The Roselle or asam belanda (Hibiscus sabdariffa) is a species of  hibiscus, and in Malaysia it is often referred to as "Ribena plant" as  Roselle juice tastes similar to Ribena.
This plant is relative of Hibiscus and rich in antioxidants and minerals especially vitamin C, beta carotene, vitamins B1, B2,B6 and anthocyanins.
I was first introduced to fruit  by our factory  working colleague planted in factory area.


Benefits of Roselle:
- Uplifting effect on nervous system and relieve insomnia, depression and fatigue.
- Remedy for constipation
- Calyx infusion called "Sudan tea" is taken to relieve coughs
- Controls diabetes and fever
- Relieve fluid retention and eliminate of wastes through kidneys
- Controls cholesterol and  high blood pressure
- Cleanse liver and gall bladder and promote bile flow.
- Relieve uterine congestion cause pain and heavy &  irregular  periods and remedy for irregular period and infertility.
- Clears blocked nose
- In India, a decoction of the seeds is given to relieve dysuria, strangury and mild cases of dyspepsia.
- Promotes proper kidney function
- heated leaves are applied to cracks in the feet and on boils and ulcers to speed maturation.

In Burmese cuisine, called chin baung ywet (lit. sour leaf), the roselle is widely used and considered an affordable vegetable for the population. It is perhaps the most widely eaten and popular vegetable in Burma. The leaves are fried with garlic, dried or fresh prawns and green chili or cooked with fish. A light soup made from roselle leaves and dried prawn stock is also a popular dish.
So much good benefits that I strongly recommend you to take some one a while.

Last weekend, my friend harvested some fresh some Roselle for me to make juice and jam.

Ingredient
2 litre of water
25 roselles
Rock Sugar to taste

Method of  preparation Roselle drink
(1) Wash Roselles to remove dirt.
(2) Pluck off the calyx to remove seed pod.
(3) Boil calyx with water.
(4) Bring to boil and lower heat to a simmer for 15min.
(5) Turn of the heat and add rock sugar to sweeten.
(6) Strain off the liquid through a sieve and keep cooked roselle calyces for making jam.
(7) Serve hot or cold (with ice cube) or keep in bottle in fridge



Jam
Do not dispose the cooked calyx and can make into jam.
Depending on the method and the preference, the seeds are either removed or included.
The jams, made from Roselle buds and sugar, are red and tangy.




Method of preparation Jam. (This method recommended by friend)
(1) Blend cooked calyx to smooth paste.

(2) Cook paste with some water depend on the thickness of jam prefer.
(3) Add raw sugar until is dissolve.


(4) Let it cool and put into a jar before store in fridge.
This jam taste better than those supermarket jam and it free from preservative.

Some of blogger add rose bud, black tea, Chrysanthemum tea, lemon or lime . I prefer not to add.
Next experiment is to make Roselle jelly.

Tau Suan is a popular chinese dessert in in Singapore and is easy to prepare this dessert. Here I would like to share how to prepare this dessert that I cook during weekend
It best to eat with you tiao (you char kueh)

Ingredients
250 grams split green beans/mung beans
1700ml water
5 bunches pandan (screwpine) leaves, knotted
175 rock sugar
4 youtiao ( (you char kueh), cut into small pieces


Thickener
80gm sweet potate flour(flying man brand)
400ml water

(Some Blogger add water chestnut powder for more starchier and taste)



Method:
1. Soak the beans in water for 2 hour.
   Drained water and rinse again with water. Drain again.
2. Steam the beans for about 20 minutes with pandan leaves, or until they are soft.
3. Boil water pandan leaves in a pot.
4. Bring to the boil and add sugar and remove pandan leaves
5. Reduce heat and add in the steamed beans.
6. Stir the mixture before add thickener and keep stir slowly until mixture thickens.
7. Serve with you tiao while hot.

Time : 1.5 hour
Serving : 5 persons

My mother love to eat this sweet cool dessert in Singapore, especially good to eat Ching Ting during hot weather.
It is a common dessert, you can cook it at home or at any dessert stalls to buy.It very hard to find good stall selling Cheng Teng at our nearby. 
You can also eat this hot or cold dessert. This dessert has a lot of ingredients and different booths have different cooking method and choice of ingredients. Most common ingredients are dried longan, barley, ginkgo, lotus seeds,  pang da hai , etc.




Ingredients
5pcs Pang da hai (胖大海) Sterculia seeds/Mollow nuts (I purchased from Chinese medical halls) - About S$1+
50g pearl barley (克薏米) (one which bigger size)
5pcs pitted dried red dates (红枣) (cut into 2)
50g dried longans (龙眼干)
50 grams dried lily bulbs (干百合泡)
60g vacuum pack gingko nuts (克真空包白果)(From supermarket)
60g lotus seeds(莲子),  or dried lotus seeds (Remove pit)
30g dried persimmon(柿饼), sliced thinly
20g dried winter melon strips. (冬瓜条)(Slice small pieces)

Broth Ingredients
2 thin slices ginger (姜)
5 pcs Panda Leave (香兰叶)
2500ml water (水)
90g rock sugar (冰糖)

Method:
1. Washed and soak the Pang da hai , barley,dried lily bulbs, dried lotus seeds separately
   overnight with water and re-use water.
   Pang da hai seed will expanded into a loose jelly.Discard seed and use a pincher to remove the.
   Pang da hai skin / hard stem. 
2. Boiled soaked pearl barley until soft (about 15 ~ 25min).
3. Boil soaked lotus seeds for ½hr until soft.
4. Add in soaked pak hup and gingko nuts until soft and re-use water.
5. Soak the dried longans in water (until about soft) and re-use water.
6. Pour all soak and boiled water and add water until to 2500ml of water for broth . 
7. Boil water with pandan leave tight into a knot, ginger slices and dried date. Remove pandan leave
    and ginger slices.
8. Add the remaining ingredients except pon da hai and cook over low heat until ingredients are soft.
9  Adjust the sweetness by adding rock sugar.
10 Finally, add  Pang da hai   to cheng tng before Serve it hot or cold.

Tip :
You can add large sago (西米), white fungus （白木耳), ,cube of  tapioca / sweet potato, sea-coconut (海椰子) and split mung beans.
If you want clear broth, don't add the soak dried longans water.

Making yoghurt using fresh milk without Easiyo Starter

You can use any kind of milk  nonfat, pasteurized, homogenized or ultra-high pasteurized milk, is processed to a higher temperature, which breaks down some of the proteins that the bacteria need to make the milk into yogurt.

1. Heat 1 litre of milk almost (but not quite) to boiling if not pasteurised. Heating the milk changes the protein to make it more conducive to making yoghurt with. It may kills off any bacteria that is growing in the milk.


2. Cool the milk until completely cold.


3. When the milk is completely cold, pour 1/2 litre into an Easiyo and add 4 tbsp of milk powder. This to make thicker yoghurt. Tighten the lid  and shake until mixed.


4. Take about half a cup of the milk and mix it with 2-3 tbsp of yoghurt, until they are well mixed. Make sure the yoghurt is not too old, as your starter bacteria may have died.

     Tip: If you don’t have any yoghurt left. Add 3 tablespoons of any Easiyo packet as your yoghurt starter. for a very mild flavour .

1. Add this mix and the rest of the milk to the yoghurt container and shake some more to mix thoroughly.


2. Fill the Easiyo with boiling water, up to the top of the top level marking as according to Easiyo instructions.


3. Put the container of milk into the Easiyo and leave for about  8~10 hours, depending how tangy you want . The longer you leave it the tangier and better set it gets). Then take it out and put it in the fridge to finish setting, for 6 hours. This will stop the culturing process.