the ingredient
Transcription
the ingredient
living EXPERT SERIES text ELAINE DONG photography SOO PHYE art direction & styling ELAINE DONG & JAMIE SOO-HOO THE INGREDIENT: Pandan Leaves THE HUMBLE PANDAN CAN BE FOUND IN MANY DISHES, LENDING ITS FRAGRANCE AND AROMA TO SAVOURY AND SWEET CREATIONS ALIKE. STEVE ALLEN TAKES US THROUGH THIS VERSATILE INGREDIENT. Q a Q a HOW DO YOU USE PANDAN? I love to use Pandan in desserts as it complements so many flavours, like sour berries, chocolate and of course coconut. I also love to bake fish in Pandan, and use it in beverages like tea. Q PANDAN IS OFTEN ASSOCIATED WITH DESSERT. HOW WOULD YOU INCORPORATE IT INTO MAINS? I have been experimenting. Now I am trying out using pandan with beef. There are a few different techniques I use, such as marinating the meat in the juice overnight then pan frying like a steak, which is very interesting. Also I have blended the pandan with garlic, lemongrass and ginger, which I use to marinate white fish in the mix. The fish is then steamed, which gives it a very aromatic flavour. a Q a 142 WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST ENCOUNTER WITH PANDAN? My first encounter with Pandan was in the UK in a Thai restaurant called Busaba Eathai. They serve the famous pandan chicken, which of course I found very aromatic and quite addictive. But I never used it to cook with. It wasn’t until I came to Malaysia and had my first experience of Malay kuih that I started using it. The flavour was slightly weird at first but it totally grew on me. WHAT ARE THE SPECIAL AREAS TO LOOK OUT FOR IN THESE TWO RECIPES? With the pannacotta, take your time. Allow the jellies to set in the mould before completing the next stage otherwise it will not be separated and will affect your presentation. With the pandan jelly, taste the mixture, you may want to add more pandan extract to taste. Q a Q a WHAT OTHER HERBS ARE SIMILAR TO THE PANDAN WHEN IT COMES TO COOKING? I find that Vine leaves and lotus leaves are very similar to pandan in terms of cooking style but with very different flavours. Each type of cuisine tends to use various types of leaves to cook with. In my home country, we love to use wild garlic leaves a lot, which is an amazing flavour and you can use it in a similar way to pandan in savoury cooking. Also, fresh bay leaves are a staple in my cooking, which you can also use for desserts and cakes. WHAT’S YOUR TAKE ON LOCAL DESSERTS? In Malaysia there are so many different types of desserts that you can’t quite describe it as a single style. The difference between some local desserts and Western ones is that they tend to be flat, with no acidity, whereas Western desserts always tend to focus on acidic flavours. Some desserts here a less sweet but some like cendol can be extremely sweet. The advantage Malaysia has is the wide variety of fresh fruit that can be eaten very simply on its own, like rambutan, mangosteen, jackfruit and durian. “THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SOME LOCAL DESSERTS AND WESTERN ONES IS THAT THEY TEND TO BE FLAT, WITH NO ACIDITY, WHEREAS WESTERN DESSERTS 143 ALWAYS TEND TO FOCUS ON ACIDIC FLAVOURS.” “I FIND THAT VINE LEAVES AND LOTUS LEAVES ARE VERY SIMILAR TO PANDAN IN TERMS OF COOKING STYLE BUT WITH VERY DIFFERENT FLAVOURS.” TRIED & TESTED! The Home & Decor team was on hand to try out every recipe in this series, and we give it the great seal of approval! Pandan and coconut pannacotta with citrus poached rambutans serving 4 PORTIONS Pandan pannacotta Method • 45g milk • 185g cream • 35g sugar • 8g gelatine • 15g pandan leaf • 35ml water 1. Make the pannacottas first. Start with the coconut. Bring all of the ingredients to the boil apart from the gelatine. 2. Add the gelatin and remove from heat, whisking until the gelatine is dissolved. 3. Divide the mixture into the four ramekins and leave to chill in the fridge until set. 4. Make the pandan pannacotta now by bringing all ingredients to the boil apart from the pandan, water and gelatine. 5. Remove from heat and add the gelatine. 6. In a food processor, puree the pandan and water, then pass through a fine sieve. 7. Add the pandan mixture to the pannacotta. Leave to cool then pour on top of the coconut pannacotta, making sure it is set. 8. For the poached rambutans, boil the water, juices and zests then pour over the rambutans. 9. Leave to cool. Coconut pannacotta • 200g coconut milk • 60g milk • 40g sugar • 8g gelatine • 1 pinch salt POACHED RAMBUTANS • 12 rambutans, peeled and sliced into 3 • Zest and juice of 1 lemon • 100ml water • 50g sugar To serve, dip the ramekins in hot water and then tip out onto a bowl. Dress the rambutans around the outside and serve. How to make pandan extract 1 2 3 145 • Wash the pandan thoroughly, then blend with a little water until you can see the juice has been extracted. You have to do plenty at once otherwise you will not get much liquid. Then place in a bowl with a cloth and squeeze out the liquid. Pandan, lemongrass and ginger tea Ingredients 4 PORTIONS • 20 pandan leaves • 8 sticks lemongrass (4 sticks for garnish, 4 stalks crushed) • 1 bulb ginger • 4 black tea bags • 500ml water • 8 tablespoons gula Melaka • 300ml whole milk Method 1. Boil the pandan leaves, crushed lemongrass and ginger in the water, leave to simmer for 20 minutes. 2. Strain and add to the gula Melaka. 3. Add the mixture to the glass, followed by the ice and slowly add the milk. 4. Serve with a peeled lemongrass stick for garnish. Profile 146 Steve Allen loves the food in Malaysia, calling it “honest and unfussy”. “Malaysia has a great culinary heritage like no other country I have ever seen before,” he says. “Every day I try something new and I can’t see a day here that would ever be a boring day. I also love the way people eat here, whether it be on the streets or in hawker centres, where you can sit on a dirty plastic chair with rats running around and an auntie washing your cutlery next to you on the floor and the food will taste great. I can’t say I’d swap it for anything else!” Steve Allen is the CEO of The Delicious Group, which has restaurants in Malaysia and one in Singapore. Go to www.thedeliciousgroup.com for more information. “I LOVE TO BAKE FISH IN PANDAN, 147 AND USE IT IN BEVERAGES LIKE TEA.”