Please, do not feed the animals

Joining in with the ‘Visit Malaysia Year’ mood, I decided recently to travel to the island of Langkawi with a few friends for a beach holiday. It was during our stay that I discovered my own personal muse and the reason I began writing about nature. We arrived on Saturday morning and stayed only for a night, but we were able to cram in possibly a week’s worth of activities into these mere 2 days.

Our first visit was to the waterfall and it was here that I realized how beautiful nature could be. It was like walking into an oasis in the middle of a dense forest and the feeling I felt when I gazed up looking at this magnificent waterfall was just of pure relief, amazement and happiness. Although I had only a few hours of sleep and had to climb up an endless flight of stairs to get to it, I suddenly found myself having a burst of adrenaline when we reached the waterfall. It had everything; the fierce gushing water falling from the very top of the rocks, the small pool right at the bottom and surrounded by lush tropical forest. To me, this was like paradise, an absolute rarity. 

Nasi Kerabu Hitam (and Biru or blue as in this case)

We are featuring the blue herbal rice this time with the recipe that shows that colours can come from natural and herbal resources. This version of herbal rice is also popular with the Thai southern province.

Seri Muka
The dessert Seri muka is a traditional Malay and nyonya kueh and although new recipes now include modified starch to enhance the appearance, we are providing here the old recipe as cooked by our grandmothers.

Ingredients
• 2 cups glutinous rice; 1 cup thick coconut milk from one coconut
• 1 cup thin coconut milk from the second squeeze
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• A pinch of salt
• 5 large eggs
• 5 pandan leaves (pounded and juice squeezed)

Method
• Boil the glutinous rice with the thin coconut milk and water and salt. When cooked, while still hot, transfer into a 12x12 inch cake tin and using the back of a metal spoon or banana leaf, press down to fill base of tin.
• Beat eggs with a fork and add in the thick coconut milk, pandan juice extract and sugar. Mix until sugar is dissolved and mixture is homogeneous. Pour onto the glutinous rice in the cake tin and place in steamer. Steam until the top looks firm. Remove from steamer and leave to cool before serving.

Henna

When Henna is mentioned, what would come to mind would be hair treatment. However traditionally in Africa and Asia, henna has been long used for body decoration especially on hands and feet. The ancient art of Henna body decoration dates back to the times of pharaoh in the Middle East. The method of preparation and application of the henna have also undergone changes over time. In the early days henna leaves pounded into paste were used. Then later henna was sold in the Middle East in the powder form. Even our hairdressers then were using powdered henna to treat and colour hair.