Healthy Drink: Lemongrass and Ginger Drink

Last two weeks, I had the chance to visit the Barai Spa at Hyatt Regency Huahin. I'm telling you...the place is awesome (and of course, pricey). All the Spa treatment rooms are uniquely decorated and equipped with outdoor jacuzzi bath and a rain shower.

Picture of the Basin in the Barai

By now you might be wondering why I mention all these great things about the Barai. Well, the thing is I was served with this very delicious and very healthy welcoming drink. From the taste, I believe the main ingredients are lemongrass and ginger. I love the drink so much that I did a lil experiment at home. And ladies and gentlemen, I'm proud to present my version of "The Barai Welcoming Drink".
Ingredients:

3 Lemongrass, roughly diced

6 Slices of Old Ginger

1 Pandan Leave

Syrup

Directions:

1. Add the lemongrass to heated water. Bring to boil.

2. Add ginger and pandan leave. And boil for another 5 minutes.

3. Let the drink cool down, then add syrup to taste.

4. Chill the drink the fridge or serve it with ice.

Lemongrass are popular as an alternative to standard Western allopathic medicine for a variety of problems, including reducing fevers, stomach cramps and flatulence as well as general digestive aid.

Ginger are popular as an alternative to standard Western allopathic medicine for a variety of problems, including nausea, colds and flu, stomach upsets as well as helping circulation.

Note: Don't throw the residue away. There are more used to it.

Dry it, groud it and put in a teabag for tomorrow's afternoon tea or make a gift out of it.

Easy Menu: Stir-fried pork in oyster sauce

Stir-fried pork with oyster sauce or Moo Nam Man Hoy is quite easy to cook, but not easy to make it tastes good. The best Moo Nam Man Hoy is the one with the most tender meat. As one of the patrons of Thai mom and pop restaurants, I, sadly, found that most restaurants overlook this point...sniff sniff. So, I will not be abused by the mom and pop restaurants (today) as I will now cook my own super-tender pork stir-fried in oyster sauce!!!!! I will also tell y'all how to tender beef and chicken in the footnote section.

Ingredients

300 Grams of Pork, thinly sliced (I use fillet)

1 Tablespoon of Corn starch

2 Teaspoons of Sugar

3 Tablespoons of Oyster Sauce

2 Teaspoons of Seasoning Soy Sauce (I use Golden Mountain but other brands will do too)

1/2 Cup of Pork Soup ( I use cube soup dissolve in hot water)

5 Spring Onions, Cut into matchstick

10 Straw Mushrooms, Cut in half

2 Tablespoons of Vegetable Oil

2 Teaspoons of Chopped Garlic

2 Large Red Chillies, Sliced

Note: Go freestyle with the vegetable. You can add onions, bell peppers, carrots, brocolli, etc.

Directions

For Tenderizing

Marinate the pork with 1 tablespoon of corn starch, 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce, 2 teaspoons of sugar and 2 teaspoons of seasoning soy sauce for 1/2 - 1 hour.

For Cooking

1. Heat the oil and add garlic. Stir-fry until garlic turns yellow.

2. The add the pork and stir-fry until the pork is cooked.

3. Add the mushrooms, 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce and the soup. Stir-fry until the sauce gets thicken and the mushrooms are cooked.

4. Add the spring onions and the red chillies.

5. Sprinkle a lil grounded pepper when served.

Footnotes:

Tenderizing the Chicken - marinate the chicken with pepper, thin soy sauce, sugar, water, and cornstarch and leave it for 1/2 hour.

Tenderizing the Beef - Same with pork, but make sure you remove all the fascia out. Leave it for 1 - 2 hours (or overnight).