Poor man's food

Some one told me, he used to have this food ever since young.  His family, esp. his parents used to buy this type of "gu cai" and "beansprouts" as they were cheap in the old days.

Now, I would take this type of dish as something very healthy.  To make it taste better, I add in the "baby corns" sliced to small pieces.

Put in a bit of cooking oil, add in minced garlic
Put in the "gu cai" and beansprouts and baby corns.

Add in some salt to taste.  It is extremely nice.


(all pics will be uploaded soon.)

"Tepus" Local Bidayuh word

The Bidayuhs call it "Tepus".  I search through the net, it is a ginger family plant found in the wild.

The Tepus are sliced off its skin and then cut to small cubes.  It got a type of sap which will bring thread forms.  But dont worry, just fry the tepus with garlic, minced meat or anchovies.

It is a very tasty vegetable from the wild. No chemicals at all.  Good for health.

Colocasia stalks

Not all colocasia stalks can be eaten.  Some are used for feeding pigs.

But only this type is edible by humans as the sap are not causing lips allergy.

The colocasia stalks are peeled off its skin, cut to small pieces.

Fry a small garlic and add archovies if you wish
and put in the coloocasia stalks with medium fire to low fire.

Before serving add in bits of salt or msg as you wish but NEVER ever add in water because
the stalks contains much water.

Garlic paste

Chop garlic to pieces
Add in soya sauce
Add in vinegar.
Alternatively, use lime, or fremented red wine from rice.

This sauce can be used to dip fried chicken or fried kuih.

Yummy but do have some odours..

Gourd cooked with anchovies

Gourds come in different shapes.  Some are long and thin, some are bottle necks.  Some are oval and big and etc.
The one I chopped or cut to small pieces belong to the long and thin type.

Some how, I didnt cook it within the time frame that the seeds inside turned old but no harm I still want to cook it.

Cut the gourd to pieces.

Chop garlic to small pieces and fry with anchovies.
Put in the gourd and stir well until cooked.
Serve with some salt added.

(Our family usually do not use msg to add as taste. So it is your option.)

Chicken soup with some herbs

Chop the whole chicken or half of it to pieces.
Put in some goji berries
Some slices of ginger.
Some small pieces of ginseng tops. (at the right corner side of the picture.)  (This type of ginseng is "Pau Seng" - not a hot type)

Wild Fern with prawn paste

This type of wild fern is called "Paku Pakis" locally.  They are sold in bundles and usually the upper parts are softer and to be plucked and if the paku is big, it has to be sliced to two or more pieces.
They are picked from the wild and it does not mean any wild jungles, one can find such ferns.
This type of fern likes to inhibit on moist ground.
Of course, in my own backyard, I have planted many too as I got the roots from the other ground and propagate here. It is a very healthy type of fern and no chemicals is needed to spray on such fern.  Coupled the sap of the fern does have lots of medicinal value to our bodies.
In restaurants, it is not a cheap dish.

Set medium fire over the wok
Fried the smashed garlic and ginger  with cooking oil
Also fried the prawn paste or belacan (a small cube)
After that, put in the paku and stir well for the water from the fern to be drained out
and at the same time mix with the prawn paste which will taste so nice.

Add bits of salt and msg if necessary before serving.