Born for this…

This really very delectable dish is actually for mothers during their 30-day confinement period after the delivery of a baby…

Locally, it is called kacang ma. It is a Hakka specialty where chicken is cooked with a lot of ginger and white wine…and used to be more commonly enjoyed by people in Kuching. Among the predominant-Foochow population in Sibu, the women will usually eat mee sua in chicken soup with ang chiew (Foochow red wine) and ginger instead.

I did not cook this though. Actually I was planning to so that day but my friend beat me to it. He and his wife are actually from Kuching and the missus is due to give birth to their third child in early November. Since the eating of kacang ma is not as widespread here, they are afraid that the confinement lady may not be able to cook it, so the onus is on the hubby to master the skill and cook it for the wife while she is in confinement.

It certainly looks like he did a pretty good job…

…and when the time comes, you can guess who will be dropping by the house uninvited to help the missus finish the kacang ma. LOL!!!

Kacang ma is actually the leaves/herbs. I did not know the English name for it until I chanced upon this recipe book featuring many of the special Sarawak dishes including Foochow mee sua and ang chao meat…and even fried midin (jungle fern). Then only did I know that it is actually called motherwort herb…

I googled and found this piece of information:
Motherwort (Leonurus cardiaca [Latin]), also called leonurus, lion’s tail, and heartwort, has been used to treat heart disease and depression for thousands of years. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) recommends motherwort to promote longevity and treat menstrual disorders. Today motherwort is still recommended by herbalists for treatment of heart palpitations and anxiety, and to encourage normal menstrual cycles.

Recent studies performed in China have shown that motherwort helps prevent blood clots, relax the heart muscle and lower blood pressure. Motherwort contains lionurine and stachydrine, alkaloids that not only help lower blood pressure but also have a sedating effect on the central nervous system, which supports motherwort’s traditional use as a treatment for depression and anxiety.

Gee! It certainly has a lot of benefits! I didn’t know that…