Pandan (also known as screwpine) is a tropical plant prized mostly for its long, blade-like leaves, used as a flavouring agent in both sweet and savory dishes in Southeast Asia. It is sometimes described as “Asian vanilla”. When sauteed with oil, the fresh pandan leaves release all the flavor they store and boost the aroma to any meal, bringing out the best with meats, vegetables and rice.
I normally cook my curries with curry leaves. But for this dish, I had decided to trim some of the fresh pandan leaf (homegrown) as it lends a subtly exotic savory and aromatic note.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup of dried chickpeas, soaked overnight in a large bowl and cover with several inches of water. When you get up in the morning, you’ll have plump chickpeas ready to cook. The dried chickpeas will double in size when rehyderate. Rinse and simmer in a claypot with salted water for 3 hours or until the chickpeas are cooked through. I like the chickpeas to be soft and creamy when eaten. Once cooked, drained and set aside.
- 2-3 pieces of the fresh pandan leaves, bruised and tear into stripes so that the aroma and flavor gets infused during the cooking process. You can also put all the fresh pandan leaves together and tie everything into one big knot.
- 1 medium size red onions, sliced thinly.
- 12 chicken pieces, seasoned with salt and marinated with 1 tbsp of homemade ginger-garlic paste, 1/2 tsp of turmeric powder and 1 tsp of meat curry powder.
Let’s start cooking.
- Heat cooking oil in claypot over medium-high. Once the oil looks like it is about to start smoking, add in the onions and pandan leaves. Stir continuously until fragrant and onions begin to sweat.
- Mix in the marinated chicken pieces. Stir until all the ingredients are well combined.
- Add 1/4 cup of water and allow it to come to a boil. Taste it, and add salt as needed.. Once the liquid start to bubble, reduce to a simmer, cover the lid leaving a slight gap to allow the steam to escape. From time to time, stir the gravy (to avoid over browning the ingredients).
- The flavors of the seasonings will permeate throughout this dish.
- When the chicken meat is cooked through, stir in 1/4 cup of fresh milk. Cook for a few more minutes longer.
- Turn of the fire and return the cooked chickpeas into the claypot, give this quick stir.
- Transfer to serving plate.
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