What Is HALAL

Halal is an Arabic word which means lawful or permissible by Islamic laws.

Definition of Halal in accordance to Trade Descriptions ( Use of expression "halal" ) 1975 is as follows:

When used in relation to food in any form whatsoever in the course of trade or business as or as part of, a trade description applied to the food, the expression "Halal" , "Di-Tanggung Halal" or "Makanan Halal" or any other expression indicating or likely to be understood as indicating that Muslims are permitted by their religion to consume such food such expression shall heve the following meaning, that is to say the food in relation to which such expression or expressions are used:

1. Neither is nor consist of or contains any part or matter of an animal that a Muslim is prohibited by Hukum Syarak to consume or that has not been slaughtered in accordance with Hukum Syarak.
2. Does not contain anything which is considered to be impure according to Hukum Syarak.
3. Has not been prepared, processed or manufactured using instrument that was not free from anything impure according to Hukum Syarak; and
4. Has not in the course of preparation, processing or storage been in contact with or close proximity to any food that fails to satisfy paragraph (1) (2) or (3) or anything that is considered to be impure according to Hukum Syarak.

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Recipe - Vegetarian Curry with Tempe

Ingredients :
250g tempeh, cube cut
100g cabbage, cubed
100g carrot, cut into wedges
3–4 long beans, cut into 3cm lengths
1 potato, cut into wedges
1 brinjal, cut into slanting round slices
4 baby young corns, halved
1 tomato, cut into wedges
4 tbsp oil
800ml low-fat milk
400ml water

Spices (A) (combined and ground)
6 dried red chillies
5 fresh red chillies
2cm piece galangal
2cm piece ginger
1cm piece fresh turmeric
2 tbsp meat curry powder
1/2 tsp belacan stock granules
2 stalks lemon grass, sliced

Spices (B):
5cm cinnamon stick
1 star anise
4 cloves
3 cardamoms, split
2 stalks curry leaves Seasoning:
1 tsp salt or to taste
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp chicken stock granules

How to cook :
Heat oil and fry spices (A) and (B) until fragrant. Add carrot and potatoes and cook for 2 minutes.

Add long beans and brinjals.

Pour in the low-fat milk and bring to just a boil.

Add cabbage, tomato and baby young corns.

Simmer for 1–2 minutes.

Add tempe and cook for an extra 2–3 minutes.

Add seasoning to taste.

Dish out and serve immediately.

Recipe - Crock Pot Lemon Chicken

What you need...

6 Chicken Thighs Without Skin -- or pieces, cut up
1/2 Cup Flour
1 Teaspoon salt
1 Tsp Balsamic Vinegar
3 Tablespoons Catsup
3 Tbsp Brown Sugar
6 Ounces Lemonade, Frozen Concentrate
2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
1/4 Cup water

How to.....

Dredge the chicken in flour mixed with salt. Shake off excess and brown in a hot skillet.

Remove chicken and put in the crockpot.

Mix the lemonade, brown sugar, vinegar (use regular vinegar if you prefer) and catsup and pour over the chicken. Cook on high for 3-4 hours.

When ready to serve, remove the chicken to a warm platter and thicken the sauce with the cornstarch/water solution, and serve along with the chicken

New vegetarian food with several benefits

New vegetarian food with several benefits A new vegetarian food that boosts the uptake of iron and offers a good set of proteins. This could be the result of a doctoral dissertation by Charlotte Eklund-Jonsson at the Department of Food Science, Chalmers University of Technology, in Sweden.

The food, called tempe, is moreover a whole-grain product with high folate content. It is generally accepted in medicine that whole-grains reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases, and it is also believed that it protects against age-related diabetes and certain forms of cancer. The B vitamin folate is the natural form of folic acid and, among other things, is necessary for normal fetal development.

"Tempe is designed for vegetarians, but also for people who want to eat less meat for environmental reasons, for example," says Charlotte Eklund-Jonsson. "We also had the environment in mind when we chose to base it on barley and oats, which are suitable to cultivate in Sweden and therefore do not require long transports."

Tempe is produced through fermentation with the aid of the micro fungus Rhizopus oligosporus. Tempe fermentation originates from Indonesia, but soybeans are used as the raw material there. In her work, Charlotte Eklund-Jonsson developed methods to preserve the high fiber content of the cereal grains and at the same time to enhance their content of easily accessible iron. Normally these two considerations work against each other.

The findings show that the uptake of iron doubled after a meal of barley tempe compared with unfermented barley. In other studies both oat and barley tempe moreover produced low blood sugar responses and insulin responses, which is typical of whole-grain products. The dissertation is titled "Nutritional properties of tempe fermented whole-grain barley and oats - Influence of processing conditions on the retention and availability of iron, starch and folates".

Source: Swedish Research Council

Recipes - Lemon Grilled Tempeh

Try this easy recipe to make your own marinade.

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/8 cup olive oil
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
16 ounces tempeh
1 large onion, sliced into rings
4 whole wheat hamburger rolls

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, thyme, and blackpepper for a marinade; set aside. Cut the tempeh into pieces. Place the tempeh pieces in a steamer ormetal sieve over boiling water and steam for 15 minutes.

In a 2-quart casserole dish, combine the tempeh and the onions; pour the marinade over them. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Bake the tempeh, onions, and marinade, covered, for 30 minutes; orcook the tempeh and onions over a grill until heated through, basting with the marinade.

To serve, place the tempeh and onions on the hamburger rolls.Garnish with lettuce and sliced tomatoes.

Yield: 4 servings.
Per serving: 373 calories; 22 grams protein; 18 grams fat; 33 grams carbohydrate; 42% fat.

Nutritional Value of Tempeh

Since tempeh is made from whole soybeans, it is a fiber-rich food. It is also a generous source of many nutrients such as calcium, B-vitamins and iron. Four ounces (oz) of tempeh provides the following:

Calories 204

Protein (grams) 17

Fat (grams) 8

Carbohydrate (grams) 15

Calcium (milligrams) 80

Iron (milligrams) 2

Zinc (milligrams) 1/5

Source: Composition of Foods: Legume and Legume Products. United States Department of Agriculture, Human Nutrition Information Service, Agriculture Handbook, Number 8-16. Revised December 1986.