A great favourite of authentic Malaysian traditional salads, the Ulam raja or King Salad plant is actually planted for its pretty pink, white or purple flowers in various other parts of the world. The flower is better know by its Latin name "Cosmos" which is derived from its scientific name Cosmos caudatus. Here in Malaysia, we don't eat the flowers but we do devour the young leaves with great gusto either simply dipped in various spicy sauces and condiments or else stirfried with prawns and other ingredients.
When it is eaten raw with chilli paste or other condiments and sauces, it is referred to as "ulam" which can mean salad or even herbal mix for beauty or medicinal purposes.
But it is most popular by itself, its fresh scent being reminiscent of mango leaves and the crunchy texture of its young leaves being much appreciated with plain white rice. In Indonesia, it is also eaten with cooked grated coconut or a spicy peanut sauce.
One reason for its popularity is the simple fact that for all its powerful herbal properties, unlike many other similarly effective herbs, it can be eaten with no side effects.
So what do we eat it for (other than the delicious taste)?
1. It helps with control of diabetes. After eight weeks of regular consumption, it lowers blood insulin levels significantly.
2. It helps people with cholesterol problems by increasing good cholesterol and lowering bad cholesterol.
3. It reduces blood pressure.
4. It reduces bone loss.
5. It has antibacterial and anti-fungal effects.
6. It is a strong antioxidant and it reduced inflammation.
So, eating ulam raja with your daily rice is actually a great idea. And if you fancy a bit of variety with it, here are a couple of ideas from Malaysian food bloggers.
(click the link for recipe)
Ulam Raja Stir-fried with Ikan Bilis.
A simple but mildly spicy and very deliciously fresh-tasting dish that pairs well with the dried anchovies which give it its mouthwatering umami flavour.
(click the link for recipe)
Ulam Raja with Grated Coconut
A tempting treat made with grated coconut, dried prawns and galangal or resurrection lily. It goes really great with freshly cooked white rice and can be used as a vegetarian dish if you leave out the dried prawns.
No comments:
Post a Comment