Petai !

Not many people know one of my favourite ingredient is Petai. It is considered a fruit and comes in clusters of pods and we normally extract the petai beans from the pods. Petai, or otherwise known as "stink bean" can be found used in dishes here in Singapore or in Thailand, Burma, Malaysia, Indonesia and India.

It is an acquired taste as not many people like its strong smell and taste which can be very pervasive and which can lingers in the mouth and body, as well as internally, it contains certain amino acids to give a strong smell to one's urine for at least 2 days.

I love petai cooked in sambal prawns or ikan bilis. With fresh prawns in stir-fried in sambal chilli and petai, the dish smells and tastes great, and the petai is crunchy. The same goes with the ikan bilis.

I found some interesting facts about petai here, which may change your mind about the pungent stink beans. I love Petai but I didn't know it has so many benefits to cure the below sicknesses!

- Lack of energy

- Depression

- PMS (premenstrual syndrome)

- Anemia

- Blood Pressure

- Brain Power
- Constipation:
- Hangovers

- Heartburn
- Morning Sickness
- Mosquito bites

- Nerves
- Ulcers
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

- Smoking

- Stress

- Strokes
- Warts

So, you see, petai is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrates, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around.