Do you know that some of the local herbs that you
buy in the market are so easy to grow? Why not start now, and save yourself some money? Let me demonstrate how easy they are and perhaps you'd be inspired
to start your own herb garden too! Some of these herbs include the laksa leaves
(daun kesum), the thai basil (daun selasih), the beetlenut leaves (daun
sireh), the mint leaves (daun pudina) and the pepper leaves/Wild Betel (daun kadok).
The Laksa
Leaves (Daun Kesum).
This local herb is most popularly used by Malaysians to cook
asam pedas, and fish laksa. If by any
chance that you have to cook using this leaves, please choose the best,
freshest stalk from your grocer – because you are not only going to use them in
your cooking, but also in your new herb garden! For your cooking, remove the larger leaves and leave a few new/young shoots on the kesum leaves. put the stalks in water for 1/2 hour before planting these stalks in a rich compost. Make sure when you place them on the soil, the stalks are planted in a slanted way, covering at least 6cm of the stalks. Water them twice daily and put them under the shade for a few weeks for the new shoots to grow healthily.
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| The laksa leaves |
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| Laksa Penang |
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| Laksa leaves in a bunch |
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| Asam pedas |
The Thai Basil (Daun Selasih)
The Thai Basil or locally known as Daun selasih
is very aromatic, and is commonly used in the Green Thai Curry or could also be
used a salad which compliments the spicy sambal belacan. A quote from the
online source says that,
" they’re rich in Vitamin A
and antioxidants. Of course, they also give fibers which are good for proper
digestion. With a lot of fast food on the loose today, tummy problems like
reflux are common. So keep Thai basil handy around. You just never know when you
need it. This is just in summary. If you want a full list, here’s the kind of
nutrition you get from this antibacterial herb: Vitamins A, B6, B12, C,
D, E, potassium, magnesium, calcium, selenium, zinc iron, niacin,
lycopene, thiamin, riboflavin, beta carotene, plenty of flavanoids (both
vicenin and orientin for cell health) , and folate, among others.”
If you are interested to grow them, do repeat exactly the same steps with the previous laksa leaves. Easy- peasy!
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| The Aromatic Thai Basil |
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| The purple flower of Thai Basil. The leaves also usually have some purple hue to them. |
The Pepper Leaves/ Wild Betel (Daun Kadok)
The pepper leaves is delicious when eaten as a local salad (kerabu & ulam), or in the Thai appetizer ‘the Miengkam’. This wild herb usually could be found near the drainage, bushes, and in a shady area.
I quote some info about this wonderful and aromatic herb:
Kaduk is one of the most versatile herb yet it is one of the most unappreciated. It propagates prolifically in a shaded and moist environment, and quickly takes over vacant plots of land. As such, it is considered a nuisance sometimes and cleared away as weeds. It can be found in the urban areas as well as the suburbs and kampungs. he leaves of the plant are called daun kaduk, daun being the Malay word for leaf. It is the main ingredient for favourite Peranakan dishes such as perut ikan, steamed otak-otak and nasi ulam. The pungent aroma of daun kaduk makes these dishes unique in taste and smell. Eating dishes cooked with daun kaduk is an acquired taste due to its unusual aroma and slightly bitter taste. Research has discovered that daun kaduk contains high amounts of antioxidant called naringenin which could scavenge free-radicals and is anti-inflammatory. It is also traditionally used for minor ailments such as toothache and constipation. I have used daun kaduk to reduce flatulence many times. http://deliciousmalaysia.com/daun-kaduk-wild-betel-leaf/
How to grow them? They can be grown using a tree cutting (choose ones where there are a few roots showing near the leaves or just pluck them out with roots and all from the ground. They usually grow in abundance and probably the easiest plant to grow on the planet!!! Remember to plant the cuttings in a slanting manner, making sure the root part near the leaves are buried in the compost.
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| THe Wild Betel could be found in shady areas in kampongs, and many are freely growing in vacant plot/land |
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| Delicious Miengkam, to be eaten with sweet shrimp sauce
The Betel Leaves (Daun Sireh)
The Betel Leaves (Daun Sireh) has a lot of medicinal
benefits & in the Malay culture, it
is especially used in weddings as a condiment in tepak sireh and sireh junjung. The medicinal benefits include:
Weakness
of Nerves
Betel leaves are beneficial in the treatment of nervous pains, nervous
exhaustion and debility. The juice of a few betel leaves, with a teaspoon of
honey, will serve as a good tonic. A teaspoon of this can be taken twice a day.
Headaches
The betel leaf has analgesic and cooling properties. It can be applied with beneficial results over the painful area to relieve intense headache.Sore Throat Local application of the leaves is effective in treating sore throat. The crushed fruit or berry should be mixed with honey and taken to relieve irritating cough.
Wounds
Betel leaves can be used to heal wounds. The juice of a few leaves should be extracted and applied on the wound. Then a betel leaf should be wrapped over and bandaged. The wound will heal up with a single application within 2 days. |
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| Betel leave |
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| The tepak sireh |
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| Sireh Junjung |
The Mint Leaves (Daun Pudina)
There are many varieties of mint leaves. The most common is the peppermint, applemint and the spearmint. They are used as condiments in laksa, as sauce, in drinks and etcetera. They are easy to grow too. All you have to do is when you next go to the market, pick the best bunch of the mint leaves (the freshest, the prettiest bunch). Pluck the bigger leaves for your cooking, leaving a few young leaves and shoots on. Leave the stalks in a jar of water,and wait for the roots to grow. Once you think there are enough white roots on them, plant them in a slanted way in the compost. Put them in a shady area, keep the soil moist and wait for them to grow healthily.
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| mint leaves |
So, start gardening guys! They are not difficult, save your wallet and they provide some colours to your backyard!
