Sore Throat Cure

I have my daughter, Sharon to thank for forwarding this article to me as soon as she heard that i am down with a cold. It is flu season here and everyone is advised to get the flu shots - so lined up with the rest of the population to get a jab. It is the 'herd mentality' in me that says, if everyone is having a jab, i better have one. After reading the article below and 'What most doctors won't tell you about colds and flus', i would like to share them with all my readers. No co-pay and prescriptions - just what you have in the pantry and the tap in your kitchen sink.



Ingredients:

Salt

Warm Water

Method:

How to Prevent a Sore Throat from Progressing to a Cold
By Dr. Ben Kim on March 09, 2008
Natural Health Solutions


Before I share a great little tip on how to stop a sore throat from progressing into a week-long cold, please know that periodically experiencing a cold or the flu can actually be helpful to your health. If you have no idea why this is, please view the following popular article that I wrote on this topic:
What Most Doctors Won't Tell You About Colds and Flus

You just won't get this information on why colds and flus can help you stay healthy over the long run from medical textbooks and mainstream media - please consider sharing it with family and friends.

Although experiencing a cold or the flu once in a while can help rid your body of your weakest cells, I'm willing to bet that there are times when you would really prefer to delay such a period of cleansing and malaise.

Here's how you can stand a good chance of preventing a cold from developing:

As soon as you experience that sore, tickly feeling in your throat that precedes a full-blown cold, gargle with warm salt water.

And when I say gargle, I mean really gargle; take in a mouthful of warm salt water, look up at the ceiling, and gargle aggressively. You may want to tap at your throat (the Adam's apple region) with your fingers while you gargle to encourage the warm salt water to trickle deeply into your throat.

Gargle like this several times with a glass of warm salt water, and repeat as often as possible throughout the day.

Warm salt water can remove viruses from the tonsils and adenoids that line the back of your throat region. Viruses that cause colds and flus typically get caught by your tonsils and adenoids before they spread through your body. Your tonsils and adenoids are important parts of your immune system because they are located near the entrance of your breathing passages, and they serve as a first line of defense against undesirable airborne microorganisms and substances.
This, by the way, is why it is best not to remove tonsils and adenoids from your throat region. Chronic swelling of tonsils and adenoids is best addressed by reducing sugar intake, adopting a minimally processed diet that is rich in fresh plant foods, and supporting immune system health by getting plenty of rest, exercise, and exposure to sunlight and fresh air.

Cold salt water may also help to remove viruses from your tonsils and adenoids, but warm salt water tends to be more effective. Warm water may help to melt the fatty coating that protects viruses that cause the cold and flu.

What if you gargle for all you're worth but still end up developing a full-blown cold?

Get lots of rest, drink plenty of fluids, and take comfort in knowing that countless viruses are at work destroying your weakest cells. And don't forget to blow your nose as often as it runs; help your body get rid of what it wants to get rid of.

Black Peppered Beef Udon

This japanese style noodle - Udon is not only good for soup, fry it this way and you not go back to having it in soup. I have used udon to cook the Kuala Lumpur Hokkien Mee and it is so much better than the noodles i made.










Ingredients:

3 pkts 7.20 oz japanese style noodles - Udon
1/2 lb Beef fillet/sirlion - slice thinly across the grain
4 - 5 slices ginger
1/2 cup chopped chinese celery

Oil for frying beef and noodle

Marinate

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tsp light soya sauce
1 tsp dark soya sauce
1/2 egg white
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp shaoxing wine
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp tapioca starch
2 tbsp water
2 tsp cooking oil

Gravy

11/2 tbsp black pepper - freshly ground
3 tbsp oyster sauce
1 cup chicken stock
1 tbsp cornstarch

Method:

Knead the marinate except the oil, thoroughly into the sliced beef and when well mixed, add in the oil and knead again. Leave to marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Heat a pot of water and when water comes to a boil, put in the udon and turn off the heat. Let the udon sit in the hot water to keep warm.

Heat 1 cup oil and when it is hot, fry the beef by batches. Fry beef until 3/4 cooked.
Remove all the oil and leave 2 tbsp. Fry the ginger slices, then add in the warm udon and beef.

Stir fry, then add in the gravy ingredients. Cook until gravy thickens and add in the chinese celery.

Serve hot.


Serves

Abacus Beads/Sueen Poon Chee

I love anything cooked with taro and this dish is one of my favorites, perhaps it's in my genes . This traditional Hakka dish is eaten during festive celebrations such as Chinese New Year, Dragon Boat Festival and the Mid-Autumn Festival for prosperity. sueen poon chee, or abacus seeds, are springy discs of yam, shaped after its namesake. I have tried many times trying to get the springiness by adjusting the ratio of yam to tapioca starch. I like more springy and have to sacrifice the taste of yam by using more tapioca starch. For this dish, the ingredients cooked with this abacus seeds have to be very flavorful.

Ingredients:

1 lb taro, cleaned, peeled and thinly sliced(i used frozen ones, thaw and slice)

12 ozs tapioca starch

3 tbsp cooking oil

5 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced

1/4 cup dried shrimp, soak and coarsely chopped

11/4 cup shredded dried squid - soak

6 dried Chinese mushroom, soaked till soft and sliced

1/2 lb ground pork

1/4 lb chinese chives - cut into 1 inch in length

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp fish sauce

1 tsp oyster sauce

1/2 cup chicken stock

Method:

Steam taro until soft and mash.

Place the tapioca starch in a large mixing bowl and add hot taro paste to it, stirring it in well

When the taro and starch mixture has cooled , knead it to form a dough.

Pinch off enough dough to roll into a ball , 1 inch in diameter. Press the ball between your thumb and forefinger so that it is depressed in the middle and shaped like an abacus seed.

Repeat until dough is used up.

Fill a pot with water to the three-quarter mark and bring it to a boil.

Place abacus seeds in the pot and cook, stirring occasionally to prevent the seeds from sticking to the bottom of the pot. When cooked, the seeds will float to the top. Scoop out the cooked abacus seeds and leave them aside to drain.

To a hot wok, add 2 tbsp oil and fry the garlic till golden brown before adding dried shrimp, shredded dried squid and mushroom. Stir fry the mixture , then set aside.

Add the remaining tbsp oil to the hot wok and fry the ground pork until it is cooked and no more pink.

Add in the cooked garlic, dried shrimp, shredded dried squid, mushroom, abacus seeds and the seasonings.

Add in the chinese chives and stir briefly.

Dish out and sprinkle with sesame oil.

Serve hot.

Serves