Posts Tagged: drink

Eating & Drinking / Health & Fitness / JAMU - Indonesian Botanicals — 1 Comment
25
Jan 11

Getting Creative with Kombucha – Metta Murdaya

One of my New Year’s resolutions was to not only eat healthier, but to drink healthier. No, this isn’t something that means adding fresh fruits to the martini or drinking more bloody marys, justifying its health benefits to lycopene-laden tomato juice. I suppose one could, but I’m talking about kicking out the soda and upping my intake of homemade Kombucha. For those of you not familiar with this health tonic that’s been known to do everything from curb the munchies, improve your digestion and immune system, give you more energy, and even help with migranes, check out this article. Or for a more scientific breakdown of Kombucha, see this. I’ve offered some untraditional ways to gourmet-ify this tangy treat, and I have a few more to add.

For beginners: Mix with any of the following (or mix it up!) You can add this to Kombucha from the store or from a homeade batch. Just make sure you don’t mix the mixers below in the brewing container with the scoby! Mix with Kombucha in a separate container.

To sweeten the drink and make it fruity, add one or a blend of the following:
- Apple, Cranberry, White Grape juice

To keep the flavor but add a twist, add to the Kombucha:
- Coconut Water (yes, believe it!) to make it milder and a little more round, plus it has great electrolytes!
- Sliced Ginger: To give it a heaty, spicy, exotic touch. Cinnamon – never tried personally, but I hear it’s good.

For a little more gourmet flavor, mix 1/2 to 2/3 container (or glass) of Kombucha with:
- Chamomile Tea sweetened with Elderflower Syrup. (Ikea has a nice, cheap one that’s tasty): Makes it ‘pretty’ tasting. Sounds odd, but the light floral notes and sweetness will make you smile, really!
- Chai tea & sugar:  Makes it spicy and aromatic, but still oh so delicious!
-Lemonade + Tea: Kind of like a super-healthy Arnold Palmer with a fizzy tang. Refreshing, indeed!

Where to get Kombucha? If you’re not a home brewer, get some at Whole Foods, most health food stores, and many a supermarket in the natural drinks section. The pros of making it at home is the cost is 6 tea bags and a cup of sugar for a gallon of brew, whereas at the store, a 12oz bottle can cost upwards of $4.99. But most people just don’t drink that much Kombucha in a week, the store-bought are great for convenience and variety. 2 brands I like:

Synergy – One of the best known brands. Pulls no punches, this Kombucha is pretty flavorful and tangy. Maybe too tangy for home-brewers, like it’s ‘overdone,’ but you’ll feel the effects. I when I get the muchies, a swig of this powerful stuff will curb that craving. Lots of good flavors too.
Kombucha Wonder Drink – blended with green tea, this is a milder tasting Kombucha. It’s smoother/easier to drink, might be a good  Kombucha for those who want a more palate-friendly version.

There are many other brands out there, Carpe Diem, Honest Kombucha (from Honest Tea,) Katalyst, etc… I say experiment and compare! I’m still experimenting with my own batch; right now, I’m playing with maple syrup to add to the mix somehow… Of course, I still love Kombucha straight, and drink some everyday, but this is great when you have a large batch and want to have some variety – especially great for guests! Talk about a conversation beverage…

Anyone have any suggestions too? Let’s get creative!

Beauty & Skincare / Eating & Drinking / indonesia / Lifestyle — No Comments
10
Dec 10

Ginger – Whacked, Shaken or Stirred? – Metta Murdaya

When I get the signs of a cold, have an upset tummy, or just need a little soothing but zingy pick-me-up drink, I drink ginger tea. Ginger is a wonder ingredient common in Asian food, beverages, and beauty treatments because of its great medicinal properties. In Indonesia, we consider it a ‘heaty’ ingredient that warms you up (great when you have a cold), helps digestion with its anti-bacterial properties, and can also be used in body-wraps used in spa treatments. When you’re done with these treatments, ginger tea mixed with palm sugar is also served as a traditional beverage. But I want to know – why does the ginger tea in Indonesia just taste so much more fragrant and richer than when I make it at home in NY?

I‘m in Indonesia now, and I learned an Indonesian secret in how they make their ginger tea super aromatic and delicious, so if you’re a ginger tea fan, listen up.
Normally, I make ginger tea by slicing ginger and boiling it in water, but the secret for really bringing out the aroma and depth of the flavor is to cook and whack it. That’s right. Cook and whack it! First, you have to pan-sear the whole (or large chunks of) ginger until parts of the skin are black. Don’t use oil; you’re basically just roasting the skin in a dry pan. Now peel the ginger skin off the best you can. Then, instead of slicing it into bits, whack the whole ginger chunk until it’s smashed near flat, like when you smash a garlic clove with the side of a knife. Then boil away in a saucepan covering the ginger with only a few inches of water. I personally err on the side of strong tea that I can always weaken with more water if needed. Sweeten with honey, sugar, or palm sugar – which tastes like a combination of flowers and brown sugar with a tiny pinch of salt. Delicious.
My theory is that the pan cooking heats the ginger to release the aroma more, and whacking it brings out the juices, but whatever the reason, it works.

Here’s another fun, inexpensive use of ginger in a beverage that I concocted: For a JUARA event at Fashion Week in NY this year, we made JUARA cocktails. One of them was a ginger tea cocktail in which I sliced a whole ginger (very thinly, no smashing needed) and put it in a full bottle of vodka (minus the volume of the ginger.) Leave 3 days, and voila – you have an instant ginger vodka infusion. It looks really pretty with the ginger slices floating, and tastes oh-so-spicy good. Chill and mix with tea, and you’ve got a ginger-tea cocktail. I also like mixing ginger slices in my Kombucha for a little variety, and am looking for other fun uses in drinks!

At JUARA, we use it in our oil-free Sweet Black Tea & Ginger Mattefying Moisturizer, where the ginger works as an oil-control/anti-shine ingredient, so if you want to try that out, check it out here.

Anyone have any creative uses for ginger in beverages, food, or beauty treatments?

JAMU - Indonesian Botanicals — 2 Comments
26
Mar 10

JAMU-JUARA Inspiration #2: Crash Course in Popular Jamu – Metta Murdaya

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Here’s a bit more into JAMU itself – I talk about 2 of the MANY kinds of jamu that are considered ‘daily jamu’ for overall health and well-being. Get ready because after these JAMUs, on the next installment of the JAMU series, I’ll be getting into more interesting ones, such as ones that cure particular ailments and also help on relationship issues… yep, as in you and your significant other. Oh, the power of herbs and a little bit of creativity… :)

Also, feel free to check out our JUARA YouTube channel for more JUARA videos, where all the how-to’s on our products and other brand stuff is housed if you want to see it all in one place!

Uncategorized — No Comments
8
Jan 10

Lions and Tigers and Dragonfruits, Oh My? – Metta Murdaya

My Dragon Fruit Juice at ION mall in Singapore

Oh, my new favorite scary-looking, but oh so tasty fruit of Asia: The Dragon Fruit (aka Pitaya or Pitahaya fruit.) Unlike its bold namesake, it won’t spit out fire if you try to eat it (though wouldn’t that be a neat party trick?)  But it will give you a chockful of Vitamin C, fiber and antioxidants instead. Not bad. This red skinned, fleshy fruit with fantastical green, almost tentacle-like ‘fingers’ has a mild sweet taste and edible seeds. Slice one open and you will see one kind is exciting red, (ok, more like vibrant, gawk-worthy Miami Vice fuscia,) and the other is a creamy, ivory white, both interspersed with black seeds that are barely noticeable when eaten. If dragon fruit is eaten dried, it has 10x the amount of Vitamin C per gram than when fresh.

Diabetes Bonus:  Dragon Fruit is known to be good for people with type 2 diabetes, as it helps control and reduce blood glucose levels. It’s recommended that you enjoy some dragon fruit (fresh, or dry if that’s what’s available,) with your meal if you can to help control blood sugar increase. That’s pretty neat.

How do I eat it? In Indonesia and Singapore, I eat it fresh, either sliced – without the skin – or blendered with ice to make a juice.  I used the red kind (see picture), and when juiced, it’s so bright and fun colored that it makes beet juice look tame.

But in the US, where can you easily get Dragon Fruit? In New York at least, (and probably other cities,) I find it in Chinatown. However, Trader Joe’s has it in dried form in their dried fruit sectionfor a pretty reasonable price, so if you’re curious, I say check it out, and happy dragon tasting!