A little herb here and a little spice there.

A Malay or most Asian dish will taste bland without herbs and spices.

In most Malaysian kitchen you will find the following basic ingredients:

Onions (both small and big) (bawang merah & bawang besar)
Garlic (bawang putih)
Ginger (halia)
Turmeric ( both fresh and as well as powdered) ( Kunyit)
lemon grass (lengkuas)
Tamarind slices (asam geligor or asam keping)
Tamarind pulp (asam jawa)
Fresh chillies
Coconut ( grated to be squeezed for juice; or powdered)

Candlenut (buah keras)
Cloves ( bunga cengkih)
Cinnamon (kulit kayu manis)
Coriander (Ketumbar)
Mustard seeds (biji sawi)

Curry powder ( different types for fish or chicken/ beef)
Chilli powder
Dried chillies

Please refer to my blog post titled Malaysia Cooking Ingredients for the glossary.

Do you know that the above herbs and spices are terribly beneficial for health?
I will try to summarise the benefits based on researched results as found in medical books and articles :

Onions: Very rich source of fructo-oligosaccharides which helps stimulate growth of bacteria and suppress the growth of potentially harmful bacteria in the colon. They can reduce the risk of tumours developing in the colon. When cooked it gives a sweetness to the dish.

Garlic: It has a powerful anti-oxidant effect. It is used to prevent common cold and flu; the plague, manage high cholestrol, etc. No wonder it is called the "wonder drug"

Turmeric: Currently the US National Institutes of Health are conducting studies concerning its health benefits for treating cancer, Alzheimer's disease and liver disorders. It also has high active antibacteria activity and acts as antioxidants which neutralizes free radicals- thus preventing them from turning a cell into a cancerous growth.

Lemon grass: It has an aromatic citrus flavour with a trace of ginger. It has a claming effect to reduce insomnia and stress. It helps to detoxify the liver, pancreas, kidney, bladder and digestive tracks. It cuts down uric acid, cholestrol, excess fats, and alleviates indigestion and gastroenterities
Ginger: It reliefs gastrointestinal distress and promotes the elimination of intestinal gas. It has numerous therapeutic properties including antoxidant effects, an ability to inhibit the formation of inflammatory compounds. It is used as a drink to promote healthy sweating on a cold day. Recent studies demonstrated its effectiveness in preventing the symptoms of motion sickness, especially sea-sickness. It removes dizziness, nausea, vomitting and cold sweating. Ginger also induces cell death in ovarian cancer cells.

Here is a recipe for ginger tea with lemon grass which we love to take whenever we consume too much meat meals; or during the fasting month (when we break our fasts):

Ingredients:

1 thumb size ginger - sliced.
1 lemon grass root - bruised/ lightly crushed.
2 cardomom pods - bruised.
1 small piece cinnamon stick
5 cloves
2 star anise (bunga lawang)
1 Screw pine leaves (optional)
Mint leaves (optional)
Rock sugar or brown sugar

3 teabags

Method:

1. Boil the ginger, lemon grass, cardomom pods, cloves, cinnamon stick (except the tea bags).
2. Add the screw pine leaf ( if you want the aroma)
3. Turn off the fire, add the tea bags ( cover for 3-5 minutes)
4. Add sugar to taste
4. Serve

At the time of breaking fast, this tea will prevent flatulence (kembong) and gives stabilises the stomach.
Notice the feeling when you drink this tea on a hot day. It is so relaxing and thirst-quenching.