Pandan

Pandan Chiffon Cake

2012-07-10T07:55:00.001+01:00

PANDAN CHIFFON CAKE

When it comes to screwpine leaves, Pandan Chiffon is probably THE classic recipe that people like to prepare at home. Characterised by a delicated green colour, a light aromatic flavor and a spongy texture, this is a yummy tasting cake that’s also pretty easy to make.

Don’t worry, this recipe won’t yield a dry, airy and tasteless chiffon cake. Follow this recipe and your cake will rise to perfection on your first try!

I have seen dozens of recipes for Pandan Chiffon Cakes, but after a few experiments I ended up using the recipe below published on Little Corner of Mine, a blog that claims this recipe to be the best one so far.

The good thing about this recipe is that it doesn’t require a lot of eggs. However, in order to ensure a successful chiffon cake, I would recommend using more egg whites than yolks. You can then use a couple of extra egg yolks for other recipes.

This recipe also includes cream of tartar, which helps stabilize the egg whites and keeps the liquid from leaching out.

INGREDIENTS

GROUP ONE
1 3/4 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup sugar

GROUP TWO
1/2 cup vegetable oil
6 egg yolks
3/4 cup coconut milk
1 tsp. pandan paste

GROUP THREE
6 egg whites
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

3/4 cup sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F).

2. Combine the ingredients listed in Group One in a bowl. Stir well to blend. Add ingredients listed in Group Two and beat with an electric mixer until smooth.

3. Group Three: beat the egg whites and cream of tartar in a separate bowl. Gradually add 3/4 cup of sugar, beating until stiff and shiny peaks are formed. Then add 1/3 of the egg whites into the egg yolks mixture. Fold to mix and then add the rest of the egg whites. Fold gently but thoroughly.

Turn the batter into an ungreased 25cm (10") tube pan.

4. Bake for 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from oven and immediately invert the cake. Allow to cool for about two hours. When cool, loosen the edges (or gently run a knife or spatula around the edges) and shake pan to remove the cake.

5. Slice and serve.

...ENJOY!

Source:

http://belachan2.blogspot.co.uk

Pandan Thumbprint Cookies

2012-07-02T21:54:00.000+01:00

Pandan Thumbprint Cookies

This original recipe originally comes from Pham Phatale, one of my favourite places on the net for Oriental recipes. Similar recipes also appeared on The Little Teochew and K.O Rasoi blogs (see below for links).

This recipe yields good-looking, fragrant and buttery cookies, and gives you the opportunity to experiment with some decorations. If you prefer a more crunchy version, try to leave the egg out. The chocolate chip version will surely be a success among children, but if you don’t have the sweet tooth, you may want to try other toppings, like almonds or pistachios. Hint: salted nuts will be amazing with the sweet pandan flavour!

INGREDIENTS (24 biscuits)

- 140g plain flour, sifted

- 30g icing sugar + 4 extra tbsp icing sugar

- 1/8 tsp baking soda

- A pinch of salt

- 1 tbsp water (only if required)

- 85g butter, softened

- 1 egg yolk

- 1 tsp pandan extract

- Chocolate chips morsels, nuts, whatever toppings you like!

DIRECTIONS

Combine the flour, 30g icing sugar, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Cream together the butter, egg yolk, 4 tbsps icing sugar and pandan extract. Add the butter mixture to the flour mixture and combine quickly with fingertips. If you need to add 1 tbsp water to bring the dough together then do so.

Wrap the dough in cling film and place in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Grease and line baking trays then roll your dough into 1 inch-sized balls and flatten them slightly.

Arrange the dough balls on your tray evenly spaced (they will spread as they cook).

Bake at 160 degrees C for 8-10 minutes then remove from the oven. Make "thumbprints" in the centre of the half-cooked biscuits with a small measuring spoon (not your actual thumb!). Return them to the oven and bake for a further 8 minutes.

Remove the biscuits from the oven and push in a little chocolate button or a couple of chocolate chips into the "thumbprint". Allow to cool thoroughly before taking them off the baking sheet.

Make sure to press the cookies half-way through the baking time to get nice fault lines on the edge of the cookies.

TIPS

You can try the same recipe without the egg yolk. Just mix all the powdered sugar into the butter. The cookie will taste more like biscuits: more crumbly and far less cohesive.

Instead of chocolate chips, try to garnish the cookies with half cup of chopped nuts. Try to coat the cookies in milk, then garnish the outside ring of the cookies with half cup finely chopped nuts of your choice, right before placing in the oven.

Try to add some double cream to the chocolate to make the mixture smoother and more glossy. You can add any other dairy liquid, such as regular milk, or even omit this part if you want a thicker texture.

You can also store the thumbprint cookie dough up to 3 months in your freezer for last-minute surprise guests.

These alien-looking cookies are perfect for Halloween, Carnival or St. Patrick's Day. :)

Sources:

http://www.phamfatale.com

http://www.thelittleteochew.com

http://www.korasoi.com

Pandan & Coconut Muffins

2012-06-29T11:56:00.001+01:00

Pandan Muffins are great for breakfast or for an afternoon treat, and I found an interesting recipe for coconut & pandan muffins from Melting Wok that I would like to share with you. These muffins are not very sweet, and the batter rises up and cracks on the top as it should. They also come out in a beautiful shade of light green, which makes them perfect for this summer season!

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Pandan extract
1 egg
70 ml cooking oil
90 ml coconut milk
150 ml water
12 muffin/cupcake liners

STEP ONE

Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F). Line paper cups on a muffin tray, set aside.

STEP TWO

In a bowl, lightly beat the eggs, add water, coconut milk, oil, pandan extract, salt, sugar, baking powder and mix well.

STEP THREE

Sieve the flour, and slowly pour into the mixture, mix well, and set aside.

STEP FOUR

Scoop the muffin mixture onto the muffin cups until 2/3 full.

STEP FIVE

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a light brown crust appear or cracks out of the muffin top.

Source:

www.meltingwok.com

Buco Pandan Cups

2012-06-28T19:30:00.000+01:00

For my first post, I am sharing a recipe for a fusion Asian dessert found on a nice blog with lots of recipes from Asia (http://www.adorasbox.net). This dessert is made with two of the most popular dessert ingredients in the Far East: coconut and pandan leaves.

This is a variation based on a Philippine dessert, which has pandan-flavoured jelly and young coconut meat -called buko- dressed with sweet cream. It may also remind you of Ta-ko Haew, a popular Thai dessert made with sweet-water chestnuts dressed in coconut custard.

The jelly is made with coconut water, pandan essence and young coconut meat, and topped it with sweet&salty coconut cream. You can present your dessert wrapped in either a wrapped pandan leaf or in shot glasses. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

4 pandan leaves

440 grams of young coconut meat in syrup

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons of white sugar

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of corn flour dispersed in 1/4 cup of water

1 1/2 cups of coconut cream

1/4 tablespoon of salt

1/4 cup of sugar

2 tablespoons of all purpose flour

STEP ONE: prepare the pandan cups

Cut 7-inch pieces of pandan leaves. Make 4 slits on the bottom part (below the rib) 1 ½ inches apart to make five sections (tip: use a cardboard template as a guide to make uniform sections). Alternately, tuck in each section to make a small square cup. Tuck in the last flap and staple the side to it together.

STEP TWO: prepare the jelly

Drain the young coconut and put the syrup aside. Snip the pandan leaves in into half-inch wide pieces. Put the pandan leaves in a small saucepan. Measure the coconut syrup and top up with water to make two cups. Add the two cups to the pandan leaves in the saucepan and bring to a boil. Then simmer for 15 minutes to make pandan essence.

STEP THREE: prepare the cream

Meanwhile, cut up the coconut meat into small cubes. When the pandan essence is ready, strain it and measure 2 cups (you might have to top this up with water). Put back in the saucepan, add the coconut meat and bring back to boil. Take off the heat for a minute and add the flour slowly while vigorously stirring. Put back on the heat and simmer while still stirring until thickened. Spoon the jelly into the prepared pandan cups or into ramekins or shot glasses.

STEP FOUR: presentation

Put the coconut cream, salt, sugar and flour in a small saucepan. Whisk very well then turn on the heat on low. Keep stirring until the mixture thickens. Top the pandan jelly with spoonfuls of this mixture. Leave to cool and refrigerate before serving.

Source:
http://www.adorasbox.net
(please visit this website for more interesting recipes)