I have yet to try it with freshly baked wholewheat bread the way you do with really good EVOO.
And the residue from the preparation is something else. I remember it beng called "Tahi Minyak" - it is the same stuff you find sprinkled on Kueh Kole Kacang. It is supposed to be rich in proteins. And lovely to be used in Sambal Tumis Goreng, which I have yet to try out with the Tahi Minyak we are left with after processing my first litre of VCO. So, that might be something I will experiment with in the next day or two while in Melaka!
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6 comments:
Dear Azmi,
Kalu you tanak santan tu, the oil is not virgin lagi kot, he he he.
I prepared it via fermentation, liquidify santan, leave to stand in a wide mouth container, cover la dengan pingan, then after 20 hours, scrape of the top layer carefully so as not to disturb the oil layer. Don't have to scrape of all, if difficult let some remain. Put in fridge until the fatty layer solidify, then take out the solid layer and put on slow heat, till the cream curdle and brownish, tak lama hanya 5-10 minutes, lepas tu tapis la...you get the clear VCO.
Best eaten: pour on warm toast. Don't take too much, don't want to get fatty liver.
Good to take just before heavy duty task, like housework. The MCT is direct fuel. Good for sembelit also.
Dear Has,
ya lah, that was what I thought too. Tried to figure what exactly is Minyak kelapa dara /virgin coconut oil sthat I can buy the commercially prepared one on sale at Health stores. When i researched it, 3 methods can be used, from fresh coconuts (not copra) - heat until the santan breaks into oil, ferment for 2 days the way you described it and lastly by a process called centrifugal force ( which i imagine the thick santan is taken for a spin until the virgin oil appears!). i did try the fermentation approach but did not like the masam smell from the santan and did not proceed further but found that the oily solution is really good for the scalp and hair. That's how i ended up using the heating method which according to the article ( by CEPP) gives me Virgin Coconut Oil. The fermentation approach it seems gives a better content in the oil, and is called PREMIUM Virgin Coconut Oil ( macam Extra Virgin Olive Oil vs just Virgin Olive Oil lah, I suppose). Does the oil via fermentation smell as nice as the tanak method?
Minyak Kelapa yang "tak dara" or "tak virgin" is made from copra, the dried coconut flesh, and the product has to be refined ( very high heat to extract the oil, bleached and deodorised.
You are spot on with the sembelit thing! Should have discovered this while doing chemo! THe first time I took my first spoonful of VCO my bowels were really loose!
Dear Azmi,
Ha you dah researched thoroughly for making the coconut oil. I think the best oil comes from the expression and centrifugal method, bersih, tak masam, so tak payah direfine dan dideodarantkan, and not subjected to high temperature.
The fermentation method is good, esp. if you can scrape off the top masam layer and don't really have to expose the oil to high temperature. Remember, fermented food is good for your bowel and for anticancer too. Try buat sekali lagi la, santan-nya cair, kalau di ramas tak perlu la campur air, tapi kalau yang beli kat kedai santan segera tu kena campur air suam. Let it stand for the most 20 hours.
If you tanak, then the oil has been subjected to high temperature for a long time. Though palm and coconut oil is temperature stable, tak juga mau banyak sangat heat. Tapi tanak best part is dapat tahi minyak, buat sambal ikan, BEST!
Dear Has,
if the fermentation method is good enough to pour over warm toast, then yes, I will surely give it a try! No problem experimenting as our coconuts are really "terror" - very rich santan from fresh coconuts, no water added, as we get the Coconut boy in the market to shred and express the santan from his machine until the hampas kelapa is bone dry...thanks!
Dear Azmi,
Kalau nak buat fermentation style, santan pekat tu kena campur air suam, sebab kalau you let it stand pekat macam tu, nanti dia jadi "Gila", and will not form layers.
Good luck.
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