Ushering the New Year with new trends (Part 1)

Blooms of chrysanthemums, stalks of plum blossoms, pots of lucky bamboos and money plants. All these decorations mark the arrival of the lunar new year. As the year of the Earth Ox 'moo-ves' in on the 26th January 2009 of the Gregorian calendar, various ornaments and plants deemed lucky and auspicious are being used as decorations to welcome a bountiful and prosperous year ahead. Besides the traditional adornment of red lanterns, Spring couplets (chinese calligraphy written on red papers) and potted lime trees, new practices are being introduced to jazz up good tidings for the new year.

The arrow head plant (Sagittaria sagittifolia L.) is a water plant that gives edible round tubers or bulbs. It is a temperate, flowering plant that can be found in wetlands of Europe and Asia. It is called arrow head because of the shape of its leaves. The bulbs, particularly eaten during Chinese New Year, are cream-coloured, crunchier than potatoes, have a starchy texture and a unique pungent taste. They are peeled, sliced and deep-fried to make irresistible arrow head chips or stir-fried wih pork or waxed meat to make a savoury Chinese New Year dish. Sprinkle with salt, the chips taste even better than potato chips! It is said that these bulbs contain alginic acid that helps rid the body of excess salt. The bulbs, when placed into water, can germinate into a delicate arrow head plant that serves as a beautiful indoor Chinese New Year decoration. A kilogramme of the bulbs ranges from RM2 to RM4 and they are available at wet markets and supermarkets.

An arrow head bulb: Ready to be cooked or planted

Arrow head slices stir-fried with waxed meat.

Golden, delicious crunch: My mom's arrow head chips.
The unsalted variety for the health conscious.

At the altar: A nicely germinated plant

Close-up view: Roots among pebbles

Monkey cup or tropical pitcher plant (Nepenthes) is a carnivourous plant that attracts insects with the water stores in the 'cups' or 'pitchers' with lids at the end of the leaves. Monkeys were seen drinking from the cups and hence the name. Recently, the monkey cup has become a popular plant for the Chinese New Year, symbolising the abundance of wealth with the 'water-filled jugs'. The price of a plant depends on the plant size as well as the number of cups a plant has. The more cups it has, the more costly it is. The price can range from RM23 to RM35 per plant and they are available at nurseries.

To care for the plant is easy; simply hang the vine-climbing plant under a shade or a partly lit area and fill all cups with a quarter of fresh water once a month. These will suffice as too much or direct sun will dry the leaves and the water will last for that period if the plant is not watered enough.

My monkey cups

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagittaria_sagittifolia
http://www.kikkoman.com/foodforum/thejapanesetablebackissues/01.shtml

*The writer wishes all blog-readers an abundance of health, wealth and happiness in the coming new year. Gong Xi Fa Cai!