Category: Edible Landscape

Edible Landscape – Kacang Kelisa

This perennial climber is also known as Goa Bean (Malay Name : Kacang Kelisa, Kacang Botol
Botanical Name : Psophocarpus Tetragonolobus).  It is am amazing plant as the whole plant is edible – the leave are cooked an eaten as a vegetable similar to spinach, the flower can be used to cook with the leaves, the bean can be eaten either raw as ulam or cooked, the root can be cooked similar to potatoes, and the mature bean seeds can be ground to flour or roasted and used to make a coffee-like drink.  One could prepare a complete meal, including a drink, from this plant – simply amazing – an all-in-one plant.

As it is a climber, at the farm, it is grown on a trellis, providing a nice, shady arbor when one can enjoy the day,  With its beautiful purple and white flowers, it can be a beautiful addition to a garden landscape and it requires minimal maintenance.  It has the ability to fix nitrogen from the atmosphere so requires minimal fertilizers.  You can also get away without giving it any fertilizer.

Edible Landscape – Kemangi (Lemon Basil)

Kemangi leaves and flowers

Bed of Kemangi

On hot humid days, I love strolling through the beds of Kemangi ( Malay name) , enjoying the lemony fragrance exuded from the leaves of this plant.  I regard this plant as a Super Ulam as it has many health benefits including treatment for stress, asthma and diabetes.  Maybe, that is why I feel so relaxed after the stroll.  Both the leaves and the flowers are edible and has a slight citrus taste to them.
In Malay, some people call it Selasih but as there are various types of Selasih, the more precise name is Kemangi.  The English name is Lemon Basil and the botanical name is Ocimum x Citriodorum. 
Whenever I do my version of the nasi kerabu, I chop some of these leaves and flowers along with bunga kantan, serai, daun salam and ulam raja (all freshly picked at the farm) and the resulting taste is a pleasure to the taste buds and definitely healthy.
This herb also is a great addition to any spicy dish and it lends a citrus-like flavour to the dish.  It can also be added to any seafood that will be steamed such as bawal putih and siakap.

Bundles ready for market

This plant can be propagated from the stem cuttings or seeds.  At the farm, we use the seeds as I feel it results in a better quality shrub.  It grows to about 1m in height and best in bright sunlight with regular watering in rich, organic soil.  Weekly pruning encourages the plant to produce new shoots and flowers whilst providing for sufficient supply for my weekly Sunday morning market.  It takes approximately 2 months from planting before it is ready for harvesting.
The leaves and flowers can also be chopped and dried, preferably in hot, dry area without direct sunlight, to produce a flavourful herbal tea with as much of its health benefits preserved. This tea is brewed in a similar manner to other herbal teas, steeping the tea for about 5 minutes in very hot water.  With its rich taste, I prefer it without adding any sweeteners.
In view of how this herb is consumed, as with all my other produce, no toxic chemical pesticides are used.  Only organic fertilizer is used.
Kemangi is rich in magnesium and beta-carotene as well as flavonoids.  There are many other key minerals and elements that are beneficial to the human body including the heart.  So next time that you are at the markets and encounter this herb, try it and enjoy.

Edible Landscape – Banana Plants

Inflorescence on a 1m high Banana Plant

Living in a tropical country, in my opinion, Malaysia has ideal conditions for growing bananas (known as pisang in Malay) and the varieties are endless.  The  banana plants also provide a nice, cool shade and is a great water absorber, especially with all the rain that we get here.  At the farm, there are over 400 plants and I especially like to have some around the perimeter of the house as it keeps the house cool.

Pisang Lemak Manis

I am still learning to differentiate the various types of plants before the fruits come out but still have a long way to go.  Among the types planted are Pisang Raja, Embun, Udang, Lemak Manis, Rastali, Berangan, Berangan Kampung, Awak, Abu, Abu Bunga, Telor, Kapas, Nangka and Emas.  I am still trying to locate Pisang Tanduk starter plant.  I am sure that there are other varieties in Malaysia and I am constantly on the lookout for those that I do not have.  My interest is only in local banana plants so Cavendish and those like it are not on my interest list neither are GMO varieties.  For my taste, “original” types are best in taste and flavour especially when you let them “ripen” on the plant itself.  As with my other trees and plants, natural-source fertlizers are what I use and chemical pesticides are a no-no.

There are two types of Pisang Awak, one with seeds and one without.  My personal preference is for those without seeds and I love banana fritters (pisang goreng) for this type of banana and it definitely cuts the enjoyment of this dish when you bite into a seed.  So, only seedless varieties are planted on the farm.  After all, if it is not good enough for me, then it is not good enough for my customers.

Pisang Awak Ripening nicely

The banana plant is really one of the plants whereby the whole plant serves one purpose or another.  Of course the fruit – bananas – have a high nutrition value.  The inflorescense (jantung) also known as the banana heart, can be eaten raw (as an ulam) or cooked in savoury dishes.  The leaves serves as a highly organic, recyclable food wrapper and this is where I can do my bit in preserving the environment – I use it to wrap my produce when I take it to market.  The pseudostem (batang pisang) can be cooked in curries, chopped and fed to my fishes, and as a soil improver by adding more organic content to my soil.  The base root serves as a propagation mechanism.  All in all, a remarkable plant.

Bananas as a food source can be eaten in so many ways:

1. uncooked, it can be a “dessert”, a great breakfast item on its own or added to cereal, or blended into a banana milk shake and of course, an important component in Banana Split sundae.
2. in sweet dishes such as pancakes, desserts, breads and cakes
3. in savoury dishes such as curries
4. smoked and eaten as a snack
5. sliced and dried and made into banana chips

Not all inflorescence (jantung pisang) taste good, in fact some are bitter.  I find that the tastiest ones are from Pisang Abu and we sell only these at the market.

Jantung Pisang Abu

Bananas are one of the popular produce at my Sunday morning market stall with Pisang Raja leading the pack.  I am never sure what variety I will have for sale from week to week as it really depends on which is ripe.  I find that letting the bananas ripen on the plant really produces a tasty banana and since I sell what I produce, I can wait till the best time before harvesting and taking to market.  This allows me to compete better against the other vendors.  Most Sundays, I am sold-out and on those that I am not, I am left with enough for my own consumption.  I do not take orders for bananas but sell on a first come first serve basis.  My adventure with bananas continues……

Edible Landscape – Bayam (Spinach)

Lovely vivid green leaves

One of my favourite leafy vegetable, the Bayam ( Spinach), provides for a nice backdrop of a green, leafy bush.  I avoid chemical pesticides like the plague for all my vegetables so the leaves tend to be less than perfect but I wouldn’t trade it for the quality and taste that is produced by being as natural as possible, using organic fertilizer such as from my compost or “burnt” weeds.

Edible Landscape – Serai (Lemon Grass)

This aromatic plant (English Name : Lemon Grass; Botanical Name : Cymbopogen Citratus) is easily grown and serves as a nice border plant and produces a pleasant lemony fragrance.  As such, every time I prepare the lemon grass for market, I will burn the discarded excess leaves and roots, and enjoy the aroma as well as keeping the bugs like mosquitoes, away.  With its thin, long leaves, and sharp edges, use care in handling them.  
It is often used as a cooking condiment in savoury dishes.  The leaves can also be dried to create tea which is prepared in similar manner to other herbal teas.  Sweeteners such as honey can also be added to the tea concoction and can be served hot, warm or cold.  It is tasty cold on hot, sunny days.
It is purported to have cleansing effect on the body, helping to remove toxins from our system and also has anti-cancer properties by inducing apoptosis (programmed cell death) of cancer cells by citrol, a molecule found in the stalks and leaves.  So, you can enjoy this drink but at the same time have some great health benefits.
Sliced, young Serai stalks makes a great addition to nasi kerabu and shrimp or calamari salad (kerabu).  This kerabu is very easy to make – lightly cooked shrimp, sliced young serai stalks, juice from limau nipis (key lime) or lemon, olive oil, salt and pepper – all tossed together.  For those of you who live a little “heat”, add your choice of fresh chilies to this.
As the plant matures, new stalks grow from the initial stalk planted to create a bush of stalks of serai.  It is easily propagated from the whole stalk. As the stalk matures, the old leaves will dry out and should be removed to maintain a nice green “bush”.  I find that this plant should be re-planted every six months in order to have nice, fat stalks otherwise it will tend to “rot of old age”.
The serai is an easy plant to grow in direct sunlight and easy to propagate via its stalks.  It requires regular watering to ensure good quality serai stalks.  As the leave matures, it will turn brown and dry out.  To keep the plant healthy and good-looking, regular removal of the dead leaves should be done.

Edible Landscape – Bunga Kantan

I have a fascination for the beauty of this edible flower with its striking pink color.  It is a great option to planting non-edible flowering plants, the Bunga Kantan (English Name : Ginger Torch, Botanical Name : Etlingera Elatior ) makes a great “border-covering” plant..   It also has a subtle fragrance to it which I find to be very pleasant.  I enjoy taking photographs of it, the contrast of pink against green,


It does well in a well-drained soil with plenty of water and takes about 1 year after planting before flowering.  This was one of the “original” plants at the farm and has sprouted in a few “groups”.  I find that compost fertilizer works best to maintain good quality and size of the flowers.  The quality and size of the flower has a direct relation to the quality of soil and water it gets.  More flowers are produced during rainy season with good sun exposure.  The flowers grow on its own stalk to a height of 0.5 to 1.5m tall, from the ground in a singular fashion.
At the farm, the plants grow to about 3m in height hence can provide a good shade or be planted as a fencing border.  To maintain the beauty of the plant, regular clearing of the old leaves and unwanted creepers needs to be done.  The plant can be propagated via seeds from its mature flowers or from its rhizomes.


It is used in many Malaysian dishes as a condiment such as in laksa, masak pinang and nasi kerabu.  The flower can be eaten raw as a salad component or cooked.  The leaves and the flowers have antioxidant and antibacterial properties.
If you do not like the taste, it makes a beautiful cut-flower arrangement to grace your home.  It lasts about 1 week.  Traditionally, the leave and stems have been boiled and the resulting water used as a bathe to eliminate body odour.  

Edible Landscape – Misai Kucing

The variety planted at Suria Helang Lui has pale lavender flowers so makes for a beautiful addition to the landscape.  You can also find plants that produce white flowers.  True to its name, it does look like a cat’s whiskers.  It can be propagate using stem cuttings and placing them in soil with good organic content with good drainage.  It is an easy plant to grow and can grow to a bush up to 2m tall.  The best way to control the bush and to ensure it continues to flower beautifully, regularly prune it and use the pruned flowers and leaves to make a wonderful tea.

My misai kucing patch, full of weeds and grass

Partially-weeded misai  kucing patch



Cuttings ready to be processed to make the tea

For “salad” lovers, the flowers are also tasty eaten raw so can add beauty to you salad plate.

When I hold my Durian Fest, I always make sure that I serve this tea using great, unpolluted water from the “ulu sungai” as it does help with keeping your sugar level from shooting up as well as keeping the body “cool”.  Personally, I drink this tea a couple of times a week for “maintenance” purposes since I do love sweet things.  I have friends who drink this tea for the purpose of controlling their blood sugar as well as a prevention or cure for diabetes.  Traditionally, it is also used as a blood cleanser as a capillary and circulatory remedy as well as for controlling high blood pressure.  Hence, this tea is served at my Durian Fest and my unscientific observation, guests who consume this tea while they are enjoying lots of durian fare better then those who don’t.

Flowers and leaves, ready for next step

I find that the tastiest tea can be obtained by using just the flowers, the soft stem and leaves.  To make the the tea, strip the leaves and flowers from the stem.  You can also use the soft stem of the flowers.  Do not use the “woody” stems but instead you can use this to propagate new plants. 

“Chopped” flowers and leaves

I use a pair of kitchen scissors and cut them up into smaller pieces and place them in a “tampi” or any tray that allows for air circulation.  Remember to cover the tray with a cloth such as a tea cloth to prevent “aliens” from joining your tea leaves.  It is important to air-dry them out of direct sunlight to preserve its properties.  During hot weather season, it takes about 1 week to dry.  At the minimum, “fluff” the tea every two days to ensure it dries evenly.
To brew the tea, use very hot water, steeping them for about 5 minutes producing a lovely golden brown colored tea with a natural sweetness to it.  No sugar need be added and can be consumed hot, warm or cold.  The type of water used also will affect the taste of the tea.  Apart from diabetes and hypertension, this tea has been used to treat kidney ailment such as kidney stones, and has diuretic properties.

For all the benefits that this tea provides, it is why I love drinking it a few times a week, one of the elements in health maintenance.  Since I produce the tea myself, I am assured of how it is planted, what is used to fertilize and the tea produced is pure Misai Kucing, no additives or preservatives.  As I continue to increase the number of plants on the farm, the production is increasing.  Currently, I sell this at the Sunday morning market and through direct orders.  If you are interested in purchasing it, please contact me at 019-2089062 or e-mail me at suriahelanglui@yahoo.com.

Edible Landscape Plant – Ubi Keladi

One of the ultimate aims of Suria Helang Lui is to create an area where the landscape utilizes edible plants.  With the great tropical weather of Malaysia, there are many plants to choose from.  The above plant known as Ubi Keladi, (Botanical name : Caladium) is from the Araceae family.  There are many varieties of caladium and not all are edible. 
It thrives well is moist soil with a high organic matter content in semi-shady locations.  It takes approximately 4 months to have good-sized tubers, weighing approximately 500gm. The tubers can be prepared in many ways to create from savoury to sweet dishes.  The stems can also be eaten and locally, is often used in asam pedas dishes.  The stem can also be cooked in many ways.
This particular variety produces large leaves measuring around 0.5m at the widest part and 1m long.  At the farm, I chopped up the leaves and feed it to the fish.  They seem to love it and it helps to improve the taste of the fish.
Updated 11 Oct, 2012