梵尼兰谷/Fernnie's Green Vanilla Valley

邱妈咪另外开了一个博客 梵尼兰谷， 专门写有采用到天然香草豆Vanilla的食谱， 请大家有空点击以上链接去看看。

当您用了天然的香草豆， 您就不会回头去用人造香精了。。。。

Mommy has started a new blog Fernnie's Green Vanilla Valley, specially for writing recipes using pure natural vanilla as part of the ingredients. All are welcomed by clicking the above link to drop by to have a look.  

Once you have tried the natural vanilla extract, you will never go back to the artificial fragrance additives....

 

 

香草豆

别名：香荚兰豆、梵尼兰豆荚 　　

英文名：vanilla bean 　　

利用部位：果实 

产地：墨西哥 　　

梵尼兰，又称香子兰（Vanilla），一般简称“香草”，价格仅次于藏红花芯（Saffron），是世界上第二昂贵的调味“香料之王”。

在16世纪以前梵尼兰的豆荚就被人们应用在香料饮品中，直到现在仍是唯一被利用在香料的兰花科植物，因此有「香料皇后」的美誉。

特性：草豆是名贵的热带天然香料，经科学测定，香荚兰中含有150-170种芳香成份及17种 人体必需的氨基酸，具有极强的补肾、开胃、除胀、健脾等医学效果，是一种天然滋补养颜良药，被誉为“天然香料之王”，加工后的成品干荚可直接利用，也可制 成酊剂、浸膏、油树脂。香荚兰加香产品，具有沁人肺腑的独特香气，是合成香兰素所不能比拟的，因而被广泛用于调制各种高级香烟、名酒、特级茶叶、化妆用 品、高级服装，是各类糕点、饼干、糖果、奶油、咖啡、可可、冰淇淋、雪糕等高档食品和饮料的配香原料。 　　

香草具有甜美的魁力，墨西哥印弟安人阿兹特克族用它来增添可可饮料的风味，因为西班牙人而传到欧洲各地。在15-30厘米的圆筒形黄绿色果实刚开始变黄时摘下，使之发酵、干燥，黑褐色的表皮就会产生皱褶，成为人们所称的“香草豆”。 　　

用香草豆和其他花草或茶叶混合冲泡，就能享受到甜甜的香草芳香。以前欧洲人认为它具有药效，但现在只用来添加冰淇淋、甜点、香水、香烟等的风味。加在砂糖里面，就成了香草糖。 　　

功效：当调味料、香料。 　　

注意事项：适量使用，冲泡前先用剪刀剪成1厘米长短。 　　

[复方] 　　充满甜甜的异国香味 香草豆2厘米 橙花1匙 甘草1/2匙 菩提花1/2匙 野草莓1/3匙

Vanilla Beans

Vanilla is a flavoring derived from orchids of the genus Vanilla, primarily from the Mexican species, Flat-leaved Vanilla (V. planifolia). The word vanilla, derived from the diminutive of the Spanish word vaina (vaina itself meaning sheath or pod), simply translates as little pod.

The majority of the world's vanilla is the V. planifolia variety, more commonly known as Bourbon vanilla (after the former name of Réunion, Île Bourbon) or Madagascar vanilla, which is produced in Madagascar and neighboring islands in the southwestern Indian Ocean, and in Indonesia. 

 

Vanilla is the second most expensive spice after saffron, because growing the vanilla seed pods is labor-intensive. Despite the expense, vanilla is highly valued for its flavor, which author Frederic Rosengarten, Jr. described in The Book of Spices as "pure, spicy, and delicate" and its complex floral aroma depicted as a "peculiar bouquet". As a result, vanilla is widely used in both commercial and domestic baking, perfume manufacture and aromatherapy.

自己熏制凡尼拉/香草豆糖/Home Infused Vanilla Sugar

A 级有机凡尼拉荚／香草豆／香草莢

材料：
细砂糖
凡尼拉荚／香草豆／香草莢 - 10 条（打直破开， 然后剪成2段）（也可以使用萃取香精酒后风干的香草荚，数量要用多些）

Fine Grain Sugar - 2kg 
10 Vanilla Pods-cut lengthwise (or you may use the air-dried vanilla pods after making your Home Infused Vanilla Essence , but you will need more in quantity)

最好是使用玻璃罐，先把一半的糖倒入糖罐内， 然后插入一半剪开的凡尼拉荚

Half-filled a glass jar with sugar, stick in the vanilla pods.

然后再倒入另外一半的糖， 再埋入剩余的凡尼拉荚， 接着旋紧盖子，把糖罐置放在阴凉黑暗的橱内最少1个月。

Filled up the jar with the rest of the sugar, keep the sugar jar in a dark cool cabinet for at least 1 month

Tips:
1.  Use 2 smaller jars. Take turn to refill the sugar jars to ensure constant supply of vanilla sugar.
2.  You can refill the sugar jar to reuse the vanilla pods for a few rounds. Grind the pods into powder for baking or cooking after using them for a year or so.
3.  Those tiny black dots in the sugar are the vanilla caviar where the aroma comes. Also you will find some oil stains in the lumpy sugar, they are vanilla oil stains. Please do not throw them away! Just break the sugar lumps before use.


小提示：
1.  建议同时使用2个小型的糖罐子，分开熏制两个糖罐的凡尼拉糖， 轮流使用烹饪，这样子就可以有源源不绝的凡尼拉糖供应啦！
2.  使用过的凡尼拉荚还可以再循环数次使用来熏制凡尼拉糖。 一年过后再把它打成细粉，拌进细砂糖内用掉， 一点也不浪费。
3.  熏制出来的凡尼拉糖内， 会有一些小黑点， 别担心， 那是凡尼拉子来的！ 有时会看到糖有些油渍， 那是凡尼拉油, 凡尼拉子及凡尼拉油是香味的来源， 可别挖起来丢弃喔！

自家萃取凡尼拉香精酒/Home Infused Vanilla Extract Liqour

自己在家萃取的香草豆/Vanilla香精酒的香味及口感，真的是市售几块钱的人造Vanilla Essence无可媲比的。对于因宗教因素或某些特有因素而禁酒的人们， 其实也可以在家薰制凡尼拉糖来取代香精酒， 效果也是不相上下的。。。。。

A bottle of the market sold artificial Essence of Vanilla can never be compared to a bottle of home infused Vanilla Extract in Liquor.  The aroma is simply so pleasant and full of charm. But for those who are forbidden  to consume liquor,　may it be religious or some other reasons, the alternative is to make your own Home Infused Vanilla Sugar for consumption, i.e. for baking, beverage and etc..and the result is still so aromatic......

A等级的凡尼拉荚／香草豆／香草莢

 做法：
1.  1000cc的酒， 需要用到大慨15~30条凡尼拉荚／香草豆／香草莢。 把凡尼拉荚的头尾剪掉（别丢掉， 可以用个小玻璃罐来浸酒的，香味效果也一样迷人），然后打直剪开， 再放进酒里, 在黑暗处浸泡至少3个月就行了。如果酒罐不够高， 就把凡尼拉荚剪成两段再来浸泡。 浸泡过的凡尼拉荚是可以再循环浸泡2～3回的， 只是酒量要斟酌逐回减少一些。 可以把循环使用后的凡尼拉荚风干后埋在糖罐内用来薰制凡尼拉香糖， 凡尼拉糖无论是用来冲泡饮品或是做蛋糕， 效果是一流的哟！  最后还可以把风干的凡尼拉荚搅打成粉， 加入食品内烹调， 一点也会不浪费。

1.  To infuse a bottle of 1000cc extract of vanilla, you will need about 15~30 vanilla pods and a bottle of Vodka or RUM. Just cut off both ends of the pod (Do not discard the ends as you can infuse them in a small tiny bottle of Vodka or RUM, no wastage please)。 Then cut the pods length wise, submerge them in the liquor, keep at dark cupboard for at least 3 months before harvesting the extract.  If your liquor bottle is short, cut the pods into halves. You can repeat the infusion for another 2 ~ 3 rounds, but using less liquor after each round. After you have had enough vanilla extract, you can always bury the used pods at the bottom of your sugar jar to make vanilla sugar for beverage and baking purpose.  At last, just grind the dried used vanilla pod into powder form for adding into bakery produce.

2.  酒的选择， 最好是选用高品质的Vodka酒， 我是选用瑞典进口的纯酒（春节时买的，配来了孙悟空72变造型的酒罐，看来连洋人都要配合中国人的节庆啦！春节过后再去买一罐， 哇！ 打7折耶, 可能是酒罐过时了， 要倾销。。。）要注意市面上有不少都是本地酒商再调制过的廉价酒， 购买时要小心看清。  如果没有Vodka的话， 可以选用一些甜口味的酒， 比如说朗姆甘蔗酒（RUM)的效果也不错， 价格也便宜多了。

 左边是浸泡了4个月的Vodka酒，而右边这罐是刚刚浸泡下去的， 看看酒的颜色， 越久色就变越深。

The left bottle of  Vanilla Extract in Vodka has been kept for 4 months and the right one has just finished the pods submerging  process. Compare the colour of the different bottles of liquor and you will find the liquor's colour darken over time.

凡尼拉/香草豆的使用数量不拘，数量比较多的话， 浸泡出来的香精酒就比较浓，使用时用量就不用这么多。

注：  邱妈咪现有代售A等级的有机凡尼拉荚， 每包RM60（内有10条）， 2包RM115， 免邮费（只限马来西亚）。 有意购买请在留言板留言，将电邮联络方式。
Mommy Khoo is a reseller of Grade A Organic Vanilla Pod.  Priced at RM60 per pack of 10 pods; 2 packs at RM115. Free postage within Malaysia.  Anyone interested please leave a message at the comment column for further contact via email.