Cooking for Confinement

All four of my babies were borne by  C-section and the confinement (or pantang) periods that I went through were not as rigorous as those who gave birth in the normal way. The traditional Malay way of the pantang usually involves the tungku (massaging the abdomen with heated metal or specially shaped stone), the body massage, the bengkung (something like the corset), the salai (lying on a warmed bed-like apparatus - this is usually practised by women from certain states in Malaysia) and strict dietary requirements. I didn't practise the first four (only getting the massage after about 3 or 4 months after childbirth). And I wasn't very rigid with my diet, either.

My first two babies were born in the UK - no mother or mother-in-law to pamper or terrorise (whichever way some people see it...lol) me there! The third was born in Sungai Petani, Kedah a week into Ramadhan so both mothers were quite unavailable to be of any assistance. And the last one was also like his 2 elder brothers, born 'overseas' - in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. So no help there, either. The only person who helped me through my confinements was my darling Hubby who I should say coped with them in a most satisfactory manner...alhamdulillah! He cooked and managed things wonderfully masyAllah.

Apparently Bang Long doesn't take after his dad...! Once informed of his wife's pregnancy he'd booked my flight to Adelaide... Lucky for him I'm no longer working and not tied up with anything at home (only leaving the poor hubby to fend for himself!).

Anyway, as you can see I'm not exactly well-versed with this pantang thing so I am here mostly to help with the cooking and the laundry while the daughter-in-law does the tugku-ing and the benkung-ing on her own (fortunately this is her third childbirth). However, cooking for somebody in confinement can be really challenging. I googled for recipes but of course in the end I improvised and simplified.. I found five important ingredients to be excellent for after childbirth for their health-giving properties. They are garlic, ginger, turmeric, lemon grass and black pepper. Fortunately fresh ginger, turmeric and lemon grass are easily available here in Australia although abominably expensive! Thus from then on most of my cooking would be based on these 5 ingredients.. 

Here's a recipe using white fish fillet that the daughter-in-law (and the son, too) likes so much that she could eat the same thing 3 days in a row..

White fish fillet

Lemon grass, half an onion, garlic, ginger, turmeric, black pepper and sweet soy sauce

Chop or blend the first five ingredients.

Add lots of black pepper, and salt to taste.

Marinade the fish for at least 10 minutes (oh yes, I added about a teaspoon of powdered turmeric for added colour)

Cook in a little bit of oil.

After a few minutes, turn the fish over, carefully..

Add about a tablespoon of sweet soy sauce on each side of the fish.

I wanted it served dry but the DIL preferred a little bit of gravy so I added about 1/3 cup water and let simmer for 3-5 minutes..

There you are - marinated fish fillet in soy sauce!

From a (ehem..modern and contemporary) mother/mother-in-law point of view, you can't be too strict with the pantang.. Eat whatever your body feels right for you and your baby. Well, yes there are some food to avoid that are considered 'cold' and can cause 'wind' (berangin?). If there are food that makes you feel uncomfortable after eating it, then just avoid it... What's important is to eat a balanced diet and consume enough liquid to remain hydrated and for essential milk production. And remember, eating a healthy diet is like a way of life and to remain healthy one needs to eat healthily for the rest of ones life! Thank you.

Healthy, Home-made Smoothie..

We have never actually tasted bought smoothies (I don't think there's even a Smoothie Bar at all in Kuala Terengganu). Going online and reading health magazines for healthy food tips (yeah...when you're middle-aged and having peers with all sorts of ailments make you think about what you eat) introduced us to this wholesome drink. We experimented with all kinds of fruits and best of all, we found out a great way to use up our home-made yogurt (yogurt itself having numerous health benefits of its own). You may say it's not cost effective to buy so many kinds of fruit just to make a smoothie...well, the secret is to buy many kinds and freeze them! They keep for ages in the freezer... Also by using frozen fruit you don't need to add ice cubes to chill the drink. (I don't think I can take warm smoothies, can you?) We combine local and imported fruits...use any fruits available or in season. Though, one local fruit that we find quite unpalatable is the starfruit (buah belimbing) - yucky. We haven't tried the durian, though... (call it intuition but I can't quite savour a durian smoothie even in my mind...hmm...I think it just got stuck in my throat - not that I don't love the fruit per se). For those of you who may think that something healthy couldn't taste that good...well you might think again once you've tasted this. Anyway, here are some pics and steps on how we make it:

Frozen blueberries - a bit expensive but you only need to throw 4-5 pieces/glass

Mango - also frozen

Strawberries and Kiwi fruit

You don't find soursop often but when you do, peel and freeze. This fruit has excellent health benefit; look it up online

You can also use preserved fruit like this one - cranberries has many health benefit, too

You may also add fruit concentrate such as this: pomegranate concentrate - notable anti-cancerous properties

And here's how to whip up a healthy smoothie. Oh, and you'll need a blender of course... :

Add a slice or a piece or two each of the fruit you have into a blender. Don't forget to de-seed any fruit with seeds...Also a little of the fruit concentrate if you want and/or a sprinkle of preserved fruit pieces.

Then add a dollop (or two) of (your home-made) yogurt

Now, this is optional. Some fruit has enough sweetness of its own (like if you add a banana) but if you find you can't get pass the sour taste, add some brown sugar or honey.

Lastly, add some low-fat milk (how much depends on the consistency of the smoothie you prefer)

Blend everything until smooth...

Pour into a nice tall glass...throw in some nuts - walnut/hazelnut/cashew/any nut/raisins and just enjoy the goodness of this healthy drink... yum..my! (do I sound like a commercial?)

Different colour for different fruit combination..

There you are...simple, isn't it? Have a glass of smoothie for breakfast every morning. It's great for your well-being (I'm sounding like a commercial again, right....lol)