Pandan Plant

Lots of Pandan plants in our backyard.

New sprouts of baby Pandan plants showing its roots.

My Pandan-flavored steamed rice.

Pandan or Screwpine is well-known in Southeast Asian Cuisine. It is commonly used to add aroma to rice and curry dishes. Personally, every time, I cook steamed rice. I made sure to put some leaves tied in a knot just after boiling. It renders a sweet-herby smell that lingers all through-out the house which is a very nice and comforting fragrance for me. Pandan is also a medicinal plant. You can use its leaves for healing wounds, headache, athiritis and stomach spasms. As for its roots, it is believed to have aphrodisiac properties. An herbal alternative for viagra. Just boil its roots with some water and drink like a tea. That's what my Uncle said... LOL! I also read that Pandan leaves are also used to make baskets and bags. I have several Pandan plants in my backyard that was planted by my Mom. But I'm the one now caring for them because my mother is living with my bro in Davao. Shown above are some of the photos of my Pandan plants.

Kaffir Lime Tree

I bought this Kaffir Lime tree several months ago at Manila Seedling Bank in Quezon Avenue. It has tripled its size now. When I got it, it was just about 5 inches tall. I'm so amazed by its appearance. It has double petal and very thorny. The husband said that all citrus plants are like that. I think so, because the Philippine Lemon plant we have is also like that. I've read so many Asian recipes, particularly Thai and Malaysian that include Kaffir Lime in their ingredients. One of these days, I'm going to try it. I just wanted my Kaffir Lime to get a little bigger before I start using their leaves for my cooking delight.

Click here to see what Wikipedia says about Kaffir Lime.

My Homemade Chili Garlic Sauce

My chili plants are very abundant nowadays. Everyday, as I water my plants in our backyard, the chili plants would greet me with several red ripe fruits which I will pick happily. It is a nice and warm feeling to harvest fruits from your plants. As the chili fruits get accumulated and dries, I decided to make them into a chili-garlic sauce. So, here it is... It is made of oil, garlic, chilis and soy sauce.

Spring Onion

two weeks ago H planted some onions, now, look at the spring onions, they are in bloom!

What Wikipedia says about spring onion....

A scallion, also commonly known as spring onion or green onion, is associated with various members of the genus Allium that lack a fully-developed bulb. They tend to be milder tasting than other onions and are typically steamed and set in salads in western cookery and cooked in many Asian recipes. Diced scallions are often used in soup, noodle, seafood, and sauce in eastern dishes, after removing the bottom quarter-inch or so of the root end.