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
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Q
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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.
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Q
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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
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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
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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
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• 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
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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,
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AND USE IT IN BEVERAGES LIKE TEA.”