Delicious & Fragrant Pandan Chicken
Delicious & Fragrant Pandan Chicken
Pandan Chicken is a popular dish among Thais and Malaysians. This dish can be enjoyed as an entree or a main course. You may use chicken thigh fillets, mini drumsticks or wings, marinated in an aromatic blend of fresh ingredients, then wrapped in pandan (Screwpine) leaves. Fresh pandan leaves has a vibrant green colour and gives a sweet aromatic element on the meat. These wrapped gems can be cooked in different ways such as deep-frying, grilling or baking.
Pandan leaves are also used when cooking coconut rice. The rice can compliment any Thai dishes or in a Malaysian "National Dish" like Nasi Lemak (recipe posted on July 29 2012). These leaves can be used in Hainan Chicken rice, with a knob of pounded fresh ginger, one or two bruised stalks of lemongrass and some sliced garlic. The chicken broth and oil from boiling a whole corn fed chicken is used when making the rice, with an added big knob of butter. The oil and butter gives a yellow tint to the rice.
I loved the times when I was a kid, helped mum in the kitchen, pounded pandan leaves with a mortar and pestle. The dark green juices from these leaves were cooked in Kaya (egg custard or jam with coconut milk). Mixing the eggs with sugar in a huge bowl or stirring the mixture while cooking in a huge wok, required some elbow grease, and a foot stool helped :) Kaya could also be made from palm sugar which gives it a rich brown colour. Absolutely delightful, when served with butter on toasted thick cut white bread, with freshly made coffee from a local kopitiam (coffee shop).
I loved the times when I was a kid, helped mum in the kitchen, pounded pandan leaves with a mortar and pestle. The dark green juices from these leaves were cooked in Kaya (egg custard or jam with coconut milk). Mixing the eggs with sugar in a huge bowl or stirring the mixture while cooking in a huge wok, required some elbow grease, and a foot stool helped :) Kaya could also be made from palm sugar which gives it a rich brown colour. Absolutely delightful, when served with butter on toasted thick cut white bread, with freshly made coffee from a local kopitiam (coffee shop).
The blended ingredients are smeared on thigh fillets
All wrapped ready for the hot oil!
Deep pot for frying, meat is ready once turned golden brown
Served with beef rendang and stir fired fresh Chinese veges eg bok choy
Ingredients
- A little over 1 kg of chicken thigh fillets
- Fresh pandan leaves (sold in some Asian groceries. Wing Hing Chinese Herb, Food & Acupuncture on Wickham Street, Fortitude Valley (Brisbane) sell them in a pot. I used frozen pandan leaves from Yuen's market, Wickham Street (also in Sunnybank). You may also purchase them from Inala Asian groceries. These leaves must be thawed out, and slightly wiped with a paper towel to reduce its moisture before wrapping the meat.
- 9 shallots or 2 Spanish onions
- 6 cm knob young ginger
- 3 little knobs of turmeric roots or 1 1/2 tablespoon of ground turmeric
- 6 cm knob of galangal
- 12 cloves garlic
- 3 or 4 stalks lemongrass, sliced (white part only)
- 8 fresh lime leaves, torn
- 8 (or less) dried chilies, soaked with warm water until soft or 5 fresh hot chillies. You can add 1 to 2 green chillies.
Seasoning
Preparation method- 2-3 tablespoons of light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon of fish sauce
- Few pinches of salt and some cracked pepper
- 3 teaspoons of raw sugar
- 3 tablespoons of cornflour
- 1 1/2 cups of thick coconut milk
- Canola or vegetable oil for deep frying
1. Cut chicken meat into between 5 to 7 cm slices. Combine blended ingredients with the seasoning ingredients and marinate the chicken pieces and leave to stand for a few hours or overnight in the fridge.
2. Add coconut milk and mix well. Roll and wrap 1 or 2 pieces of chicken with a pandan leaf and secure them with a couple of toothpicks.
3. Deep fry pandan wrapped chicken in hot oil until chicken is cooked through and serve immediately with rice and veges.
Selamat makan! :)
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