TRADITIONAL FOOD

The traditional food in malaysia

KETUPAT

              One of traditional Malay food that often served during Eid festival, ketupat is famous not only in Malaysia but also in Indonesia, Philiphines, Singapore and Brunei. Ketupat also known as rice cake or rice dumplin, ketupat is made from rice or glutionous rice and then wrapped in woven palm leaves pouch. This ketupat is usually served with “Rendang” (dried beef of chicken curry), “Lontong”, “Lodeh” and also satay together with ground nuts gravy. In Malaysia, there are two common types of ketupat that famously served during Eid festivals, which are ketupat nasi and ketupat palas. Ketupat palas is usually associated with the northern states of Malaysia (Kelantan, Kedah, Perlis and Penang). It has triangular shape and wrapped in fan palm lave or also known as palas leave (Licuala Grandis). And the rice used is sticky rice or some people call it glutinous rice. As for the other type of ketupat, it uses normal palm leave as wrapper which woven in square shape and uses normal rice. This type is more famous with southern and central states of Malaysia.   

HOW TO PREPARING KETUPAT

 1) Preparing ketupat starts with getting the leaves for making the pouch. For some people, the leaves is acquired from the wild but some prefer to just buy it from the supplier. As for making the pouch, only the yong leaves are used as they are more malleable.

2) After cleaning up process of the leaves is done, the weaving process then starts. Basically this job requires skill to get it done in short time without an error. The pouch is made up of two strips of palm leaves twisted and woven tightly together to ensure no rice spills out of the pouch. But different types of ketupat do have different style of weaving. For ketupat nasi, it is more on cross-weaving the leaves to get a chequered pouch while for ketupat palas, it is more on round-weaving where the pouch looks like a triangular tube.

 3) Once the pouch is ready, it is now time to fill it up with rice. Before that, the rice must be cleaned up and thoroughly rinsed to remove any impurities. Then, the rice is inserted into a small opening made on the pouch (basically this opening is a loose joint that will get closed once the pouch is tighten up). Once the pouch filled up with the rice (only a third of pouch capacity), the opening needs to be closed by tying the receptacles of the pouch to narrow down the opened joint.     

4) Then it is time to proceed with the boiling process. Water is pre-heated in a large cauldron and once the water has boiled, a bunch of ketupat (usually tied in five to six pouches per-bunch) is put into the cauldron one by one. Number of ketupat that can be boiled at a time depends on the size of the cauldron. One important note during this boiling process is to make sure that the water is pre-heated and has totally boiled up before inserting the ketupat. This is to ensure that the ketupat doesn't spend unnecessary time in the unboiled water as it tends to be soggy due to excessive amount of water absorbed. And for sure, experience in much needed in order to make a well-boiled and firm ketupat.            

5) Time taken during the boiling process might vary depending on the amount of water and ketupat used. Some tips in making nice ketupat is to constantly check the ketupat during the boiling process. This is because every boiling process in making ketupat differs from one to another thus the best method to get it well-boiled is to constantly check it. Lift the ketupat bunch with a stick to inspect the texture and be careful in handling it as the ketupat is still hot

6)  Once cooked, the ketupat will be lifted out of the cauldron and left aside to let it cool down. People normally cut the ketupat only when it is served as to preserve it longer.

DEFORESTATION

       Humans play an important role in influencing the evolution of flora and fauna in addition to changing component of forest ecosystems in their lifetime. Sometimes its activities had little effect, while sometimes men also cause major changes in woody vegetation, or loss of the tree cover. However, not all modifications that lead to destruction, but the problems raised have been frequent enough and serious enough to cause anxiety to rapid deforestation occurred and levels prevalent today. The components of the ecosystem appears to be influenced by the people is the destruction of habitats, ecosystems and biodiversity, global climate change or local heating and dispelling the rate of soil erosion caused by logging activities and agricultural control. It can be named as deforestation and it will affect the environmental destruction.

          Destruction of habitats, ecosystems and biodiversity, a variety of fauna and flora species threatened with extinction and destruction as a result of excessive deforestation. When forests are destroyed, the tree functions as a major producer will also be destroyed. Wildlife that depend on plants as herbivores will lose sources of food. For example, elephants, deer, monkeys and others. Damage to ecosystems, such as the destruction of food chains, energy cycles biotic and abiotic components that would disrupt the local ecological balance. Overall ecological disruption will occur when forests are destroyed.

        Global climate change or local warming: the temperature increase due to the absence of protective environment that prevents the sun's rays, and the excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Next will reduce rainfall or rainfall patterns change often occurs so creating drought phenomenon. Reduction in humidity as a result of the function to release steam into the air through transpiration is lost or reduced. The air around the dry and hot weather. Forests are no longer able to function to moderate the temperature by trapping the sun and releasing steam through the process of sweating.

         Increase the rate of erosion: the effect of deforestation also contribute to the occurrence of soil erosion. When forests are cut down, tree roots no longer grip the ground under the surface. When no roots to grip the ground, resulting in a loose soil structure. When it rains, storm water flow will cause the structure of the soil is soft and smooth.  Land soft  and smooth to move down the hill slopes and landslides took place. Landslide not only damage the forest ecosystem, but also endanger human lives as happened in Bukit Antarabangsa.

           In fact, forest-based biological system is very complex and difficult to understand, as well as the living conditions of billions of people wholly dependent on forests. Apparently environmental stability and balance have been affected by the actions of man to conquer the forest areas through various activities such as exploring the forest for agriculture such as shifting cultivation by indigenous people, the unplanned felling of trees, burning, and many others. Although a number of activities aimed at developing economic times, but sometimes these activities are violations of human areas that need to be curbed by law.

                                                            DIFORESTATION
ANSWER
1-If I were a tree, be sure that I feel sad and angry over what happened, because the damage is due to the attitudes of people that have never been concerned about the environment-conscious semester and money for pleasure without regard to what happens on the nature of the course, especially forests, trees, hills and animals.
2 - Animals began to homeless and lost direction that the animals began to invade the human shelter. In addition the animal began to terrorize and threaten people.
3 - Natural semester began to be destroyed because the trees were cut down, it causes adverse natural disasters such as floods, landslides and ozone depletion.
4 - changes to the environment after the tree is cut it will be too hot weather due to ozone depletion and the environment began to be contaminated.
5 - My message to people is please love nature and love of forest semester. Do not be too concerned with the interests so sure of what happens to the forest.
6 - Raised in the current technology is too advanced causing forest destruction done to rapid development.
7-through this blog is to stimulate awareness of the importance of nature to the reader the semester and especially our forests and to describe what happens on human action.