Two years ago, at a dinner with a friend whose son has Asperger's, an amazing idea came up to help displaced communities in Malaysia. This young man was highly committed to helping the poor, the ill as well as refugees in Malaysia. These people have little more than a roof over their head. They were expected to be self-sufficient somehow. He had a dream to teach these people to farm and sell their own produce.
We were immediately hooked on this project. We suggested planting as a beginning our Butterfly Pea flower plants and we would sponsor, educate and help this community so they could get a regular, dignified income as well as learning sustainable farming practices.
This took off beautifully. The flower seedlings started and in about 4-6 months, the community had a regular fixed income and were very proud of what they had accomplished.
In Borneo, we have another project to help several native communities in the highlands develop other crops as well as introducing them to sustainable agricultural practices. My Blue Tea were happy to assist those in need and engage with and support local families. Many of them were single mothers. We assisted them in planting, managing and growing crops. The education and knowledge that they have acquired can be passed on for future generations.
In this farm-to-consumer business, MY BLUE TEA has had the opportunity to work with local communities at a grassroots level to help locals understand the importance of sustainable agriculture while providing a future for themselves and their families.
Governments, several universities and members of My Blue Tea have pledged resources as they recognise the need to develop an agricultural footprint in order to fight against climate change and ensure food security for the future. This is a movement known globally as LULUCF (Land Use, Land-use Change and Forestry). We support and will always support local communities to make this change possible for our environment.
Top left: Chris having a lighter moment with the village chief; top right: Highlands of Borneo in the rainforest: Bottom left: Pure spring water coming in deep within the mountains.
SOIL TO PLATE
What the MY BLUE TEA team aims to do is achieve ¨soil to plate¨ - ensuring we have an audit trail from start to finish. The source of our products is sustainable and organic. It contains the right amount of micro organisms for healthy and productive plants without the need for chemicals. It is vital that what we do now is passed on to the next generation. They need to understand the importance of food security e.g. using permaculture, vermiculture and micro organism techniques.
MY BLUE TEA is proud to be able to offer ¨private labels¨ for plant based products in different forms e.g. powder, dried slices etc.
On one of our projects with the Melanaus local community, we met a lovely lady working with us to grow Clitoria Ternatea (Butterfly Pea/Blue Tea flowers) and Pandan plants. She invited us to tea and treated us to Tebaloi, a sweet sago snack from the Melanaus culture. We loved it so much we wanted to share the recipe with you!
Harvesting Butterfly Pea flowers and Bamboo restoring soil health with Bamboo plants.
Bamboo can grow in all types of soil conditions and serve as a green solar system to harvest carbon from the atmosphere to draw down into the soil to provide food for soil microorganism within root cells known as rhizophagy symbiosis. This is a cycle process whereby plants obtain nutrients from symbiotic bacteria that alternate between a root intracellular endophytic phase and a free-living soil phase.
TEBALOI RECIPE
This is a traditional snack from Sarawak. It is considered to be a delicacy of the Melanau people. It is typically served to guests with tea or coffee.
The unique taste of Tebaloi is so special that not just locals but tourists also flock to taste it.
The main producing areas of the Tebaloi are in the Mukah and Dalat Districts along the coastal region of the Mukah Division. These areas favour large plantations. Sago palms which produce sago powder are grown there. It is the main ingredient used to make Tebaloi.
Try out this exquisite Pandan Tebaloi recipe for yourself. We guarantee it to be a mouth-watering experience.
Ingredients:
250 grams sago flour
40 grams / 1 egg
80 grams castor sugar
200 grams grated coconut
1 tspn @my.blue.tea Pandan Powder
A few banana leaves
(Quantity makes approximately 20 pieces of Tebaloi measuring 7 cm x 9 cm.)
Steps:
* Beat egg and sugar together until finely mixed. Add in Pandan Powder and mix well.
* Add the grated coconut and sago flour into the mixture. Mix well.
* Pour the mixture on the banana leaf and spread it out thinly.
* Bake in an oven at 180 °C.
* When the Tebaloi layer is half cooked, remove from oven.
* Separate the Tebaloi from the banana leaf.
* Cut into desired size and bake again until it is fully cooked or golden brown.
* Remove and let cool.
* Serve or store in an airtight container.
Tips:
This is as close as we can get to the original recipe from the Melanaus. Our version here is a healthier version as we use only all natural plant based flavour and colour (pandanus). It is suitable as a snack or for tea break.
You may increase or reduce the amount of egg, sugar or grated coconut based on your preferences.
And for a final icing on the cake, savour this beautiful snack with a warm cup of Blue Tea. For more beautiful, exquisite ingredients, visit My Blue Tea and experience how cooking can be an absolutely healthy delight.
BUY BLUE TEA TO HELP US EMPOWER WOMEN
My Blue Tea aims to accelerate women's equality and celebrate their achievements. Join us by supporting our sustainability program to empower women here by purchasing our special Blue Teas.
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