INTRODUCTION: The PaNdaN and The chiCkeN

                                  

Many of us are familiar with the name Pandan leaf but do u know it is also called the Screwpine Leaf? Its name was given by the English traders who came all the way to Asia. As for Malaysians and Indonesian we called it ‘Daun Pandan’. The origin of the daun pandan is from both South Asia and Southeast Asia. Daun pandan differs according to countries. Some have different flavour, aroma and appearance. The daun pandan is known to have a desirable fragrant which enhances the taste of the food. (http://www.theepicentre.com/Spices/screwpine.html)

Daun pandan is not only known to wrapped chicken but fish, rice and other meat as well. The wrappers is said to provide unique flavour, moistness, colour and texture to the food (S.Raghavan, 2007).

According from resources at (http: //www.realthairecipes.) ,the pandan leaves retains the juice of the chicken inside thus obtaining a soft and juicy chicken. Thus in order to prove the pandan leaf “capabilities”, we will conduct our research to prove that the pandan leaves indeed enhance the taste, flavour, texture and aroma of the chicken.

The Day of Research

Venue : Desiree kitchen

Objective:

• 
  
  To prove that the pandan leaves are able to give better flavour, aroma, taste, texture and the meat to be juicy
  
  
  
• 
  
  Not to blow up the kitchen…
  
  
  

INGREDIENTS

• Chicken drumstick (deboned) and skinned
• Large pandan leaves

INGREDIENTS TO BE GROUNDED:

• 4 Shallots 
• 3gloves garlic 
• About 2 cm of knob young ginger
• About 2cm fresh tumeric
• 1 stalk of lemon grass
• 4 dried chillis (soaked in hot water first)

SEASONING

• 2tsp oyster sauce
• 2tsp light sauce
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp corn flour
• Oil for deep frying

 StePs:

1. Cut chicken meat into small pieces ( according to the pandan leaves size)
2. The ingredients that are to be ground will be grinded using the blender.
3. Then the grounded ingredients will then mix with the seasoning and the mixture will be marinated with the chicken pieces.
4. Leave it to stand for 4 hours in the refrigerator
5. Then, the pandan leaves are wrapped into a triangle shape and the chicken pieces are placed in the pandan leaves.
6. The pandan and chicken are deep fried into the hot oil untill it is cooked.It takes about 3 minutes for the chicken to be cooked.Then the pandan chicken is placed on the servettes to drain out the oil and then placed it on the plate to be served.

 Preparation of chicken:

1) Ingredients have been grinded        2) Grounded ingredients is apply on the chicken pieces

3) Seasoning been added

WraPPing & FrYinG ChiCkeN

1)                                                          2)

3)                                                        4) 

5)                                                         6)

 

7)

Nice!!

RESULTS……

The chicken had a mix taste of pandan and the spices. It was crispy and juicy, just like what had stated in one at (http://www.realthairecipes).We actually did a sample without the pandan, just frying the chicken and it turn out to be dry and very dark colour. As for pandan chicken it had an orange-golden colour like which looks really desirable. It smells so good just upon entering the hot oil!!!We are very proud that it actually turns out very well despite a lot of problem when dealing with the oil when frying, hehe….
Accomplished!!!!(We mean on the cooking side)



DISCUSSION

PanDan Main constituents




The flavour component of pandanus leaves is not well known. It is speculated that the flavour is due to a volatile product of oxidative degradation of a yellow carotenoid pigment that forms only when the plant withers. In that respect, there are similarities to saffron and rose, which also contain carotenoid-derived aroma compounds.


The best candidate is 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline, which was found in pandanus leaves and which also occurs in aromatic rice cultivars; another possibility is ethyl formiate, which is also common to both rice and pandanus leaves.Another study found 3-methyl-2-(5H)-furanone as main volatile compound in pandanus leaves, besides 3-hexanol, 4-methylpentanol, 3-hexanone and 2-hexanone The leaves also contain piperidine-type alkaloids (pandamarine, pandamerilactones) with pyrroline-derived structures

On distillation, the leaves do yield traces of an essential oil, but it is unclear to which extent the volatile oil contributes to pandanus’ flavour.

 
 
Sensory quality


The leaves’s aroma is distinct, reminiscent to fresh hay and definitely pleasant. A similar scent is found in some aromatic rice varieties grown in South East Asia (e.g., Thai jasmine rice). The scent of pandanus leaves dev¬elops only on wilting; the fresh, intact plants hardly have any odour.

All over South East Asia, pandanus leaves find their most important culinary application. Pandanus chicken is a classical recipe and an eternal favourite in restaurants: Marinated chicken bits are wrapped in pandanus leaves and deep-fried in a wok. Although the leaves are too hard to eat, they impart a most exotic aroma to the meat.

The leaves have to be bruised or boiled in order to release their flavor. The leaves have a roselike, almondy, and milky sweet, vanilla-like flavor. The dried leaves have no flavor.
 Pandan leaves are used as wrappers in Southeast Asian cooking to provide a distinct flavor to the foods. They are wrapped around chicken, pork, glutinous rice, fish, and desserts before grilling, roasting, barbecuing, or steaming. maybe because of the wrapping the chicken is tender and moist as water does leach out due to frying.


Conclusion:

The pandan has given an aromatic smell to the chicken plus the chicken was juisy and soft


References:

• Handbook of spices, seasonings and flavourings, 2006., Susheela Raghavan,2nd edition,pg 20
• http://www.uni-graz.at/~katzer/engl/spice_photo.html#pand_ama