Welcome to Friday Food Reviews, where I will cover a different food or product each week and look at… what they are.  where do they grow, what can we substitute them for in a recipe, and are they safe to eat, store, use, cook, or anything connected to that food? or product..all the why’s and the wherefores…it will, of course, be mainly my own opinion or a known fact…good or bad…there may even be a tried and tested recipe…or three… today I am looking at…Aromatic Leaves…Part 2.

Why am I looking at aromatic leaves?… As you know I am a foodie and I am always looking at recipes…many recipes especially Asian ones make use of aromatic leaves which are different from soft-leafed herbs like coriander and mint etc…

Last week I looked at Bay leaves(laurel), Indian Bay Leaves, Curry Leaves and Lime Leaves… as I stated in my post I was not aware of the differences in bay leaves I have always up until now cooked with the laurel bay leaf…The Indian bay leaf is noticeably different in appearance and taste…I have now used it in my garam masala powder and there is a definite flavour difference the dish tasted more authentic Indian…

TODAY I am looking at four other aromatic leaves starting with the Pandan Leaf…

Pandan Leaf…

Pandan is incredibly versatile and popular in South and South East Asia. Its leaf extract is often mixed with steamed rice and coconut milk to make a savoury Malaysian dish called nasi lemak. It’s also used to flavour soups, stews, curries, ice cream, cakes, and drinks whole leaves are also used to wrap meats before steaming or grilling, infusing them with their unique taste…

Pandan leaves have a naturally sweet taste and soft aroma. Its flavour is strong, described as grassy with hints of rose, almond, and vanilla, with a hint of coconut.

In Sri Lanka, pandan leaves are used in curries.

Pandan chicken is a very popular dish in Thailand the leaves are used to wrap pieces of marinated chicken before deep frying it…the leaves are sold everywhere and are very cheap to buy…

You can use the leaves whole and boiled in liquid for the flavour, like a sweet soup, syrup or coconut milk. But don’t eat the leaves on their own as they are tasteless, stringy and quite unpleasant. Alternatively, the leaves can be ground down to a paste and the juice extracted to leave an intense green juice that is not advisable to drink…Don’t even try to drink this. It doesn’t taste of very much and is quite awful but the dark green colour and aroma can be used to colour dough or pastry…now this is very nice…

One of the most popular cakes made with pandan is the pandan chiffon cake. It’s very common in Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore and is very, very nice…It is also lovely in pancakes like Kuih Dadar which are pandan-flavoured pancakes filled with a coconut and palm sugar mixture…

I have heard that Pandan Essence is being used in baking in the US and in London pandan is being used in creme brulees, ice cream and rice puddings…and my favourite chef…Nigella sings the praises of the pandan leaf…Quite the popular aromatic leaf it seems…However unfortunately there is no substitute for the pandan leaves’ flavour; the closest thing would be vanilla, although the flavours are quite different…

Turmeric Leaf…

Turmeric grows profusely in my little garden I use it in curries and in drinks…the turmeric leaf I use for one of our favourite curries…Beef Rendang... and why I will never give up meat completely maybe 80% but beef rendang is such a delicious, flavoursome curry that I make very rarely but it’s worth the time it takes to prepare and cook…Turmeric leaves are also used to cook fish, and prawn food wrapped and cooked in a turmeric leaf has such a wonderful flavour…

Betel Leaf…

The Betel is native to Southeast Asia. It is an evergreen, dioecious perennial, with glossy heart-shaped leaves…Betel leaf or paan as it is also known has an important place in Indian culture and is considered auspicious in religious ceremonies, marriages and poojas. The heart-shaped leaf finds mention even in Skanda Purana which goes back to the sixth century.

The betel leaf is also used in stir fries and like the pandan leaf used to flavour ice cream and for shots often for its psychoactive effects…

My favourite way to eat betel leaves is Miang Kham…although I have made it at home some markets sell all the little bits ready chopped in bags with the sauce all done fresh while you wait or made at home and brought to the markets lovely and fresh…a beautiful tasty snack…

Lemon Grass…

Lemongrass is a beautiful aromatic leaf…Lemongrass, also called citronella, is a tall, stalky plant. It has a fresh, lemony aroma and a citrus flavour. It’s a common ingredient in Thai cooking and a bug repellent…it is also an essential oil and one which I make myself and use when I make my fabric conditioner…but today we are talking culinary uses…it is popular and makes a delicious tea…it is an ingredient in many Thai curry pastes, salads and in the popular Tom Yum soup...Native to Sri Lanka and South India it is now grown and cultivated in many countries around the world.

To make the tea at home…

• cut the stalks of 1-2 pieces of lemongrass into 1- to 2-inch pieces
• boil a cup of water..I use a small glass teapot…
• pour the boiling water over the lemongrass stalks to steep
• leave the stalks in the water for at least 5 minutes
• strain the liquid from the stalks and pour it into a teacup…adding ice cubes will create a cold lemongrass tea.

It is a lovely grass which can be made into a cup or a nice jugful from soups and curries to stir-fries and desserts, it adds a fresh taste to anything…as I have a glut of lemongrass I use it as skewers and wrap my chicken meat mix around the stems of the lemongrass it imparts such a wonderful lemon flavour…it pairs with so much chicken, and fish and add to fried rice…its uses are endless it really is a versatile grass…

For my vegan readers, I came across this video and I think even I might like this…The fresh lemongrass, chilli, and garlic combination makes my mouth water…

Thank you for joining me today …I hope you have enjoyed learning about these aromatic leaves and if you have a favourite dish you make with one of these leaves then please share…as always I look forward to your comments…I hope to see you tomorrow for Saturday Snippets…x