Why and How to Eat a Banana Flower

A Hanging Banana Flower

Consuming vegetables and fruits respectably gives immense advantages to our bodies. Precisely, besides rich in nutrients, they are the sources of antioxidants needed to maintain a healthy body. Among the wide variety of vegetables, there is one type of vegetables that many people think it cannot be consumed, many of us do not even think it is a vegetable. Banana flower, also called banana inflorescence, a fleshy cone-shaped stalk that comes out from the center of the banana terminal stem, is a little part of a banana tree which goes unnoticed by most. The fact that it can be processed into a very tasty and delicious food is hardly recognized.


Scientists have confirmed that bananas provide a high level of energy and contain natural sugars that are healthier and more effective than energy drinks. What about the flower? According to the study, identical to bananas, a banana flower is nutrient-rich as well as good for preventing and treating various diseases.  Besides being very safe for diabetics, it is beneficial for digestion since it contains a high amount of fiber, good to improve brain power, good for heart health, and help to treat a stroke if consumed regularly. However, not all types of banana flowers can be consumed, only certain types of them such as musa textilia, musa balbisiana colla, musa acuminata balbisiana, and musa paradisiaca forma typica. Most of those beyond these types are bitter and taste bad.

For those of you who own a banana tree with a kind of the mentioned, do not waste the flower when the tree bears fruit, it is better to process it into some kind of a special delicious dish. As for the examples of the cuisines made from a banana flower are: banana flower soup, banana flower nuggets, banana flower curry, sweet and sour banana flower, and so on.  Being tasty and tender as meat make it suited to be served for lunch or dinner. One easy food recipe made from Banana Flower is as follows:

Banana Flower Soup

 

Ingredients:

• 1 banana flower
• salt (suit your taste)
• ¼ tablespoon of sugar
• 1 riped tomato
• 5 garlic cloves
• 5 onions
• 3 chillies
• 3 cm of turmeric
• 2 candlenuts
• flavoring
• ½ liter of coconut milk
• water
• cooking oil
• 2 tablespoons of lime water
• 1 stalk of lemongrass
•  5 basil leaves
• 3 cm of galangal

How to Make:

1. Remove the outer parts of banana flower then take the reddish 

    white  inner part of it.
2. Wash it until completely clean and no sap left, then boil it about 

    5 minutes.
3. Slice the banana flower into small pieces.
4. Pound tomatoes, garlic cloves, candlenuts, onions, chillies, and 

    turmeric.
5. Fry the pounded ingredients in the pan with cooking oil until 

    smells good.
6. Put the sliced banana flower into the pan. Stir until it mixes well 

    with the ingredients.
7. Put coconut milk little by little into the pan and stir gently so the 

    coconut milk is not broken.
8. Thump lemongrass and galangal then put them into the dish 

    along with lime water, give it a salt, 

     stir once more .
9. When cooked. Remove the dish and sprinkle basil leaves to add 

     the flavor and the aroma. Serve it  

     while still warm.

8 Cats’ Favorite Plants

Cat playing with a lemongrass

Once in a while cats eat grasses to (perhaps) help them dispose of the hairballs or aid their digestion. It is actually a common cats’ behavior and for those who own cats, it is not something to worry about. There are even several certain types of plants that are well-liked by cats and can make them suddenly excited and agile. For those of you who own cats, you may care to try to give the plants below to play with them. Not all cats love all the plants tough. However, most of the cats that get one of these plants will surely be energized to play around with it, or they may even eat it. Here they are:

 

1. Catnip (Nepeta cataria)

CATNIP

Catnip is a shrub that grows wild in almost all parts of the world. Its stems and leaves contain a chemical compound called nepetalactone, which influences  cats’ way of behaving. If there is a catnip around, they will come up to it, sniffing, rubbing their body to it, munching it, then get high. Try to occasionally give them a catnip to play with. It has a potent effect with most of them, male cats may even be more aggressive and nimble. The effect lasts for approximately fifteen minutes. After the effects fade out, their behavior will go back to normal.                                                       
                                                                                         

2. Spider plants (Chlorophytum comosum)

SPIDER PLANTS WITH GREEN LEAVES

Spider plants is a shrub with attractive green ribbon-shaped leaves and white flowers. It is very popular as an ornamental plant.  Besides its unique appearance, this plant grows relatively fast and is defiant to any kind of weather. The effect is similar to catnip’s, some chemical contained in a spider plant may provoke your cats to be compulsive.  Although not poisonous, in excessive amounts, it may result in cats’ tummy problems.

3. Silver vine (Actinidia polygama)

SILVER VINE

Silver vine is a harmless plant that has green leaves with silver-white smears on them. Actinidine and dihydroactinidiolide contained in the plant are the sources of a distinctive scent cats like so much. The effect is very similar to Catnip’s so it is also called Japanese Catnip. When your cat is not in the mood to play or under acute stress, try to stimulate him/her by providing these plants to make him/her cheerful. 

 

4. Honeysuckle (Lonicera)

HONEYSUCKLES

This creeping plant grows very quickly and is generally used as a garden plant. Just like catnip, honeysuckle contains nepetalactone, which makes cats really excited, wanting to lick and play with it. However, most of them still like catnip better that honeysuckle.

5. Valerian (Valeriana officinalis)

VALERIAN (FLOWER)

This flowering plant is a member of the honeysuckle family. It is acknowledged as a healing herb as it has been widely used in medical practices as an effectual sedative remedy. Valerian has a horrible smell but not for cats. Many of them are overjoyed after getting a hold of Valerian due to actinidine contained in it’s root.

6. Lemongrass (Cymbopogon Citrullus)

LEMONGRASS

 Lemongrass is one of manifold grasses which are widely used as a seasoning. Some types of cats hated these plants, but many of them love to smell them, mine does. That is, perhaps, due to the typical smell of the plants. It makes some cats do not stop kissing and rubbing his head against it.  Scientifically, the research shows that Lemongrass contains an anti-microbial and anti-bacterial. These contents, in addition to be particularly useful in treating infections in the stomach and intestines, are also widely believed to cure outer skin infections.   Those may instinctively be other reasons why they like the plant. 

7. Cat Plant/Indian Acalypha (Acalypha indica)

Indian acalypha is a weed that grows wild in any kind of grounds. Give your furred buddies the leaves or the roots of the plant, then wait for a few minutes, they will be really appealing due to the charm of this magical plant. Scientifically it is a very high source of fiber which is useful to their digestion. 

8. Cat Thyme (Teucrium Marum)

Cat thyme is a slow-growing shrub with oval leaves and reddish purple flowers.  While it is useful for digestion and as a natural sedative, the mint aroma released from a fresh cat thyme tends to cause cats feel pleasure and go crazy rolling around it. In practical fact, some cats like this plant more than catnip.

Ways to Eat a Bamboo (Recipes)

Having made a simple post about an easy tutorial of how to make a cannon from a bamboo a few days ago, I began to think that writing about how to make a meal from it would be interesting as well. So this post is all about how to make a cuisine from a bamboo, or exactly from its sprout, or what people call a bamboo shoot. 

For those who live in the western world, bamboo shoots may be something new, but not so in Asia, especially in Indonesia. These young bamboo culms are fairly well-known and often used as cooking main materials in Asian cuisines. What is more, they contain protein, carbohydrates, fiber, and a very high amount of potassium which is very beneficial to prevent and lower stroke risk, while their taste is not inferior to the conventional vegetables'. Those make bamboo shoots a special and unique cuisine with a distinctive aroma. This paper will present the ways to enjoy bamboo shoots, as scrumptious meals and as a snack.

1. Sauteed bamboo shoot

 

Ingredients:

300 grams of peeled bamboo shoots 
salt (suit your taste)
flavoring
pepper
4 onions
2 garlic cloves
1 red chili
1 bird’s eye chili
4 tablespoons of cooking oil
½ cup of water

How to make it:

1) Cut the raw bamboo shoots into thin pieces then soak them for one night in the water to remove the sap remnants and its bitterness.

2) Boil the bamboo shoots for 10 minutes, remove then drain them.

3) Slice onions, garlic cloves, red chili, and bird’s eye chili.

4) Heat 4 tablespoons of cooking oil in the frying pan, then put the slices of onions, garlics, red chili, and bird’s eye chili in the pan. Stir until the aroma smells good.

5) Put the boiled bamboo shoots pieces and ½ cup of water in the pan.

6) Once the water in the pan boils, add salt, pepper, and flavoring to the dish in the pan.

7) To increase the flavor, you may add dried shrimps or some tofus. Put them in when the dish is almost cooked.

8) Stir the dish, wait until the spices permeate (the water in the pan is reduced).

9) Remove the dish from the pan. A delicious meal is now ready to be served.

2. Bamboo shoot soup

 

Ingredients:

300 grams of peeled bamboo shoots
250 grams of beef
salt
½ teaspoon of sugar
flavoring
3 cm of galangal
2 garlic cloves
7 onions
2 candlenuts
1 tomato
1000 ml of coconut milk
4 salam leaves (Indonesian bay leaf)
2 lemongrass leaves
5 tablespoons of cooking oil

How to make it:

1) Cut the raw bamboo shoots into thin pieces then soak them for one night in the water to remove the sap remnants and its bitterness.

2) Boil the bamboo shoots for 10 minutes, remove then drain them.

3) Pound the galangal, 2 garlic cloves, 4 onions, 2 candlenuts, and 1 tomato, then fry them with 3 tablespoons of cooking oil in the pan until the aroma smells good.

4) Put the coconut milk, salam leaves, and lemongrass leaves in the pan. Slowly stir so that the coconut milk is not broken.

5) When the water almost boils, put the beef in the pan then leave it for some minutes.

4) Once the beef is almost cooked, add the sliced bamboo shoots, salt, ½ teaspoon of sugar,and flavoring. After a moment, remove the dish from the pan.

5) To increase the aroma, sprinkle fried onions over the dish--slice 3 onions then fry the slices using 2 tablespoons of oil. The dish now is ready to serve.

3.  Bamboo shoot chips

 

Ingredients:

1 kg of peeled bamboo shoots
1 tablespoon of salt
1 kg of cooking oil
1 ounce of butter
4 garlic cloves
flavoring
water

How to make it:

1) Cut the raw bamboo shoots into some pieces then soak them for one night in the water to remove the sap remnants and its bitterness.

2) Boil the bamboo shoots for 10 to 15 minutes, remove then drain them.

3) Slice the boiled bamboo shoot into thin round pieces.

4) Pound garlic cloves together with salt and flavoring. Add water then put the bamboo shoot slices into the mixture.

5) Put the sliced bamboo shoots under the scorching sun until they are not too wet.

6) Put the cooking oil in a frying pan along with the butter.

7) Gently fry the thin pieces of bamboo shoots, then slowly turn them over.

8) Once they are cooked (when the chips color turns yellow and the chips are floating), remove them from the pan and let cool.

Those are the easy recipes of bamboo shoots. For more interesting cuisines, these recipes can be modified by adding several kinds of materials or ingredients into the recipes above. Happy cooking.

Like to Play a Prank? Try These Plants!

Playing some practical trick which is meant to be funny to other person with no purpose to harm is likely a precise description of what we call a prank.  For those of you who like to play a prank, this post will be a matchless addition to your prank collections. Fake vomit,  phone call pranks, scare pranks, they are indeed stimulating. However this time, why don’t you try a “natural” one?; a prank using the side effects of plants. It literally works and is such fun. Why I say that and why I write this piece of writing are for the reason that we (my buddies and I) once used to bring these unique plants into play, since they still could easily be found growing in my neighborhood at that time.  In some areas, the plants now are not easy to find though.  Anyways, let's just check them out!  

1. Skunkvine (Paederia scandens/Paederia foetida)

Skunkvine, which in China is called Ji Shi Teng, is a medicinal plant that grows wild in an open filed like in bushes and on river banks. It may also grow on fences being planted for medicinal purposes. The leaves have a distinctive smell which is very similar to the smell of (flatulence) gas, so it must be very difficult to tell the difference. One way to make a prank using this plant is the by wrapping its leaves with a little plastic bag then squeeze them using your hands. Put some air into the bag until the air fills up the bag, now fasten and shake it.  Explode the bag close to your friend, then boom! Stinking air is now spreading around. Do this in a small room to maximize the effect, lol. 

2. Stinging nettle (Laportea stimulant)

Stinging nettle is a rhizomatous plant that can cause itching sensation on the affected skin. This plant grows normally in the middle of a grove of trees because it likes moist places. The whole part of the leaf is covered by very fine hairs which are so small that they are hardly noticeable. Definitely there are a lot of plants, such as some types of grass, young palm fruit, and cashew sap, that may cause itching sensation to our skins. What makes a stinging nettle different from the others, it contains formic acid and certain other substances across the outer surface of its leaves and it acts like it is not leaving any kind of substance/liquid on the affected skin when it makes a contact with the skin. Therefore when touched with the leaves, our skin will instantly feel sudden itch without knowing. Then the skin will be very itchy in a long while. If you use it to your friend, you can bet your friends will not stop scratching for a certain time. However, be very careful when using it as a means of prank, excessive interactions with the plant may cause severe itching and irritation with a long effect. To dampen the itch caused by this plant, pound glutinous rice until it becomes smooth or use dried loose soil then spread it on the itchy areas.

3. Mahogany Seeds (Swietenia mahagoni)

Mahogany, besides well-known for its strong woods, it is also famous for its very bitter seeds.  A single seed tastes dreadfully bitter even just touching  your tongue and the bitter sensation won’t be gone from the tongue in a long time. But do not worry, in spite of the bitter taste, the seeds are not poisonous, conversely they have many medical benefits, one of which is to increase the circulation of blood and to boost immune system so they are commonly used as ingredients to make traditional herbal medicines. Applying mahogany seeds to your friend’s meal, guaranteed, its taste will turn out to be very bitter at once. In some areas, mahogany seeds are often used to make babies stop breast-feeding, by applying mahogany seeds to the mother’s n*pples.

Care to try one of those?  Or perhaps my friends here have some other “natural” pranks to share :)? 

How to Create a Bamboo Cannon

Now I am going to share a little bit about a traditional “fire weapon” called Bamboo Cannon as well as a simple tutorial of how to create it. Basically this bamboo cannon is a traditional plaything comes from Malay, and most of Malay communities know the game, especially those living in the rural areas. These days, the game is usually played in celebrations such as national independence day and Heroes’ Day celebrations. Its emergence was inspired by the weapon used by Portuguese some time ago in the colonial era. The natives at that time were amazed by a modern weapon owned by the Portuguese, the weapon that could throw a lethal fire with a booming sound from such a distance, which now is called a fire cannon. That situation bred a manifestation in the form of a clone cannon which is made from a bamboo (bambuseae). This bamboo cannon does not cast a deadly fire as a real cannon does. It is just an imitation cannon with the sound blaring out from the mouth of the bamboo as an effect of the pressure resulted by the burnt carbide gas. Nevertheless, for children and those who have heart attack symptoms, a bamboo canon is not something to play with.  The steps to create and fire the “weapon” are in these ways:

Before making a bamboo cannon, first you have to prepare the items you need, those are: a sturdy bamboo, a saw, a machete, rugs, a carbide, a glass of water, 1 meter of a small wooden rod, and a match.

1. At first, cut the bamboo (the fresh one is better) using the saw and make it 1 to 2 m long, it is better to choose a bamboo with the hole about 10 cm or more in diameter, the larger the diameter and the older the age of the bamboo, the bigger the sound produced by the cannon and the bamboo will not be easily broken or split. Then clean the outer coating of the bamboo.

The bamboo which has been cut

2. Remove the inner shell membranes inside the bamboo using the machete or a crowbar. Remove only the membranes near the front edge and the one(s) in the middle, the rear membrane should not be removed, because this will be functioned to retain the generated explosion and buffer the fuel so that it does not spill out of the bamboo. 

Cut only the two shell membranes

3. Make a hole about 2 cm in diameter on the surface of a bamboo with a spacing about 10 cm from the rear membrane, this hole serves later as the trigger. You already now have your own cannon. You may want to modify the cannon by any kind of ways so that it resembles a real one.

 

Make the trigger hole

4. Place the cannon in a diagonal position by putting the base/rear of the bamboo on the ground using stones or a wood as a buttress. This consequentially makes the front part face  diagonally above. After that, put the fuel which is in the form of small pieces of a carbide plus a bit of kerosene into the front hole, add a little water so that the carbide gas quickly fills the space inside the cannon. Adding a little salt is fine to add the voice bang. For an optimum effect, close the front and the trigger hole of the cannon with rugs for a while, until the fuel gas fills the cannon. Next, remove all of the rugs from the holes and your cannon is now ready to rumble.

5. Fire the cannon using the wooden rod whose one of its tips wrapped by an oiled rug then burn the wrapped part with fire. Slowly put on the fire into the hole and... Boom!!

The triggered bamboo cannon

That is every part of how to make your own home “fire cannon” made from a bamboo. I hope anyone find it useful, especially those who are not on familiar terms with traditional Malay games. Every feedback is greatly appreciated.  Happy Firing ! :)

Plants Involved in Black Magic

Illustration

Since ancient times until today, magic or the so-called supernatural power has become a common object performed by magicians all over the world. The purposes of using magic are varied, it may be performed for good reasons or the evil ones. The use of magic for evil purposes is called black magic. The ritual of black magic typically uses the way of dematerialization. Dematerialization in this term is a process of converting a matter into energy using the internal power or with the help of spirits (spirits invocation) through a certain ritual. Related to this, Einstein's theory states that every object is a set of compacted small particles, and any objects when driven at the speed of light can be broken down into small particles that are not visible. Back to the black magic, the dematerialized material is then sent to the target using a delivery medium so that the practitioner does not need to make a contact with the target. The media used to carry out the ritual also vary, they may be inanimate objects, animals, or various kinds of plants. There are many types of plants frequently used by the practitioners in magic rituals, but in this article will be stated only the ones which we often come across in everyday life.

1. Coconut (Cocos nucifera)

Coconuts

What many people know is that coconuts are used for consumption and medication purposes alone, but did you know that coconuts can be applied as a method to perform a ritual of black magic? The black magic ritual using coconut shells is even mentioned as a high-level and deadly one because it is meant to confine the spirit of a person. Black Magic practitioners usually perform this ritual by putting the hair and the nails of the victim or the jewelry which is usually worn by him/her into a holed coconut shell. After another ritual--which includes lighting incenses and candles then reading certain spells to the coconut shells, air will come out from the hole, which signifies that the spirit of the victim has been entered into the shell. The shell is then sealed. At the time, the intended target becomes dazed or unconscious, or may even be dead. A young coconut can also be used as a medium to make a target suffer from a severe skin disease. The method is by making a hole on the upper part of the coconut, a venomous or poisonous animal like a frog or a leech is inserted into the coconut afterward, then reading the spell on the coconut and sealing it. The last step is putting it in a sewer for seven days and seven nights for the effect.  The water inside the coconut, that has been through the process, then is applied to the skin of the targets to cause him/her suffer from the severe skin problems.

2. Straw, Dead Grass, and Leaves

A Wagon of Straw

The three components have a same role in the practice of the art, which is as a material for forming a puppet (Voodoo doll), whose function is to deliver the thrown magic to the target. How to make this doll is by initially creating a framework, the framework consists of two pieces of wood which are formed like a cross. The whole frame is then covered by a bundle of one of the three components (dead grass or leaves or straw) then fastened by yarns to get the head, arms, body, and legs . Next, a piece of paper which the date of birth of the target has been written on is slipped into the doll. Usually, the formed doll is wrapped with a white cloth and decorated so that it looks like a real doll. After lighting incenses and candles and reading some kind of spells to the doll, it will move by itself. It is believed at that time the spirit of the target has been successfully trapped in the doll.

3. Garlic (Allium sativum)

Garlics

The process of using garlic in the ritual is performed by enchanting it with certain spells while visualizing the target then piercing the garlic with needles, making the target suffer from a prolonged fever.

4. Purple Eggplant (Solanum melongena)

Purple Eggplant

With the shape which resembles a *enis, a purple eggplant can serve as a medium to weaken the *enis *rection power or even take it away from a man. Such magic is specifically used to a man who likes cheating in his committed relationship, or is also frequently performed for the purpose of revenge. The practitioner performs the ritual by enchanting the purple eggplant along with a palm stick, a shroud, a seven color yarn, and the target’s underwear with some spell while he/she is also visualizing the target. The eggplant is then stabbed by the palm stick from the upper tip to the bottom then enchanting it with a spell again. After that, the stabbed eggplant is wrapped by the target's underwear then covered by the shroud followed by fastening them together with the seven color yarn and winding the yarn into it by seven windings, then again reciting a spell. The last process is the process of burying the wrapped eggplant in an unmaintained grave. The process of burying is, of course, also carried out by uttering a spell along with the purpose of performing the ritual. This way may be able to make the target unable to have a *exual *ntercourse with someone other than his wife.

5. Papaya (Carica Papaya)

Papayas

When a certain spell is given to a papaya which is still hanging on the tree then it is stabbed by a nail, which also has previously been given a spell, all at once the target is experiencing pain. The target will continue to experience the pain as long as the nail is sticking into the papaya. The papaya brought into play is usually the one located around or close to the target.

6. Kaffir Lime (Citrus hystrix)

Kaffir Lime

As a  medium of the art performing, the lime should be pricked with a needle then given a spell, followed by tying it with a seven color yarn. Next, place the tied lime in a well. On condition that the lime is in the well, anyone who bathes with the water comes from the well will become ill. Kaffir lime can also be used as a medium of a charming magic, namely by binding a ‘male’ lime (the bottom of the lime extends out) with a ‘female’ lime (the bottom of the lime is a hole) together with the seven color yarn then heating it up above a lighted candle while reading a spell of charming. This art is well known in West Sumatra, Indonesia.

7. Candlenut (Aleurites moluccana)

Candlenuts can be used the media to make a person who runs away return home. The method is by peeling seven candlenuts then wrapping them with a cloth together with mermaid oil, seven blooming ivory-white flowers, seven ylang-ylang flowers, and a photograph of the targeted person or his clothing. The bundle is then inserted into the mattress which once the person used to sleep on. Soon, the person will return home by him/herself.

8. Apus Bamboo (Apus Gigantochlos Kurz)

Long ago in traditional Indonesian society, Apus bamboo was believed to have the power to make someone’s house yard creepy in order that the person did not feel like staying in the house. The method was by planting the bamboo or placing it near the door of the house. The bamboo can also be used as a medium of making an intended target unable to urinate and defecate. The process is by using a certain spell beforehand to the bamboo then the practitioner concentrates while intending to block the urethra and the rectal of the target.

The role of the plants stated above obviously only serves as media to support the visualization so that the effect is as it is expected or even stronger. The influence and the sharpness of the black magic arises from the practitioner’s inner strength, which is gained from various spiritual practices.