Green Caviar vs Sea Bird Nest

This is the most beautiful seaweed I’d come cross with, it looks like green bunch of pearl in bundle. My Filipino staffs prepared this beautiful and delicious Sea Bird Nest plus “Green Caviar” seaweed healthy veggie salad for me.

There are many species of seaweed in our country and most common edible seaweed like Eucheuma cottonii ~ Sea Bird Nest and Eucheuma spinosum are known as red seaweed, and the green seaweed ~ Caulerpa lentillifera also known as “Green Caviar” which make nutritious and healthy dietary valuable to human consumption food. 

All the while my recipes of making Eucheuma Seaweed or Sea Bird Nest come in dry form. Now I have the wet form of Eucheuma Cottonii Seaweed, in cebu they called it as “Guso”, also known as gelatinous seaweed called agar-agar by cebuanos, in chinese named as San Hu Cao or Sea Bird Nest.

Guso is in lighter greenish in color, slimy in touch when in wet form with sea water fishy smell. Now the wet form of guso (Eucheuma Seaweed) and “Lato” ~ known as Caulerpa Lentilifera or “Green Caviar” to make the Filipino dishes in fresh vegetable seaweed salad. 

What is Caulerpa Lentilifera or Green Caviar

Caulerpa Lentilifera or Green caviar is being used in Thailand to cultivate in the pond for water treatment in their shrimp farm. In Philippines and Japan used it as fresh vegetable and healthy salad, or decoration food.

Other than the wet Sea Bird Nest “Guso”, I like this “Green Caviar”, also known as Caulerpa lentillifera (Scientific name of Green Caviar), in Philippines they called as "Lato". It growth in zero pollution water as claimed, and pearly in light green color like a bunch of grapes looks with succulent texture. That's how the name of "Sea Grapes" comes from.

How is the Green Caviar taste like? 

To be frank with you, its taste likes sea water if eating without a dip of sauce, taste a bit like other algae and slightly salty in taste.

How to Prepare Guso

Rinse Eucheuma Cottonii Seaweed or Guso (wet form) with running water and clean thoroughly, cut into small pieces, soak “Guso” in the hot water, make it slightly soften, but don’t hold too long in hot water as it will turn its texture. Toss with the seasoning flavor like vinegar, onion, carrot, and tomato it brings palatable dishes and also protein rich food.

For your information, the strong fishy smell "Guso" in raw orm, taste is totally fishy smell and tasteless, but crunchy in bite. Compare to making in dessert drink, wet form of Eucheuma Cottonii seaweed needs other ingredients to add taste to it before you can consume it with delicious taste.

This Veggie salad is full of "Guso" ~ Sea Bird Nest and "Lato" ~ Green Caviar. the mixture of two seaweeds in a big plate blanch with lime, chilli, carrot and onion. Remember this, when mixed the “Green Caviar” can turns into good taste vegetable salad. But have to consume as quickly as you can if you mixed the “Green Caviar” into the salad. Usually the “Green Caviar” should be separated in another plate; it tastes crispy and nicer with dipping in sauce than mixing it.

Preparation and Cleaning Green Caviar:

Now, to prepare and cleaning procedure for this “Green Caviar” is quite simple, but not yet, we must know how the technique for how to clean to keep its freshness, and its nutrient content in good order.

Method to clean Green Caviar:

Rinse and wash with running water is common method. But through my experiences, and I learned from my Filipino staffs that, after using the running water to clean, probably passes one hour later it will become soft and turn to pale in color, it wilts and the feeling of bite is not crisp at all.

The best way to wash them in a bit of salty water or use the clean water (1 liter) to add with 50g of table salt to process to keep it crispiness in bite when eat.

Sauce for dipping

It is very simple. Mixture of moderate amount of Vinegar or lime, chili and chili sauce, sugar, salt and soybean sauce, mixed well and done.

Preparation and how to eat:

1. Must be eaten raw, can not stand soaking in sauce immersion.

2. Separate the sauce and “Green Caviar”, dip them into the sauce and eat it. Such feeling in the mouth and brittleness will not change.

3. Dip Green Caviar in sauce, wasabi, salad cream, lime or vinegar with chili, the feeling in mouth rumble and trundle in bite yet so delicious. Yum!

Take Note:

• Green Caviar is very sensitive to cold, this Green Caviar survives in about approximately 20-35 °C, cannot keep them in the refrigerator and it will wilt very soon.
• After washing with water, it cannot keep for long period, wash and clean it by water flushing then edible immediately.

Its Health Benefits:

The Green Caviar is pH alkaline foods from the sea. It includes the rich fiber and the mineral substance, rich source of antioxidants and high content of photo-synthetic vitamins, e.g. Vitamin C, Vitamin E, minerals, fatty acid, amino acid, lipid, iodine, phosphorus, copper, magnesium and calcium, dietary fiber and more. The mucus includes the polysaccharide and plant sterols, it is said may have suppresses the cancer cell effect. So far the data of the nutritional value not yet available, even though this seaweed has been eaten as sea vegetable and fresh salad quite common in locally and famous in other countries like Philippines and Japan.

Mugwort Lemon Grass Red Dates Wine

Herbs in culinary can be medicine and it also add tastes to our cooking. Other than that used of herbal to make herbal wine, enzymes or vinegar, making mugwort wine is quite an easy job. Again, herbal wine in holistic healing, more and more women are now become awaken on using herbal wine, tonic and herbal vinegar in rejuvenating, and give warming effect to promote the energy flow, and boost blood circulation to improve their beauty care ~ “the inner health and outer beauty”, to maintaining and strengthen our body immunity in keeping good health. 

Mugwort is one of the famous women’s herbs. Do it yourself a herbal wine with mugwort is the best feminine food. Mugwort is commonly use as herbal infusion, in cooking for confinement food, making into herbal and fruit enzymes, or air dried the mugwort leaves, it can be air-dried as tea leaves or making into powder form as healthy drinks for convenient in keeping.

Mugwort benefits and nutrients:

Mugwort besides content of chlorophyll, it also rich in fiber, simultaneously have the massive vitamins and mineral substance, like vitamin A, B1, B2, C and the mineral substance iron, calcium, Phosphorus and other micro nutritive elements which enable the chlorophyll or other ingredient multiplication effect, therefore mugwort is most ideal food for natural healing, as a sedative herbs traditional to nervous system, medicinal usage to balance hormones to improve the woman’s menstrual pain and menstruation cycle health problem, as well as in treating infertility. It is a digestive stimulant herb, even good for treating malaria. 

Mugwort ~ Women health

Since mugwort is the best remedy for women health, adding red dates and lemongrass to immerse with rice wine gives the warming effect especially good for cold feet and hands, the mugwort is famous Chinese medicinal plant which has the close relationship to women health. Especially to confinement women help to get rid of blood stasis in the womb, help to improves of blood circulation, reduces menstrual pain, also to regulate the menstruation cycles for those having irregular menstrual problem. After giving birth, taking this healthy mild tonic will strengthen the nervous system and boost potent energy.

Lemongrass

By adding few stalks of Lemongrass to release its mild taste of lemony fragrance and citrus flavor, this therapeutic and versatile herb gives the stimulant effect to treat cold, anti-depressant, and expels excessive body wind, it works wonderfully to skin and nail, get rid of water retention during confinement, alleviates indigestion, reduces stomach fat after birth.

The ingredients, Red Dates, rich in Magnesium and Iron, its boost energy metabolism, as blood tonic ingredient adds medicinal effect to mugwort, and lemongrass, using the rice wine starter which allow the ingredients or herbal properties to draw out by the alcohol solution. Rice wine starter are mixed up and the immersion process to certain period, it becomes a healthy herbal wine which can be taking it solely as wine to drink. It is a slightly sweet bitter tonic, after 3 weeks or a month of immersion in the rice wine; it turns into sweet bitter herbal wine.

I reckon its therapeutic benefits are imparted from the herbs, or to those confinement women. Something for a change; mixing some of this aromatic taste of herbal rice wine to cook with chicken or chicken feet, or use the concentrated herbal wine to steam with chicken. Other than the taste is refreshing and makes the confinement food much more nutritious, for which strengthen the immunity system and help to regulate the menstrual cycle back to normal after birth.

Now ready to make your homemade herbal wine.

Ingredients you need:

• Mugwort dried herb 30g
• 10 dried Red dates
• Lemongrass 5 to 6 stalks
• Rice wine starter 1000ml
• Brown rock sugar 100g

Preparation:

Wash and air dry the mugwort, red dates and lemongrass, let it totally air dried first before use.

Method:

1. Place all the ingredients into a glass jar
2. Pour in the rice wine over it
3. Cover lid.
4. Let it immerse for at least 10 to 15 days. 

Sip a glass of herbal wine before bed time, in additional, this Mugwort Lemongrass Red Dates wine may help to eliminate halitosis or unpleasant odor exhaled in breathing caused by digestive system problem. Have a good try.

Enjoy this herbal wine.

Homemade Fermented Olive Black Vinegar & Recipe

Black vinegar is commonly used by Chinese traditional healthy diet for confinement in flavor boost. There are variety of black vinegars in the market. Black vinegar is made from whole grains like barley, wheat, millet and sorghum.

Drinking vinegar is beneficial to health. For easy to drink combined black vinegar with honey. It is recommend diluting vinegar and water with ratio of 1: 3 parts of water. What about adding some fruit flavor into black vinegar? Fresh Olive Black Vinegar is the best choice for you.... harvest season is the right moment for preparing pickle and ferment of raw Black Olives. Try to make your own homemade Olive Black Vinegar now. 

Olive has the monounsaturated fats, polyphenols and vitamin E that help to nourishing the skin to support for healthy skin and mucus membrane, the olive black vinegar is good source of health foods and drink to women going through menopause, it helps to reduce hot flashes, also a beauty maintenance and healthy diet drink.

My home made fermented Olive Black Vinegar has the rich taste of black olive in sweet vinegar. I love the fermented Olive Black Vinegar added in my cooking series also my favorite seasonings, and thereafter, the fermented black olive is the healthy dietary snack. It is also widely used in traditional confinement recipe particularly Chinese cuisine, like pork leg or chicken feet serve in black vinegar with ginger. The acetic acid of black vinegar beneficial in improves blood circulation to remove stagnate blood in uterus after birth, it has blood thinning properties, to lower cholesterol level, that also increase energy level help in recovery and build and restore the energy in post-natal delicious healthy diet. 

 

Simply Senz fermented Olive Black Vinegar

As raw or fresh olives can not be eaten right away and it is slightly bitter in taste. Fresh olives contain active phytonutrient compounds - oleuropein and phenol compound which also known as carbolic acid and organic acid. Oleuropein has the antioxidant effect. Olive is rich in Vitamin E, it also has the anti-inflammatory properties, which help to lower the risk of inflammation, and help in healing the damage wounds especially after birth delivery. It contains the nutrients of iron, dietary fiber, copper, fatty acids, amino acids and more nutrients to maintain good health for good energy source. 

Although I am a Hakka heritage, and mixed with Teochew was my upbringing, at least I learned a few of other varieties of Teochew pickles, raw Olives are used as pickle or fermented olives black vinegar for the traditional postnatal confinement food in Teochew style too.

My previous blog topic of how to cure fresh olives with salt-curing, the simple recipe of making healthy Olive snack, simply add in soy sauce and brown sugar to accelerate the process in few minutes to turn raw Olives into delicious food (read here). 

Making of fermented from the fresh olives into sweetened black vinegar, instead of using brown rice vinegar is quite simple to make it your own. Which is aged, fermented for at least 3 months, but I prefer to keep them for longer period of 6 months or longer. It produces excellent sweet aroma flavor in my home made Olive black vinegar. Ideal for cooking pork leg, chicken and dipping sauce for dumplings, a sweet and sour snack of fermented olive black vinegar for an extra dash of flavor, pickle olives or fermentation make the fresh olives more palatable.

How to make Fresh Olive Black Vinegar

Ingredients:

1 kg of Fresh Olives
1 bottle Black Vinegar
1 cup of brown rice vinegar
½ cup of malt sugar
3 tbs. of salt (for salt-curing purpose)

The preparation:

1. Wash fresh olives with running water thoroughly.

2. Soak fresh olives in the cold water with 3 tbs. of salt till it is slightly soften. (do not soak too long, approx. about 5 to 10 minutes, if not, the fresh olives will be too soft), throw away the salt water, rinse well.

3. Let it totally air dried.

4. Place all salt-cured fresh olives into a sterilize glass jar and fill with sweetened black vinegar, brown rice vinegar, malt sugar or honey to cover the whole olives.

5. Keep the lid closed.

6. Period of fermentation at least 3 months for making vinegar. The longer the ferment period is much better.

Take Note:

During fermentation process the lid need to be opened once a week at the start, to allow the oxygen to flow to enable the gases of fermentation should be able to escape. 

Drinking Olive Black Vinegar:

Take about 1/3 cup of fermented Olive Black Vinegar, diluted with water. Drink it. If you prefer to add sweet taste, just add honey into it.

Teochow style of Cooking Olive Black Vinegar ginger chicken

Ingredients: 

• 1 chicken drumstick - chopped
• 2 cups of Olive black vinegar
• 10 fermented olives
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
• 2 tbs. honey
• 2 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 100g ginger slice
• 3 pips garlic clove, minced
• 1 tbs of olive oil
• 2 tbs of rice wine

Preparation: 

1. Wash Clean chicken drumstick, remove skin. Chopped in small pieces.

2. Remove skin of ginger and cut in thin slices.

Cooking Method: 

1. Heat pot; add 4 tablespoons cooking oil to preheat.

2. When oil is hot, add in minced garlic and ginger slices, stir-fry for 15 seconds til light brown in color;

3. Add in the chicken, stir fry for 3 minutes.

4. Add in light soy sauce, olive black vinegar, fermented olives, salt and sugar, stir and cook till the sauce lightly reduced.

5. Simmer in low heat cooking until the chicken is cooked.

6. Stir in rice wine and cook for 1 minute. 

7. Remove from heat. Done and serve. 

Eucheuma Seaweed My Antioxidant Booster

Tea or Coffee? I love coffee very much. To be a little bit more health conscious what I can do is to avoid overdoses with caffeine. Nowadays I would avoid taking more than 3 cups of coffee in a day. Try to cut down the caffeine intake for my body before it does deteriorate my body. I need to boost my immunity system with high antioxidants due to stressful works. Usually taking a cup of tea certainly is calming effect, especially flora tea and green tea.

The picture of unwashed and washed Eucheuma Seaweed/Sea Bird Nest in process stages.

• Top picture of Washed Eucheuma Seaweed take about 5 hours to soak and preparation in progress.
• Below is those unwashed Eucheuma Seaweed take at least 3 days of soaking and washing in several times daily in progress.

Adding food varieties in taste, nutrients and benefits plus anti-aging of cos the beauty and slimming always come first to me.

Eucheuma Seaweed + Jasmine green tea mixed with orange juice Plus Plus ++ it is my great antioxidant booster, with its light and refreshing aroma flavor may go well with Eucheuma Seaweed / Sea Bird Nest. This fishy thing is as good as Bird Nest....Also "Edible Skincare".

Carrageenan extracted from the Eucheuma Seaweed is used as a stabilizer in food and cosmetics. Its highest amount of protein does not contains any cholesterol. And it has good compound to stabilize the fruit juices, jelly and pudding.

About the benefits of taking Eucheuma Seaweed you can refer to this link here. After soaking process and removed the fishy smell of Eucheuma Seaweed with ionized water or water. In fact I found Eucheuma Seaweed is tasteless after soaked and washed in water for several times.

The purpose of get rid of the fishy smell with the combination of orange juice aroma taste of citrus added Vitamins C plus refreshing taste. Whatever best goes well with my taste bud, I try to make it. Not only that, especially Green tea to those with irritable bowel movement can not take too much of it. So the idea of making it with Eucheuma Seaweed / Sea Bird Nest would help to solve the problem for green tea lover.

Benefits of Green Tea

In additional, the health benefits of Green Tea contain catechin polyphenols which possesses powerful antioxidant activity and antibiotic properties. It helps reduction in cancer risk and lower fat tissue levels, if you want to slim down take more of this stuff and boost metabolism rate to burn more fat with its detoxification process, it really help in digestion tract problem and weight lost plus anti-aging naturally, Eucheuma seaweed /Sea Bird Nest is edible skincare for women. It is just like taking collagen for your skin. Why not! It’s satisfying your sweet tooth by taking junk foods this is one of the best skincare.

Add Orange Juice or Citrus in Green Tea health benefits

This suggests of add in orange juice or lemon increases green tea’s antioxidants, if you have ever had probelms with poor digestion you may want to try drinking teas or some kind of herbs, try to add and make this Eucheuma Seaweed into your diet or beverage. it will help with digestion and giving your body an extra boost and improve bodily absorption.

As the Citrus juice increased recovered catechin levels by more than 5 times, Lemon Juice and its Ascorbic acid, or vitamin C has a stabilizing affect higher than orange, the benefits of adding orange or Lemon juice into Green tea to cook Eucheuma Seaweed, not only adding Vitamin C is used for flavor and also to increase shelf life. It showed the results in more available antioxidants at the absorption phase also simulates digestion in the stomach and small intestine. As the green tea catechins become unstable in a non-acidic environment and less than 20 percent of the amount originally ingested remains after entering the intestines.

Ingredients:

1 bowl of Eucheuma Seaweed/ Sea Bird Nest (blend or cut into fine pieces)

2 Jasmine Green Teabags

Juice of 2 Oranges

4 cups of water

(This recipe is just like making agar-agar Jelly)

Preparation:

1. Boil 3 cups of water and put in the Eucheuma Seaweed till it totally dissolved and turn into jelly form.
2. Boil 1 cup of water, put in Jasmine green tea bags to a teapot. Add in rock sugar till dissolve. simmer or let it sit for 5 to 7 minutes. (do not cook Jasmine green tea).
   
3. Remove the tea bags. Ready for use. 
4. After the Sea Bird Nest is dissolved. Stir well all the ingredients.
   
5. Let it cool a little bit then add the orange juice and Jasmine Green Tea to it. Stir well all the ingredients.
   
6. Pour the Eucheuma Jelly into the small container with cap or Jelly mould to set. 
7. Chill in refrigerator and it will become jelly form in container and serve for 4 persons. Done and Enjoy!

Tips: Do not throw away the green teabags, freeze the used tea bags it is good eyes treatment pads for tired eyes!

For cooking tips:

Instead of using corn starch to thickening a broth in cooking. Use Eucheuma Seaweed plainly cooked without adding any sugar or salt and form it into jelly form, then keep in small container. chill in refrigerator and ready for use, to replace corn starch for thickening a broth in your cooking.

It will thicken the broth in your cooking with its high in phyto-nutrients and ease poor digestion and don't worry it is tasteless.