Vegetable and fruit

The noun vegetable usually means an edible plant or part of a plant other than a sweet fruit or seed. This typically means the leaf, stem, or root of a plant.
However, the word is not scientific, and its meaning is largely based on culinary and cultural tradition. Therefore, the application of the word is somewhat arbitrary and subjective. For example, some people consider mushrooms to be vegetables, while others consider them a separate food category.
Some vegetables can be consumed raw, some may be eaten raw or cooked, and some must be cooked in order to be edible. Vegetables are most often cooked in savory or salty dishes. However, a few vegetables are often used in dessert and other sweet dishes, such as rhubarb and carrot cake.
As an adjecive, the word vegetable is used in scientific and technical contexts with a different and much broader meaning, namely of "related to plants" in general, edible or not — as in vegetable matter, vegetable kingdom, vegetable origin, etc. The meaning of "vegetable" as "plant grown for food" was not established until the 18th century.
 

Nutrition

Vegetables are eaten in a variety of ways, as part of main meals and as snacks. The nutritional content of vegetables varies considerably, though generally they contain little protein or fat, and varying proportions of vitamins, pro-vitamins, dietary minerals, fiber and carbohydrates. Vegetables contain a great variety of other phytochemicals, some of which have been claimed to have antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-fungal, antiviral and anti-carcinogenic   properties.
However, vegetables often also contain toxins and anti-nutrients such as a-solanine, a-chaconine, enzyme inhibitors (of cholinesterase, protease, amylase, etc.), cyanide and cyanide precursors, oxalic acid, and more.Depending on the concentration, such compounds may reduce the edibility, nutritional value, and health benefits of dietary vegetables. Cooking and/or other processing may be necessary to eliminate or reduce them.
Diets containing recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables may help lower the risk of heart diseases  and type 2 diabetes. These diets may also protect against some cancers and decrease bone loss. The potassium provided by both fruits and vegetables may help prevent the formation of kidney stones.


Storage

Proper post harvest storage aimed at extending and ensuring shelf life is best effected by efficient cold chain application. All vegetables benefit from proper post harvest care.
Many root and non-root vegetables that grow underground can be stored through winter in a root cellar or other similarly cool, dark and dry place to prevent mold, greening and sprouting. Care should be taken in understanding the properties and vulnerabilities of the particular roots to be stored. These vegetables can last through to early spring and be nearly as nutritious as when fresh.
During storage, leafy vegetables lose moisture, and the vitamin C in them degrades rapidly. They should be stored for as short a time as possible in a cool place, in a container or plastic bag.

Durian

 The Durian is the fruit of several tree spices belonging to the genus Durio and the Malvaceaefamily(although some taxonomists place Durio in a distinct family, Durionaceae). Widely known and revered in southeast Asia as the "king of fruits", the durian is distinctive for its large size, unique odor, and formidable thorn-covered husk. The fruit can grow as large as 30 centimetres (12 in) long and 15 centimetres (6 in) in diameter, and it typically weighs one to three kilograms (2 to 7 lb). Its shape ranges from oblong to round, the colour of its husk green to brown, and its flesh pale yellow to red, depending on the species.

The edible flesh emits a distinctive odor, strong and penetrating even when the husk is intact. Some people regard the durian as fragrant; others find the aroma overpowering and offensive. The smell evokes reactions from deep appreciation to intense disgust, and has been described variously as almonds, rotten onions, turpentine and gym socks. The odour has led to the fruit's banishment from certain hotels and public transportation in southeast Asia.

The durian, native to Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia, has been known to the Western world for about 600 years. The 19th-century British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace famously described its flesh as "a rich custard highly flavoured with almonds". The flesh can be consumed at various stages of ripeness, and it is used to flavour a wide variety of savoury and sweet edibles in Southeast Asian cuisines. The seeds can also be eaten when cooked.

There are 30 recognised Durio species, at least nine of which produce edible fruit. Durio zibethinus is the only species available in the international market: other species are sold in their local regions. There are hundreds of durian cultivars; many consumers express preferences for specific cultivars, which fetch higher prices in the market.

Nutritional and medicinal

Durian (Durio zibethinus)

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy	615 kJ (147 kcal)
Carbohydrates	27.09 g
Dietary fiber	3.8 g
Fat	5.33 g
Protein	1.47 g
Water	65g
Vitamin C	19.7 mg (33%)
Potassium	436 mg (9%)
Edible parts only, raw or frozen. Refuse: 68% (Shell and seeds) Source: USDA Nutrient database Percentages are relative to US recommendations for adults.

Durian fruit contains a high amount of sugar, vitamin C, potassium, and the serotonergic amino acid tryptophan,and is a good source ofcarbohydrates, proteins, and fats. It is recommended as a good source of raw fats by several raw food advocates, while others classify it as a high-glycemic food, recommending to minimize its consumption.

In Malaysia, a decoction of the leaves and roots used to be prescribed as an antipyretic. The leaf juice is applied on the head of a fever patient. The most complete description of the medicinal use of the durian as remedies for fevers is a Malay prescription, collected by Burkill and Haniff in 1930. It instructs the reader to boil the roots of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis with the roots of Durio zibethinus, Nephelium longan, Nephelium mutabile and Artocarpus integrifolia, and drink the decoction or use it as a poultice.

In the 1920s, Durian Fruit Products, Inc., of New York City launched a product called "Dur-India" as a health food supplement, selling atUS$9 for a dozen bottles, each containing 63 tablets. The tablets allegedly contained durian and a species of the genus Allium from India and vitamin E. The company promoted the supplement saying that it provides "more concentrated healthful energy in food form than any other product the world affords".

Cangkuk Manis

Sauropus androgynus, also known as katuk, star gooseberry, or sweet leaf, is a shrub grown in some tropical regions as a leaf vegetable. In Chinese it is called mani cai (马尼菜); in Malay it is called cekur manis, sayur manis, or asin-asin; in Thai it is called pak waan; and inVietnamese, it is called rau ngót.In Kerala -India it is called Malay Cheera.

Sauropus androgynus

Its multiple upright stems can reach 2.5 meters high and bear dark green oval leaves 5–6 cm long.
It is one of the most popular leaf vegetables in South Asia and Southeast Asia and is notable for high yields and palatability. The shoot tips have been sold as tropical asparagus. In Vietnam, the locals cook it with crab meat, minced pork or dried shrimp to make soup. In Malaysia, it is commonly stir-fried with egg or dried anchovies.
It is among the only few flora to contain vitamin K. However, a studie has suggested that its excessive consumption (due to its popularity for body weight control in Taiwan in the mid '90s) can cause lung damage, due to its high concentrations of the alkaloid papaverine.
Stir-Fried Cangkuk Manis

Cangkuk Manis (“Chong-cook Ma-Niss”, meaning sweet leaf) or Mani chai in Hokkien is a vegetable that is very common here in Kuching. As a matter of fact, the same day that we arrived here and were introduced to paku, we also got introduced to Cangkuk Manis. Its texture when cooked is like spinach, but without the bitterness. This vegetable has a natural sweetness to it (which is why it’s name has the word “manis” – meaning sweet – in it).

How Sweet It Is

Cangkuk Manis is actually the leaf of a bush commonly grown in Southeast Asia. Contrary to what you read in an earlier blog post on Paku, it is actually Cangkuk Manisthat you can grow easily from it’s stem. “Just stick it in the ground and pretty soon it will start to produce leaves again” was how Paul explained it to us. I haven’t yet tried to do this because it’s so cheap to buy Cangkuk Manis at the store. For RM1, you get a big bunch!

Cangkuk Manis for Sale at Stutong Community Market

We’ve also ordered this dish in several restaurants and most times we’ve cooked or ordered it, they stir-fry this vegetable with eggs. The sweetness of the Cangkuk Manisreally complements the egg nicely. Be that as it may, I was puzzled that at one particular restaurant, their Cangkuk Manis stir-fry was always sweeter than the ones I made at home. From the instructions I had been given, it was a simple stir-fry—just some garlic, shallots, egg, cangkuk manisand a bit of salt. But somehow, when I made it, the veggie did not sing with sweetness the way this particular restaurant’s did.
Anyway, after asking around and not being able to figure it out, we went to yet another restaurant where the dish was also sweeter (in a savory way). And that was when it dawned on me, they used oyster sauce!
D’uh! I should have guessed and tried it earlier. After all, oyster sauce is one of my favorite condiments to put on stir-fry veggies.
So, in this latest attempt at stir-fried Cangkuk Manis, I added some oyster sauce and finally, I had the flavor mystery figured out. Try this quick stir-fry if you are able to find this vegetable near you. I believe that in KL, they use this same vegetable in their Pan Mein. If you know it by another name, would you share?

Stir-Fried Cangkuk Manis Recipe

Ingredients
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 large bunch Cangkuk Manis, leaves stripped from stem and crushed
2 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 shallots, sliced thin
2 eggs, beaten
1-2 Tbsp oyster sauce
1/2-1 tsp salt
pepper to taste

Stripping and Crushing Cangkuk Manis

Method1. In a large wok, heat oil on medium high heat.
2. Add garlic and shallots and stir-fry for about a minute, until garlic is lightly browned and shallots are slightly translucent.
3. Add beaten eggs and stir them around quickly till they are all broken up and form little pieces. Be careful not to let them brown, you just want them barely cooked.

Stir-Frying Shallots and Eggs

4. Add Cangkuk Manis leaves and stir around.

5. Add seasoning (oyster sauce, salt and pepper). Stir to incorporate the flavors. Add a little water if necessary to keep vegetables from drying out.
6. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Plate up and enjoy over rice!

Stir-Fried Cangkuk Manis

Rambutans

 The rambutan is a medium-sized tropical tree in the familySapindaceae, and the fruit of this tree. It is native to Indonesia, Malaysia, The Philippines, Sri Lanka and elsewhere in Southeast Asia, although its precise natural distribution is unknown. It is closely related to several other edible tropical fruits including the Lychee, Longan, andMamoncillo. It is believed to be native to the Malay Archipelago, from where it spread westwards to Thailand, Burma, Sri Lanka and India; eastwards to Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia. The name rambutan is from the Malay word rambutan, which literally means hairycaused by the 'hair' that covers this fruit, and is in general use in Malay and Filipino.

There is a second species regularly for sale at Costa Rican markets which is known as "wild" rambutan. It is a little smaller than the usual red variety and is colored yellow. The outer skin is peeled exposing the fleshy fruit inside which is then eaten. It is sweet, sour and slightly grape like and gummy to the taste. In Costa Rican Spanish it is known as mamón chino (translated "Chinese sucker") due to the likeness of the edible part with Melicoccus bijugatus and its Asian origin.


Nutrient

Rambutan, canned, syrup pack

Nutritional value per serving
Serving size	100 g
Energy	343 kJ (82 kcal)
Carbohydrates	20.87
Dietary fiber	0.9
Fat	0.21
Protein	0.65
Water	78.04 g
Vitamin A equiv.	0 μg (0%)
Vitamin A	3 IU
- beta-carotene	2 μg (0%)
Thiamine (Vit. B1)	0.013 mg (1%)
Riboflavin (Vit. B2)	0.022 mg (1%)
Niacin (Vit. B3)	1.352 mg (9%)
Pantothenic acid (B5)	0.018 mg (0%)
Vitamin B6	0.020 mg (2%)
Folate (Vit. B9)	8 μg (2%)
Vitamin B12	0.00 μg (0%)
Vitamin C	4.9 mg (8%)
Calcium	22 mg (2%)
Iron	0.35 mg (3%)
Magnesium	7 mg (2%)
Manganese	0.343 mg (17%)
Phosphorus	9 mg (1%)
Potassium	42 mg (1%)
Sodium	10.9 mg (0%)
Nutrient values and weights are for edible portion Percentages are relative to US recommendationsfor adults.

Tuak

 Tuak is an alcoholic beverage made of fermented rice, yeast and sugar and drank in Indonesia such as Sumatra, Sulawesi, Penang Islands, Borneoand East Malaysia. The beverage is a popular drink among the Ibans of Sarawak during the Gawai festivals, weddings, hosting of guests and other special occasions.

Preparation: cooked glutinous rice is spread thin and left to cool on flat surfaces, usually metallic utensils. An equivalent weight of yeast (ragi) is added, which will produce bitter Tuak. For sweet Tuak, sliced ragi is added instead. The yeast is pounded into powder and mixed with the rice after it has cooled and the mixture left to ferment in jars for 10 days. Sugar is added to boiling water (typically 1 kg of sugar to every 2 liters of water, but the mix can be varied depending on the preference for the level of sweetness) and the cooled syrup is added to the fermented mixture. Cool, boiled water plus sugar (syrup) is added to this mixture. The Tuak is ready to be served or as with the locals, it is preferably left to stand for another 10 days for the taste to mature. The longer the Tuak is kept, the more concentrated it would become.

kang kung

 Water spinach, also known as Ipomoea reptans Poir1. is a kind of plant that includes the type of vegetablesand crops as food. Water spinach sold in many markets. Kangkung numerous in the region Asiaand is a plant that can be found almost everywhere, especially in the area of water.
Popular dishes that use spinach is fried kangkong belacan .
Swamp Cabbage is also the one food animal species Chersina , or a turtle .

There are two forms of spinach. Water spinach has a sleek and leaf-shaped arrowhead, as long as 5-6 inches. This plant has creeping stems with alternating leaves and stems uprise at the base of the leaf. This plant produces pale green colored flowers colored white, which produces seeds bag containing four seeds. There is also a type of leaf width and leaf taper.


Nutritional value
kang kong per 100 g serving
30 kcal
2.7 g protein
60 mg calcium
2.5 mg iron
2.9 mg vitamin A
45 mg vitamin C

Ciku

Ciku (Manilkara sp.), a tropical fruit also known as sapodilla, belongs to the family Sapotaceae. Various species of Manilkara are grown and used worldwide for different purposes. The species most popular for its fruit in Singapore and Southeast Asia is the Manilkara zapota. This was also called Manilkara achras, Achras zapota or Nispero achras, a derivative of the Greek word achras for the Pear tree, because of the fruit's semblance to a pear.
Origins and distribution
Sapodilla is a Tucatan native of Central America, Mexico, Northeastern Guatemala and the West Indies, where it is a tall tree found in forests. Spanish colonialists brought a variety of Manilkara to Manila where it became known for its fruit. From the Philippines, it spread throughout Southeast Asia as a popular fruit tree. Various species of sapodilla are now cultivated in Africa, India, East Indies, Philippines, Malaysia, the tropics and sub-tropics of the Americas and they are found in almost all tropical countries worldwide. Ciku has around 75 related species across the globe although this tropical version is much shorter than its counterparts in Central America. They are used for various purposes such as for its fruit, wood or medicinal properties.Manilkara duplicata, also known as Mimosops globosa was introduced into the Singapore botanical gardens for its fruit and timber. In Malaysia, sapodilla is grown mainly in Terengganu, Pahang, Perak, Johor and Melaka. Germination is through seeds that remain viable for a few months. Grafting and marcotting is used to obtain cloned material.

Description
The ciku tree is evergreen, has a conical crown and can grow up to 30 m in height. Its bark is light-grey and becomes fissured with age. The plant with all its parts has a white latex. Young twigs of the plant are covered in a woolly layer. Its leaves are spirally arranged, dark green and pointed. It has a stalk measuring between one to three cm. Ciku flowers are white, fragrant, solitary and bisexual. They have six free sepals in two whorls on the outside. The petals are joined in a corolla tube with six lobes and six stamens and six staminodes. The ovary is superior and it has a single style. The flowers remain open even at night. The major flowering period for sapodilla in Singapore is in the month of May. Ciku fruits are brown, round or oblong, with a thin skin. The flesh is sweet, soft and reddish-brown. The fruits have very few seeds in them that are hard, black, elongated, flattened and shiny.

Usage and potential
Food
Sapodilla is usually consumed fresh. The fruit is commercialised for its flavour in sherbets, drinks, butter and ice-creams. It is also cooked to make pies, syrups, sauces, jams and is fermented to get wine or vinegar. In Indonesia, the young shoots are eaten either raw or after steaming with rice. The latex of the tree M.balata, that coagulates into what is known as chicle, formed the base for chewing gums before synthetic materials came to be used.
Medicine
In Java, sapodilla flowers are used in a powder with other ingredients that is rubbed on the stomach of women after child birth. The seeds, flowers and bark contain tannin and saponin with medicinal properties. The Malaya use the seeds in treating fever. Seeds are also diuretic. Unripe fruits are eaten to stop purging and to treat mild diarrhoea. The Chinese use the bark to treat diarrhoea.

Other uses
The gum-latex of the plant Manilkara balata is used in dental surgeries, in making transmission belts and as a substitute for gutta percha from Palaquium spp. for insulating electrical cables. The wood of Manilkara kaukiand Manilkara duplicata is used to make furniture. Henry Ridley noted that Manilkara kauki timber was used in coffin making in Malaya.
Variant names
Common name: Ciku, sapodilla.
Scientific name: Manilkara zapota (older generic names: Achras zapota, Manilkara achras).
Malay names: Ciku, chiku (Malaysia), sawo manila, sawo londo (Indonesia).
Other common names: Naseberry, Chicle, sapodilla plum, chico, chiku, chico sapote.

Camias

Camias (Averrhoa Bilimbi), a tropical fruit native to Malaysia and Indonesia, belongs to the family Oxalidaceae. The fruit is important locally for its many medicinal uses and as an ingredient in Malay cooking.
Origin and distributionCamias (Averrhoa Bilimbi) is native to Malaysia and Indonesia. It belongs to the same family as the sweeter starfruit, which Malays call belimbing manis, to distinguish it from camias which they call belimbing asam for its sour taste. The Averrhoa bilimbi gets its name from two words: Averrhoa, from Averroes (b. 1126 - d. 1198), a famous Moorish Physician; and bilimbi from the Malay word "belimbing". In 1793, the fruit was introduced to Jamaica from the island of Timor and spread to South America soon after. Today, bilimbi is found as a cultivated or semi-wild crop throughout the tropics: in Ceylon, Burma, India, Thailand, Australia, South America, the lowlands of Central America and occasionally in Southern Florida, USA.

Description
Camias trees are evergreen and measure between 6 to 9 m high. The leaves tend to crowd towards the ends of branches, occurring in pairs of 7 to 19 leaflets which ovate, measuring between 5 to 12 cm long. The branches are very few and upright while the flowers are small with reddish-purple or crimson free petals that measure 10 to 22 mm long. Flowers are auxiliary or cauliflorous, appearing directly on the branches and trunk. They are produced all year round. When the plants are in bloom, the flowers attract a lot of small bees and insects in the bright morning light. The camias fruits are berries, yellowish-green, lobed slightly and measure up to 10 cm long. The skin is thin and smooth, enclosing a soft and juicy flesh which is sour. Seeds are few, flat and occur at the centre of the fruit. The plants grow well in a seasonal humid climate and do not tolerate flooding and salinity.

Usage and potential
Food: The fruit is rarely eaten raw because it is regarded as too acidic though in some countries like Costa Rica, the uncooked fruit is prepared as a relish and served with rice and beans. Most of the time, camias is dropped into dishes that call for a tangy or sour taste, such as sambals, pickles and chutnies. It is added to curries to provide acidity and it tastes particularly good with fish. It is also used as a substitute for vinegar. It can be used to make drinks and jam with plenty of sugar added, and is preserved in syrup as well. Pickled camias is also popular, prepared by taking half-ripe camias, washing and dusting them with salt, and leaving them to wilt in the hot sun before submerging them in brine. The juice of the fruit is also used to prepare drinks that are as cooling and refreshing as lemonade.

Medicine: The Malays make a concoction of the leaves along with the fruit and use it to treat Syphilis. In traditional Malay medicine, the juice of the fruit is used to treat pimples, hypertension, diabetes and dizziness. The juice of the fruit is also used as eye drops and is considered a magic cure for certain eye problems. The leaves are heated and applied to treat itchiness. An infusion of the leaves is consumed as a protective measure after childbirth. The leaves, fruits and flowers are boiled together and drunk to relieve oneself of cough. The flowers are used to treat tooth aches. The Indonesians use the leaves to treat a range of ailments, including boils, rheumatism, mumps, pimples, diabetes, whooping cough and fever. Javanese make a preparation called rujak mricha from the fruit with pepper and use it to induce perspiration In the Philippines, the juice of the fruit is used in treating fever. In Indonesia and the Philippines, a leaf decoction is used to stop internal bleeding and treat rectal inflammation. Traditionally, the fruit is useful in treating piles and scurvy.

Other uses: The high acidic (Oxalic Acid) content in camias makes it a useful remover of rust and stains from knife blades, hands, clothing and almost all types of metal. The Malays used it to clean their keris or dagger in the olden days. In the 19th century in Philippines, the juice of the fruit was used as soap to clean dirty hands and was commonly practised by the washermen.
Variant Names
Common name: Camias, Bilimbing.
Scientific name: Averrhoa Bilimbi.
Malay name: Blimbing asam, Blimbing assam, Bilimbing buluh, Belimbing wuluh, Belimbing buluk.
Chinese name: In Mandarin Suan guo.
Other names: Cucumber tree, Billimbi., Blimbing, Tree Sorrel, Belimbing.

Sawi (Mustard)

Mustard is a group of plants from the genus Brassica leaves or flowers are used as food ( vegetables ), both fresh and processed. Mustard include several species of Brassica which is sometimes similar to each other.

In Malaysia the mention of mustard usually refers to the green mustard ( Brassica few groups parachinensis , also called mustard meatballs, caisim, or caisin). In addition, there are also Chinese cabbage ( Brassica few groupspekinensis , also called Chinese cabbage), which used to make soups or processed into pickles . The other type is sometimes referred to as mustard green is vegetable mustard (to distinguish it caisim). kailan ( Brassica oleracea groupalboglabra ) is a kind of other leaf vegetables in a slightly different, because its leaves are thicker and more suitable to mix ingredients fried noodles . Sawi spoon (pakcoy or bok choy) is a type of vegetable mustard leaf relatives who became known also in the world of catering Malaysia.

Itik (Duck)

Duck is the common name for the species of the family Anatidae and the class of birds . Ducks typically are aquatic birds, smaller than the brother of swans and geese , and can be found in freshwater and marine.
Ducks raised for meat or eggs. In Malaysia , the major domestic producer of eggs ducks are Kedah , Perlis andPulau Pinang . 
Most ducks have a wide flat beak to menyudu. Ducks eat different foods such as grasses , aquatic plants, fish ,insects ,amphibians small, worms and mollusks small.