Tea with AK71: A simple meal.

Friends are constantly amazed by how little money I could spend on food. Well, if we cook our own meals, we could save quite a bit of money and we could have a healthy meal for even less money. I think the idea that many people in affluent countries like Singapore eating too much rich food is quite true.

Let me share with you one of my favourite low cost and healthy meals: barley and winter melon. This is really a meal that kills two birds with one stone. Very rare.

You know how much money those packet drinks cost? Lemon Barley drink from Yeo's cost $2.40 for six 250ml packets, if I remember correctly. I feel that the drink is not even nice. Tastes like syrup.

Here is what I do. I buy a small packet of barley for 90c and a packet of sugared winter melon strips for only $4.50 (1kg pack). I get these from a Chinese medicine hall near my home. The barley and winter melon strips are enough for making at least 24 litres (usually more) of barley winter melon drink and eight meals! Really? Really!

Put about a tea cup worth of barley in a pot and wash clean. Fill the pot with water and set on a gas stove to boil. Once it has come to a boil, switch off the gas and add sugared winter melon strips for sweetness. Leave it for an hour to cool and pour the barley water into a 1.5 litre container meant for hot water. Then, fill up the pot with water and set to boil again. So, we would have another 1.5 litre of barley water.

Now, we have our drink which I usually take two days to consume. What about the meal I was talking about? After pouring out the second pot of barley water, let the barley and winter melon in the pot cool further. Then, transfer into a bowl for a nutritious meal which is rich in Germanium! Barley is a healthier choice compared to white rice too.

No prizes for guessing what did I have for lunch today. ;)