Sunday, August 8, 2010

Parkia Speciosa festival?



Fancy a Parkia Speciosa Festival? What on earth is Parkia Speciosa anyway? Well, the picture shows it all. Yes it is the great PETAI!!!! Our good friend is seen here peeling some petai probably been donated by someone? Is it Dr Razali? Please correct me if I am wrong. Apa yang penting...kerjasama as Hasmerya says. Ada yang donate petai, ada yang tolong peel, dan ada yang tukang masak nanti kat rumah. Itu yang bestnya, esoknya pasti sudah terhidang di Bilik Aktiviti. Suatu masa dulu kita juga pernah buat Festival Ubi Kayu!! Ubi dari kampong halaman donated by Norazah and macam2 masakan ada, getuk ubi, ubi rebus dengan sambal ikan bilis, lempeng ubi, pengat ubi dan juga ubi goreng bersama bawang, resepi ini belum update pun lagi. Yang susahnya, chef di bilik aktiviti ni jenis yang masak pakai campak aje, jadi masa nak tulis resepi dah kelam kabut, nak ukur sikit punya payah. Itulah yang jadi lambat nak buat resepi book. Ok, ini sedikit maklumat tentang petai yang telah diberi oleh KJK sendiri, termasuklah gambar di atas ni..

Some info on petai:
Parkia speciosa (petai, bitter bean, sataw, twisted cluster bean, yongchaa, yongchaak, zawngtah or stink bean) is a plant of the genus Parkia in the family Fabaceae. It bears long, flat edible beans with bright green seeds the size and shape of plump almonds which have a rather peculiar smell, characterised by some as being similar to that added to methane gas.

The beans are known to help in treating depression, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and constipation. It will be easier to see how these ailments are helped if we break down health-benefiting components of the bean.

Sugars: Comfort eating - that most obese people are prone to and are unable to resist - usually involves consuming large quantities of starchy foods like chocolates and crisps. It is the high carbohydrate content in these foods that tend to satisfy the comfort eater. The petai beans are rich in complex carbohydrates that can give you the same feeling of fullness, thus eliminating the chances of gorging on the wrong foods.

Fiber: for constipation and type II diabetes - High dietary fiber intake has been proven to benefit diabetics. Moreover, natural sugars have the ability to stabilize blood sugar levels. Since petai beans are rich in both, fiber and sugars, it is a perfect diet option for diabetics. The fiber also helps constipation.

Tryptophan: Also called the good-mood amino acid, tryptophan has the ability to increase the serotonin levels in the brain. This effect is further enhanced by the feel-good factor of the bean's high carbohydrate content. Hence, it can be used for depression and mood disorders.

Vitamin B6: This vitamin is trusted by many to help alleviate premenstrual symptoms. However, instead of taking vitamin pills, women can now opt to go natural and still enjoy the vitamin's benefits.

Iron: The iron content in petai beans can stimulate the production of hemoglobin thus helping people who are anemic.

Potassium - Potassium has two popular benefits. It helps reduce high blood pressure and it is also known to improve memory and aid concentration. Petai beans, rich in potassium, can be termed the perfect brain food.

Antacid property: The antacid properties of the petai beans can help ulcers and heartburns.

There are many other trusted, but unresearched, uses attributed to the Parkia speciosa beans. A study has shown that the bark of its tree is bursting with antioxidant and antifungal activities. That day does not seem far when the pods too are proven to have these additional health-aiding properties.

Despite the unpleasantness of its smell, the health benefits of the Parkia speciosa beans far outweigh the minor undesirable aspects of it.

Wow, thats a full blast of benefits! Luckily I like petai very much..dont you?

5 comments:

  1. jarang-jarang melihat generasi muda sekarang menikmati petai...telah diganti dengan jenis makanan yang lebih trendy dan segera.

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  2. Petai kerayung (Parkia javanica), Petai meranti (Parkia singularis), Petai nering (Parkia sumatrana) dan Petai biasa/papan (Parkia speciosa) dipercayai boleh mengubati penyakit darah tinggi dan kencing manis dan juga berkesan untuk merawat penyakit hati, buah pinggang dan mengubat kecacingan (Malay belief). Here are other claims to help Depression, PMS, Anemia, Blood Pressure, Brain Power, Constipation, Hangovers, Heartburn, Morning Sickness, Mosquito Bites, Nerves, Overweight, Ulcers, Temperature Control, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), Smoking, Stress, Strokes, Warts.
    Research on this stink beans, anyone?

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  3. Lovers of petai too...... no matter what..............

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  4. Me toooooooooooooo...........

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  5. I'm sorry, but most of the attributed health benefits seemed to be based on a mistranslation and is totally fake. The description is of 'banana', not 'petai'. See also: http://danesh.wordpress.com/2006/09/14/petai-parkia-speciosa-stink-beans/. Please read the whole blog and all the comments, and judge for yourself.

    That doesn't mean that petai beans don't have any health benefits, but some actual research is much needed.

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