Yes, they are not only edible but very nutritious as well. Chinese has been using wild portulacas as herbs and vegetables as well. It is known as Machixian(马齿苋） in Chinese. Its Hakka name is Laoshuer(老鼠耳). It tastes a bit sour and the leaves are crunchy […]
Changkuk manis, the most palatable vegetable in Malaysia
Cangkuk manis a.k.a Cekor manis which means sweet shrub is the most palatable and therefore by right is the most popular leafy vegetable in Malaysia. Its botanical name is Sauropus androgynus. What has been eaten by us Malaysians is actually a cultivar meaning it was […]
Bunga Kantan, the edible wild flower
Bunga Kantan aka torch ginger flower or torch lily is the most beautiful, wild and edible flower in the rainforest of Malaysia. The scientific name is Etlingera Elatior. Bunga Kantan in full bloom Well, according to wikipedia, its leaves have higher AOP than its […]
Indian Lettuce as wraps for tofu, a Hakka traditional dish
Indian Lettuce a.k.a Lactuca Indica is known as ‘Goose vegetable’ among the local. Hakka name is Ku mak a.k.a Yao mak in Cantonese. In Mandarin it is Ku mak cai (苦荬菜), daun panjang in Malay and sawi rana in Java. To the Hakka people, the […]
Telur tebu (Sugar Cane Flower) , the Fijian Asparagus
Telur tebu or tebu telur, the Fijian asparagus a.k.a duruka in the Fiji islands. It is also known as terubuk in Indonesia, bunga tebu or tebu kerdil. Its Chinese name is 甘蔗花。 Its scientific name is saccharum edule hasskarl. […]
Wild olives from our rainforest?
Wild olives from Sarawak ? Do you know that we actually have wild olives known as ‘Dabai’ in Iban from our rainforest in Malaysia? Not only dabai, we have its look-alike, kembayau with an entirely different taste and texture.（野生橄榄） Cooked dabai Unlike the […]
Brinjals here, brinjals there.Brinjals, brinjals everywhere…..
I am always facinated by brinjals, especially brinjals grown in Borneo. They come in different sizes, shapes, colors and tastes. One of these brinjals that stands out as an indigenous plant to Borneo is called Terung Dayak, Terung Asam or Terung hutan in Malay. […]
The Royal family of edible ferns in Malaysia (part 4)
Paku kubuk/Paku uban(Nephrolepis acutifolia) a.k.a creeping sword fern This hairy fern is called Paku Uban in Malay and Paku Putih in Sabah. Paku uban always grows alongside of Paku Pakis so naturally we find them along the road, near the drain and at any place where […]
The Royal family of edible ferns in Malaysia (part 2)
Paku Midin/Paku Miding/Lemiding (Stenochlaena palustris) Woo….., hoolahoolahoola…lala…..la…Look, what is in here? It is the Queen of the jungle Ferns in Sarawak, midin. You won’t miss midin when you come to Kuching. During our younger days, midin grew in abundance in Kuching but nowadays they are […]
The Royal family of edible ferns in Malaysia (part 1)
Royal family of edible ferns in Malaysia ? Do they exist ? No, they do not because they are just made up by this writer for the purpose of editing this post on edible ferns in Malaysia. All of these ferns can be found in […]