Madison's Crazy idea : White fungus agar-agar

White fungus agar-agar

I have been reading about agar-agar and the heath benefits that it brings to our body. It is good for weight loss and bowel irregularity. I also read about white fungus which is good for skin complexion and some believes that it will slow down the ageing process. If I combined these two ingredients into one recipe, it will be the ultimate recipe for youthful and beautiful skin. (It cost so much cheaper than a bottle of SKII Miracle Water ).

It is advisable to eat White fungus agar-agar before dinner. This is because the agar-agar increases in volume by absorbing water in the stomach which leads you to feel satiated faster. It also absorbs glucose which stop the body from retaining and storing excess fat.   

I made this white fungus agar-agar yesterday. (Spontaneously) I used the white fungus dessert that I made the day before and turn it into agar-agar. It was an experiment, I admit and it turns out not too bad. (The only regret is that I should have read the label on the agar-agar powder packet before I poured it into my white fungus dessert. It has artificial colouring (brown colour) and that is the reason why my white fungus agar-agar look brownish rather than whitish)

I used the agar-agar powder instead of the strand is because I couldn't find it in the Asian grocery store. Otherwise, I would prefer the strand more than the powder. I am just sceptical, probably there is not much different between the strand and the powder, but I always think that the strand is better.

Let's start from the scratch.

Ingredients

2 florets white fungus 

3 pieces Palm sugar

3 Pandan leaves

900ml of water (Please refer to the instruction on the label of the agar-agar powder)

1 packet of the agar-agar powder

20 moulds

Method

1. I soaked the white fungus in water for 2 to 3 hours.

2. When the florets are soft, I removed the hard part from the florets and placed the florets into the blender to diced it into smaller pieces.  (Do not throw away the hard part, you can use it as a face scrub) 

3.Next, I placed the diced white fungus, palm sugar, pandan leaves,  and the water into a pot. (If you like it sweeter, add more palm sugar) I boiled it for 15 minutes and simmered for another 15.  Then, I add the agar-agar powder. Stir the liquid gently and turn off the fire when you start to see bubbles.

4. Poured the liquid into a jug and divide it into the moulds.

5. Store it in the refrigerator to set.

 

Beautiful healthy skin - the old shool method

Recipe 1(Sweet): Rock sugar and white fungus soup dessert

According to PingMing's advice, this dessert can help to enhance lung function, beautify and moisten skin. White fungus is also known as the poor man bird nest and it contains high level of collagen. I will start eating this dessert twice a week and I will have beautiful skin in no time!

Don't you think it looks like the bird nest dessert?

Ingredients

2 florets white fungus 

3 pieces Palm sugar

3 Pandan leaves

3 cups of water

Method

1. I soaked the white fungus in water for 2 to 3 hours.

2. When the florets are soft, I removed the hard part from the florets and placed the florets into the blender to diced it into smaller pieces.  (Do not throw away the hard part, you can use it as a face scrub) 

3.Next, I placed the diced white fungus, palm sugar, pandan leaves and the water into a pot. (If you like it sweeter, add more palm sugar) I boiled it for 15 minutes and simmered for another 15.  Then, it is ready to serve. You can eat it either hot or cold.  I personally prefer to eat it hot but my husband likes it cold.

White fungus - poor man’s bird nest

Bird nest, the caviar of the east, cost as much as $10,000 per kilogram and is known as the most expensive food in the world. The edible bird's nest is believed to have health enhancing effects such as anti-aging and immune-enhancing properties.


We are in luck as some researchers found that the collagen content in the white fungus is comparable to the bird's nest. Instead of spending thousands of dollars in bird nest, we can buy the fungus at about HKD10 per tael (~38g). Therefore, white fungus is dubbed as ‘poor man’s bird nest’.


White fungus has been prized for its medicinal benefits, namely anti-inflammatory and anti-tumour. In Chinese families, it is commonly used in soups cooked for soothing purposes like nourishing the bodies, healing dry coughs and clearing heat in the lungs. It is also said that eating white fungus could help keep our skin young due to the collagen content in it.


White Fungus Uses and Health Benefits:

• In Chinese medicine, white fungus nourishes and moistens the lungs, as well as improves skin complexion.
• It removes what Chinese medicine calls dryness and heat in the body by moistening and increasing body fluids. White fungus eases physical symptoms like dry skin, chapped lips, thirst, dry nose and throat, constipation, and dry coughs.
• Some clinical data have shown that white fungus has the potential of lowering elevated blood sugar, and an inhibitory effect on cholesterol levels.
• According to a report by Cancer Research UK, white fungus is also used as an immune tonic and for treating debility and exhaustion.

(source from: http://www.chinesesouppot.com/2-common-ingredients/257-white-fungus)


How to choose good quality white fungus?
High quality snow fungus should have a surface in yellowish-white with a hard yellow centre. Do not buy those pure white ones as they might be bleached.


Preparation:

• Rinse and soak the whole white fungus in cold water.
• Soaking time depends on how tightly packed the fungus florets are. Dense white fungus can be soaked in cold water overnight. Lose white fungus florets can be soaked as fast as 15 – 30 minutes.
• To speed up the soaking process, soak the white fungus for 30 minutes. Cut it into quarters and soak again for another 2 hours, or until soft. The yellow centre will still be a little hard, but this shortened soaking process is fine if the white fungus will be used in a long boil (e.g. 2 – 3 hours cooking time). The long cooking time will help to soften the hard centre.
• The core of the white fungus will remain firm even after soaked. So trim this part out.

Using it as a facial scrub?The firm core in the centre of the white fungus, supposedly to be trashed, can be used as facial and body scrub.


I found these super easy recipes
source: http://www.pingminghealth.com/article/773/white-fungus-and-lung-immune-function/

Recipe 1(Sweet): Rock sugar and white fungus soup dessert

Soak 1 or 2 white fungus in water for 2 to 3 hours. Chop them into small pieces and remove the hard part in the middle. Place into a saucepan with a thumb-sized piece of rock sugar and 3 cups of water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes.
If you cannot eat sugar please don’t use this recipe, or cook the white fungus without sugar.
Effects of this recipe: This is a very popular recipe in Chinese culture. It can help lung function, beautify and moisten skin. You can have it two times a week, especially in very dry or very hot weather.

Recipe 2(Savoury): White fungus and pear soup

Soak 1 or 2 white fungus in water for 2 to 3 hours. Chop them into small pieces and remove the hard part in the middle. Boil the white fungus together with a chopped whole pear, including the pear seeds in 3 cups of water. Boil together and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove the seeds before you drink the soup and eat the pear.
Effects of this recipe: Help to stop a dry cough, bowel movement and balance lung function. You can have this two times a week.

Recipe 3: White fungus porridge

Soak 1 or 2 white fungus in water for 2 to 3 hours. Chop them into small pieces and remove the hard part in the middle. Boil with three tablespoons of oats and three cups of water and simmer for 5 minutes. This can be part of your breakfast.
Effects of this recipe: strengthen lung function and help bowel movement.






If you love Chinese soup, there are some good recipes from Chinesesouppot

Bon Appetit!

Simple rose syrup agar agar

FINALLY, SOMETHING THAT I ENJOY EATING BUT WON'T MAKE ME FAT!

FACTS ABOUT AGAR-AGAR 

The Nutrients in Agar

Agar is a good source of calcium and iron, and is very high in fiber. It contains no sugar, no fat and no carbohydrates. It is known for its ability to aid in digestion and weight loss. It carries toxic waste out of the body. It is also used in some parts of the world to treat haemorrhoids.

Other benefits associated with agar are its ability to reduce inflammation, calm the liver, and bring relief to the lungs. It is also considered a mild laxative and not recommended for those with weak digestion or loose stools.

Source from : http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/healthy-eating/the-nutrition-of-agar.html

I grew up eating agar-agar as my staple breakfast. I still remember the excitement in me as my school bus pulled over my school yard, I jumped off from my school bus and rushed to my school canteen. I headed straight to the Makcik's stall. I eagerly handed my precious 20 cent to her. (My precious 20 cent is the 1/3 of my daily allowance. Every penny spent is crucially important) Makcik will carefully scoped out 2 delicious rose syrup agar-agar from her container, placed it in a plastic bag and handed it to me. I remembered the fragrant of the rose syrup and the sweetness of the agar-agar. Such a simple delicacy, yet it can be so amazing.

To relive my childhood, I decided to try this make this rose syrup agar-agar.

Thanks to Google, I managed to find this agar-agar recipe that uses agar-agar strand cause I was thinking I want to go all out -the traditional style. (http://www.mummyicancook.com/2013/03/naturally-coloured-agar-agar-jelly.html)

I love this recipe as it uses natural colouring from beetroot instead of using food colouring. But, I have to sacrifice the natural colouring for my rose syrup craving.
 

Calories per jelly for 20 moulds - 24.15 approx.
Ingredients

14g agar agar strands 

1 bowl of water (this is used to soak the agar-agar strand)

1/2 cup unrefined cane sugar (adjust to taste) - 387 calories according to https://www.fatsecret.com

2 table spoon of rose syrup - 96 calories

2 pandan leaves , tied into a knot

800ml water

20 Jelly moulds

Method

1. Soaked the 14g of agar-agar strands in a bowl of water at room temperature for 20 minutes. (The key ingredient to smooth agar-agar is the soaking- remember to spend some time on the soaking to make sure the strands are soft like jelly fish)

2. Once the agar-agar is soften, drained the strands and placed it into a pot. Then, add the 800ml water, 2 pandan leaves, 1/2 cup of sugar and 2 table spoon of rose syrup. Turn on the gas and bring it to boil.  Constantly stirred the mixture until the agar-agar strips have completely melted and you see no lumps.

3.Remove the pot from heat and pour the liquid into a jug. If you have a steady hand you can skipped this step and pour the liquid straight into the moulds.

4. I am quite a clumsy person so I used a jug to divide the liquid into the moulds.

5. Then, I refrigerated the moulds until the agar agar is fully set. 

6. I removed the agar-agar from the moulds and I gently placed one of the agar-agar into my mouth.

Bon Appétit



Bikram yoga sweat it all

After finishing 5 classes, I have already see result.  The torture that I went through really pays off. I will definitely recommend it to all mummies to try bikram yoga to lose those "baby fat". Better than signing up to all these slimming courses that cost thousands.
I was quite worried that the it is going to affect my breast milk supply.   But thank God,  it is all good.  
I have to admit it is not easy an easy journey. It is dreadful to walk into the yoga class aka torture chamber. The heat and the postures are seriously tough. I have done this before.  But, with extra few pounds on my body really makes it tougher.  Now I know why the biggest loser contestants cry so much. 
I am really happy and I will mot give up until I reached my goal weight.  I am so thankful that I have a very supportive mum that helps me to take care of my baby while I went for my yoga class.  She make sure I never miss a class and she even packed my yoga bag for me. Lovw you mummy.  You are the best!

Nuts bout smoke salmon salad

I cant go on a full on salad diet as I still need to breastfeed my 2 months old baby. Therefore,  I have to make sure whatever I am eating contain a lot of protein and nutritious.
Salmon, eggs and nuts are great source of protein and packed with nutrition. I am using all these ingredients in my salad. My salad will be packed with goodness.

My salad recipe
- mixed salad from Coles
- extra virgin olive oil
- balsamic vinegar
- boiled eggs
- smoked salmon
- roast walnuts
-salt and pepper for seasoning

Bikram yoga

Bikram yoga and with a good diet might just do the trick.  Losing those "baby fat" is not easy especially my family has the fat gene.
Hmmm... well, I have to admit it is partly my fault too. I have been craving for hot chocolate (milo) and I down at least 3 cups a day. Maybe it is because of the cold weather or it is just me tempted to the devilicious chocolate.
Well, this might be the reason why I am still not getting back to my pre-pregnancy weight.  Always submit to temptation.  Food is my weakness. 
Bikram has been well known for the torturous room temperature and the demanding stretching positions that make me sweat like a pig.  I think that's why my bikram yoga instructor kept on saying it is good for detoxifying.  That's why I jave to drink a lot of water before, during and after the class to replenish what I have lost. I have been "googling" about yoga positions and it supposedly strengthen my core muscles.  Well, I am not so sure about that but the guys in my class (except for the fat ones) has eight packs, I think this has proven the theory. 
But, I did yoga before and I have seen the result. That is the reason I am not trying anything else and straight jump back to yoga when I can.