StarWater Ionizer – Healthy recipes using alkaline water

Have you heard of ionized water or (alkaline water for the matter)?
It was a couple of years ago when I first got acquainted with water ionizer that can turn water alkaline for various purposes. A friend of mine had got a new water ionizer from a Japanese company then, and was sharing with me the wonders of it.

Wanting the best for my family and myself, I was tempted to get one myself. Frankly, I would have purchased a unit home without much thinking if not for the price tag – it costs 3 to 5k *swallows hard*.

Since it cost this much, I thought it made sense to find out more before committing to a 12 months installment. But somehow, amidst my busy schedule, the item was shelved somewhere at the back of my mind and then forgotten along the way until I receive an invitation from OMY.sg to attend a cooking demonstration by Chef Anna of Anna Cooking Arts, using the ionized water.

Here are the yummy and healthy dishes demonstrated at the session I attended.

From left to right, they are Iced Honey Peppermint Lemon Cooler, Black Sesame Seed Rice, Herbal Chicken Soup (四神鸡汤) and Korean Pear Salad. My favourite that was 四神鸡汤. I am a soup junkie, so 四神鸡汤 wasn’t new to me, but the version Chef Anna made was better than the one I had at home. 

If you are interested in the recipes, they are included at the end of this post. These alkaline water is one of the ingredients for all the dishes. But if you do not have a water ionizer, normal water should be sufficient as a substitute (I believe) for normal cooking at home. 

Now what is the difference between our normal tap water and ionized water? Check out the PH colours charted out for the water and beverages below.

With reference to the PH chart below, the colours indicate the PH of the liquids from acidic (orange) to alkaline (purple). The first 2 glasses from the right, the one in purple (strongly alkaline) was ionizer water and the one in blue (weakly alkaline) was our normal tap water. The other beverages used in the test were isotonic drink, soft drink and bottled drinking water – all were acidic. 

Image taken from www.carlagoldenwellness.com

Why is alkaline water better for us?
Here’s an extract from Star Water website which sums it up:

Alkaline Antioxidant Water (AIW) gives you an abundance of anti-oxidants to reduce cells damages and helps to restore your pH balance in your body.
It also contains an abundance of ionic minerals, such as Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium and Sodium that are essential for cellular functions. The Water is high in oxygen and is a powerful solvent to neutralize uric acids, cholesterol and acidic toxic wastes and flushes them out from the body. It hydrates your body many times more than any water and also helps to restore your body pH balance while giving you more energy!

The below extract from StarWater’s brochure explains the benefits of ionized water.

Extracted from StarWater brochure

If you are keen to find out more about alkaline water, here’s a page on StarWater’s website which you may find helpful: http://www.starwater.sg/alkaline-water

During the session, I was introduced to Star5 water ionizer. Check out the pretty and chic design!

Photo credit: StarWater

The Star5 is able to produce 7 types of water from Acidic to Alkaline for various usage at home.

Herbal Chicken Soup (四神鸡汤) – 4pax
INGREDIENTS                                   QTY
Herbal Mix (四神料)                           1 pkt
American Ginseng (西洋参)                 10g
Red Dates (红枣)                                 12 pcs
Mushroom (香菇)                                 8 pcs
Sliced Ginger (姜片)                             6 pcs
Chicken Thigh (鸡腿）                         600g
Alkaline Ionized Water (电子离子水)   2500ml

SEASONING (调味料)
Mushroom Powder (香菇粉)                1 pinch
Sea Salt (海盐)                                     1 tsp
Rice Wine (米酒)                                  
Sesame Oil (麻油)                                

4 HERBAL MIX – 四神料(Available in most Chinese Medicine Halls)
Lotus Seeds, Poria, Chinese Yam, Pearl Barley [200g]/Job’s Tears, Euryale Seeds

METHOD

1. Soak to soften Mushroom. Wash and drain dry. Cut up Chicken Thighs into pieces. Wash American Ginseng, Red Dates and Herbal Mix ingredients. 香菇用水泡軟后洗淨.鸡腿折块. 西洋参,四神料,红枣洗净.
2. Heat up some Sesame Oil in a work and fry the Sliced Ginger. Add [1] and Alkaline Ionized Water to simmer for an hour. 用麻油小火炒香姜片,加入[1]材料,水炖煮1个小时.
3. Add the remaining seasoning (Mushroom Powder, Sea Salt, Rice Wine) in. 加入调味料即可.