Five Days in Penang, Part 2

It's been just over a month since I got back from Penang but I can't believe how much has happened in that short amount of time. Big Life Stuff. I feel like almost like a different person, yet definitely more 'me' than before. I suppose all of that makes this post a little bit strange to write now, but I made some fabulous memories in Penang. I was so inspired by the architecture, the culture and the cuisine. Looking through these pictures again has definitely made me want to have another adventure and get a few more passport stamps very soon.

Did you see Part One of my Penang adventure? Click here to check it out.

Kek Lok Si Temple

One of my favourite parts of the trip was visiting the beautiful Kek Lok Si Temple (Temple of Supreme Bliss), which is one of the most well-known temples on the island located in Air Itam, a short taxi ride (about 30 ringgit/$10) away from Penang city. I literally took hundreds of photos in the few hours we were there. Everywhere you looked there were beautiful and ornate architecture and statues, beautiful gardens, rich vibrant colours and textures.





After exploring the temple, we walked down to the bottom of the hill to find some lunch. But first, some fresh coconut juice to beat the heat. The guy expertly hacked off the top of the coconuts, filled them with ice and delivered them to our table. I was lucky enough to catch it on film too.




This Char Kway Teow was a little different to the others we tried on our visit, as it was much lighter in colour and didn't have as much 'wok hei', yet the prawns were nice and plump. Again it was interesting to me to see the amount of variation in so called 'signature' dishes of the region, depending on where you got them. The Hainanese chicken was beautifully cooked and so flavoursome.

Kek Lok Si Temple, No. 1, Tokong Kek Lok Si, 11500, George Town, Pulau Pinang Malaysia

__________________________________

George Town Street Art

George Town is full of surprises, like this incredible interactive and 3D street sculptures and painted murals. I would definitely recommend either taking a guided tour or following a map like this one to explore them for yourself. Georgetown is a great city for wandering and you truly see so much more of it this way. We didn't find all of them, but this was still one of the highlights of the trip.

My favourites were by 25-year-old Lithuanian artist Ernest Zacharevic, in the project called 'Mirrors George Town' as part of the city's biggest festival in 2012. Some of these murals are combined with 3D elements like the bike above which is located on Armenian Street, making it interactive. I saw dozens of people taking photos, and putting their own spin, with the street murals like this.





There is also a series of these quirky melded iron artworks scattered around the city, depicting parts of the town's history in caricature form, making it easy (for visitors especially) and humorous to get a bit of insight into the history of this vibrant city. We visited a week before Malaysia's election, so there were blue flags absolutely everywhere, including adorning the sculptures!

Various locations, George Town, Pulau Pinang Malaysia

__________________________________

Tek Sen

On our last night in Penang, we visited Tek Sen restaurant, famous for it's double roasted pork belly, aka pork candy aka pork crack. It has been raved about on various blogs and even in Gourmet Traveller, and now I can see why. Crunchy, sweet, fatty, a little bit spicy and totally amazing. This place gets so busy, and is popular with locals and tourists alike! We arrived quite early and were seated right away, but we noticed a line out the door and down the street start to form very soon after that.

The stir-fried eggplant with pork mince, fermented bean sauce and dried shrimp doesn't really photograph well but it was so delicious. And I got to eat it mostly on my own since the boy wasn't a huge eggplant fan. Win! Another fabulous dish was the Oatmeal Chicken, which is similar to Cereal Prawns that appear on quite a few Malaysian restaurant menus in Sydney. I totally loved it. The chicken was juicy and perfectly cooked with a super crunchy coating.

18-20 Carnavon Street, Georgetown, Penang Island, Malaysia

Stay tuned for Part 3 soon!

Simple Dinners 03 / Lamb Stuffed Eggplant

Quick little post from me today. I just wanted to pop in and share this recipe that is one of my new favourites for an easy and delicious dinner, because after I posted this photo on Instagram a few weeks ago, I've had quite a few people asking for it!

Anyone who knows me, knows I loooove eggplant in any form, so when I spotted this recipe in Yotam Ottolenghi's beautiful new book Jerusalem, I knew I'd have to try it. I've now made it three times in the last three weeks, and am now totally fascinated by Middle Eastern cooking.

The lamb mince mixture comes together pretty quickly in a frypan, you can relax with a glass of wine while it bakes, and it makes for great leftovers the next day too - the kind that make your workmates jealous.

I adapted the original recipe slightly by upping the amount of spices and substituting a few ingredients for those which I had available. I also topped the cooked eggplant with a huge dollop of tzatziki (or Greek yoghurt would be great too) and some pomegranate arils for a bit of extra colour and crunch, which I think works so well.

And to keep it interesting, here are a few ways to mix it up!

• Try stuffing other vegetable with the mixture - capsicum, zucchini, pumpkin or even figs (!!) would be delicious!
• Add some chopped pistachios to the lamb mixture, and sprinkle on top
• Add some chopped fresh or dried figs into the lamb mixture at the same time as the pine nuts
• Use a different kind of mince - I think beef, or even chicken would be delicious as well

Ricotta Hotcakes with Mulled Wine Stewed Rhubarb

I didn't mean for so long to go past without a new post, but there's been quite a lot happening around here and it's taken a little while to get back into the swing of things. I'm house-sitting for a friend and living by myself for the very first time, which I love... most days, anyway...

Over the weekend, I had ricotta hotcakes on the brain. Even though I'm now within walking distance to Bills, I decided to stay in my pyjamas, avoid the inevitable Sunday morning crowds and try making them for myself instead. But I'm still getting used to cooking for one, and needless to say I ended up with quite a lot of leftover pancakes, some of which were offered to a friend, and the rest I ate for dinner last night (Hi Mum!). The ricotta, combined with the whipped egg whites gives these pancakes an noticeable extra fluffiness and great texture.

I also bought a huge, beautiful bunch of rhubarb from the Kings Cross organic markets and decided to stew that up with some red wine and lots of spices, now that the weather has taken a definite turn towards winter. I love mulled wine and thought the flavour combination would work very well. I was right.

This would also be delicious with granola or porridge, or with ice cream, rice pudding or panna cotta for dessert. Or, if you reduced the amount of liquid, it would even make a great base for a crumble or pie - yum! Best of all, it can be made in advance and refrigerated for up to a week. If you want to get really indulgent, some extra just-sweetened ricotta on top of a big stack of hotcakes would be lovely, or try this amazing sounding homemade cinnamon butter from Raspberri Cupcakes. Woah.

Five Days in Penang, Part 1

Five days in Penang are barely enough to even scratch the surface of this amazing island's incredible food scene. Famous for having some of the world's best street food, it's definitely a must visit destination if you’re a food lover! But between the shopping and markets, beaches, museums, guided tours, temples, street art (more on this later) and incredibly beautiful scenery, there's plenty to keep you busy in between meals too. 

Penang has a rich and multi cultural history and the food and architecture speak volumes. Hindu and Buddhist temples are just down the road from Mosques and Anglican churches. I was most looking forward to trying regional specialties Char Kway Teow, Assam Laksa and Cendol, but was also happy to find some of my other favourite Malaysian dishes done extremely well too, sometimes hugely differently to those tried in Australia or KL.

But before the onslaught of photos, here’s a little video I made, just with a bit of footage I’d caught on my iphone!

Joo Hooi Cafe

Located on Penang Road, the "cafe" is just a set up of tables and chairs, with a group of hawkers cooking from their own carts just outside. We had come here specifically to try the Char Kway Teow but one of the ladies laughed out loud when I tried to order it. Of course it must be common local knowledge that they don't serve it on Wednesdays!



But nevermind, we order a bowl of Assam Laksa instead. Also known as Penang Laksa, this is one dish you can't leave the island without trying. An intense tamarind infused fish broth is ladled over thick noodles and garnished with onion, pineapple, mint, chillies and thick shrimp paste, for 3 ringgits, which is about $1. I have to say that this dish is an acquired taste and while I can definitely appreciate the melding of sour, sweet and spicy flavours, I found the soup quite overpoweringly... fishy! Hope that doesn't offend any fans or purists, I know my girls Karen and Steph would have totally loved this.




The Teochew Cendol from the cart outside goes down a treat on this already very warm morning, no fancy plating up here - just whack the shaved ice, red beans, pandan jelly worms and coconut milk into a metal bowl and eat as it all melts into a soupy puddle! Very refreshing.

Joo Hooi Cafe, 475 Jalan Penang, Georgetown, Penang Island 10000, Malaysia

__________________________________

New World Park

When one friend learned I was in Malaysia, she warned me not to eat street food or crushed ice desserts - er, that was my diet for the entire week! As it's so competitive, Penang seems to have incredibly high standards as far as hawker food goes, but if you prefer to play it safe and eat something prepared in an actual kitchen, New World Park might be for you. We discovered this food court on our second day, and returned a few times since it was only a few steps down the road from our hotel.

The Popiah was the best I've ever had. Like a fresh spring roll with a thin crepe containing turnip, bean sprouts, lettuce, crab and a few other things I'm sure! On top was a scattering of fried shallots for some extra crunch. This dish is all about texture, as the flavours are a little more subtle.



We tried a bunch of dishes from different stalls - the Koay Teow Soup made a great breakfast one day. This dish originated in China, with migrants bringing the flat rice noodle 'koay teow' with them to Malaysia. The soup is a delicious nourishing clear broth with fish balls, pork mince patties, chicken slices, lettuce, shallots and chillies.

We also tried two of my favourites - Roti Canai and Ais Kacang. The Roti was freshly made while we watched and so crisp and fluffy, served with a flavoursome curry sauce. The Ais Kacang was served with pieces of durian and papaya as well as the usual corn, grass jelly and red beans.



There is truly an art to Char Kway Teow, which is prepared in a hot wok with rice noodles, bean sprouts, prawns, Chinese sausage, chives and sometimes with cockles. The seasonings can vary between different hawkers but usually include light and dark soy sauce, fish sauce and chilli paste. It's served piping hot on a banana leaf. This was a great example and one of my favourite dishes of the whole trip.

New World Park, Lorong Swatow Georgetown, 10050 George Town, Penang, Malaysia
__________________________________

The Green Mansion

This was originally not on our agenda at all. We had wanted to visit the 'Blue House' (the grand  Cheong Fatt Tze mansion) but there was a mixup of the times on the website and we were unable to go on the guided tour. We were then told about the 'Green House' (Pinang Peranakan mansion) which was meant to be even more opulent.



The mansion was built in 1890 and belonged to Chinese Kapitan Chung Keng Kwee. He was a 19th century Hakka tin-miner and secret society leader. After decades of neglect and decay, it has been beautifully restored.



For just 10 ringgits each (just over $3) we got to wander around three beautiful buildings filled with antiques that depicted how wealthy Babas and Nyonyas lived about a century ago. I just loved the mixture of Chinese and English influences within the architecture and furnishings. Next time I would love to see the Blue House to compare!

Pinang Peranakan Mansion, 29 Lebuh Gereja George Town, Penang, Malaysia
__________________________________

The Joss Stick Maker

Master Lee is 83 years old, and is one of the last people to make joss sticks by hand in all of Malaysia. He learned the craft at a very young age and has devoted his life to perfecting it, even though demand for his handmade products have dwindled in recent years, with cheaper factory made incense sticks sold just around the corner.

He was excited to learn that we were from Australia - saying that he uses Australian sandalwood in his joss sticks for fragrance. It was an honour to meet him and take his photograph. If you'd like to see more about him, I found a little doco on Youtube here.

Stay tuned for Part 2 next week!

Pimm's Trifle + 13 Ways with Pimms

Hello hello! I was a little bit busy/slack with scheduling posts before I left for an amazing week in Malaysia, but I really wanted to share this recipe with you. If you've been reading for a while, you'll already know how I feel about Pimm's. It's the perfect summery drink for sharing with the girls, but I also love experimenting with it in desserts too, which inspired this boozy little roundup. If you haven't had Pimm's before, I hope these ideas can persuade you to try it soon!

Drink it...

Picture Credits: Spicy Icecream & Ichigo Shortcake

1. If you haven't tried Pimm's before, the first step is to make a Pimm's Cup cocktail with all the traditional accompaniments - strawberries, lemon, cucumber and mint leaves, mixed with lemonade or ginger ale. It's one of my favourite cocktails, especially on a warm summer day. Take a sip and pretend you're at a garden party.

2. I also love Ichigo Shortcake's Christmassy adaptation of the traditional Pimm's, to become a Gingery Pimm's Cup. Yum! I think it would go down a treat at a summery Aussie Christmas, especially with the addition of seasonal strawberries and blueberries!



Picture Credits: Modcloth & BBC Good Food

3. I love the sound of this Pimm's & Orange Soda Float from the Modcloth blog. It looks like such a fun drink for movie night with friends. If you click through to the post they've also made a very cool gif!

4. Another recipe that combines a few of my favourite things, this Pimm's Iced Tea from BBC Good Food sounds right up my alley! I think it would work really well using a black tea with a hint of orange or bergamot. It's definitely going on my list of things to make!

Bake it...

Picture Credits: Raspberri Cupcakes & Dr Gateau

5. This recipe is very special to me because my gorgeous friend Steph from Raspberri Cupcakes (who shares my love of Pimm's) made me this Pimm's Cake for my birthday last year. It was so thoughtful and perfect, not to mention totally delicious! I especially loved the hint of cucumber in the buttercream.

6. This recipe for Pimm's and Orange Cupcakes with Bitter Orange Cucumber Gel Sticks from Dr Gateau reads more like a science experiment than a normal cupcake recipe, but it's an interesting read nonetheless about why some people are more sensitive to bitter tastes. Check it out!


Picture Credits: Seven Spoons & Spicyicecream

7. How beautiful do these Grilled Strawberries with Pimm's and Ice Cream from Seven Spoons look? With a little vanilla, mint leaves and stem ginger, I think this sounds perfect. PS, I love this blog. Beautiful writing and photography, if you haven't already visited, go and check it out!

8. This Cherry & Pimm's Pie comes from my own archives, when a funny little lightbulb moment (and some imported cherries) inspired me to make it. While the taste of Pimm's turned out a little bit subtle after baking, it was still a delicious pie, served with a big scoop of ice cream on top.

Chill it...

Picture Credits: Bron Marshall & Woman and Home

9. This Pimm's Granita from Bron Marshall looks so beautiful and refreshing! I had my fair share of crushed ice desserts in Malaysia and they will always be a favourite on a stinking hot day! And of course, being me, I love the idea of boozing it up a little with a splash of Pimm's!

10. This beautiful Orange Cheesecake with Strawberry Pimm's Jelly is courtesy of Woman and Home. I can just imagine how good this would taste, especially with the little strawberry and mint salad that accompanies it! This would make an elegant dinner party dessert, or served individually for a ladies high tea.


Picture Credits: The Design Files & Spicyicecream

11. A Cucumber, Apple, Mint & Lime Popsicle may not be everyone's cup of tea, but imagine how good it would taste dunked into a fruity glass of Pimms as it slowly melts. The smart cookies from Liana Raine came up with this stunning combination for one of my favourite blogs, The Design Files. A delicious grownup treat, yes please!

12. One of my earliest forays into cooking with Pimm's was these Pimm's Jellies, adapted from Jamie Oliver, and which I've also used as a component in the trifles below. This recipe actually became one of my most popular posts, and for good reason too, it was delicious.



13. And finally, my latest creation - the Pimm's Trifle! From the bottom up - Pimm's jelly, sponge cake soaked in a lemon, lime & Pimm's syrup, topped with fresh strawberries and a ginger and vanilla custard. Get all the elements together in the one spoonful and it's delicious!

I would have loved to make a ginger sponge cake from scratch, but I ran out of time and used a leftover store bought sponge, which worked well anyway. Baking sponge cakes makes me nervous, and you only need a small amount for these trifles, so the store bought cake worked well for me. The recipe below might seem like a lot of work, but as with most trifles, most of the elements can be made in advance, and refrigerated until ready to serve.

After a stinking hot (but totally amazing) week in Malaysia, I was so happy to come home to a warm sunny and not humid day! I think these trifles are the perfect goodbye to what has been a fabulous summer! I've been editing photos all day, so stay tuned for a recap of what we got up to in Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh and Penang coming soon!

Simple Dinners 02 / Roasted Grape & Prosciutto Toastie

Apologies for the complete radio silence lately! While baking inspiration has been at a high, time unfortunately has not. But I'm back today with another quick and easy lunch or dinner recipe that I think you'll like! Where comfort food is concerned, the toastie is hard to beat. They seriously couldn't be easier to make, but this one takes the flavours up a notch, because we all deserve a little treat after a long day at work!

Red grapes are roasted with a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar, fresh thyme, salt and black pepper for just a few minutes until they start to burst out of their skins. It's a beautiful sight. At this point, you can use these roasted grapes in a number of ways - as an accompaniment to a cheese or charcuterie board, with fresh ricotta and grilled bread, with grilled haloumi, or even served with a lamb roast. They can even be cooked in advance. It's a super versatile little recipe.



I decided to combine the grapes with prosciutto, gruyere cheese and more black pepper on a toastie, and it was absolutely delicious. It has been added to my rotation of easy mid-week dinners, and I know I'll make it again soon.

Just when I thought autumn had settled in for good, we were given a stunning weekend of warm weather and sunshine!! Not that I'm complaining at all, but this recipe just screams out for a chilly day, a nice glass of red and a good movie.





One more little piece of news today, I'm very excited to share that Spicyicecream is one of just 25 food and lifestyle blogs nominated in the Top 100 for the Voices of 2013! I'm in fabulous company with my girls Steph and Karen, and some other great blogs that I love! Check out the other nominees here!

Chocolate Passionfruit Banoffee Pie

Change is in the air. Last week was our first taste of autumn with my favourite kind of crisp mornings, sunny warm days and slightly cooler evenings. I've always thought that Sydney does the change of seasons really well. In the past I've always had great bursts of inspiration around spring, but I must have been too busy to notice last year because it's all happening right now. Better delayed than never! I get the feeling that 25 is going to be an interesting year.

But let's talk about this pie for a second. There's a chocolate pastry crust, a salted toffee caramel with just a hint of passionfruit, slices of banana that have been cooked in brown sugar, and on top some whipped cream and a mountain of chocolate shavings. It's Banoffee with a twist, and looks like the sort of decadent concoction that Miss Candy herself would think up. And boy, is it good!

Of course Easter is this coming weekend and this is a perfect choice for dessert. The pie crust and caramel can be made in advance, so putting it together on the day is a breeze. When making your caramel, watch the colour closely as it uses passionfruit juice rather than water and it's a little harder to tell when it's ready.

I hope you all have a lovely long weekend! If you're looking for any other Easter inspired recipes both savoury or sweet, head right over here.

Easter Recipe Roundup

Just a quick post from me today. Can you believe that Easter is just around the corner now? And that 2013 is almost one quarter over already?? The hot cross buns and Cadbury creme eggs have been in the shops since January 2nd it seems, but I'm yet to have any so far this year. But that will all change in the next week I'm sure.

Today I thought I would share some of my favourite Easter and Autumn recipes, whether you are planning a decadent brunch, a family lunch, a beautiful dessert, or a few tipples to wash it all down with, there are heaps of ideas from the archives to inspire you below. I can tell you, this Salted Caramel Cheesecake was a massive hit at last year's Easter lunch and may even get a repeat performance this year.

Do you have a favourite Easter themed recipe? Let me know in the comments below!

I'll be back next week with another delicious chocolate dessert.



Easter Breakfast

• Apple and Cinnamon Hot Cross Buns (step by step tutorial)
• Banana Bread with Chocolate and Ginger
• Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Glaze
• Coconut Bread
• Coconut Pancakes with Banana and Caramel
• Date and Fig Pancakes
• Ginger Beer Scones with Strawberry Ginger Jam
• Rhubarb and Strawberry Cheats Danish

Drinks

• White Wine Sangria
• Pomegranate Sangria
• Rhubarb and Ginger Cordial
• Pimms Cocktail
• Peach & Prosciutto Salad

Mains

• Chicken & Leek Pie
• Crispy Chicken with Ratatouille & Lyonnaise Potatoes
• Slow Cooked Veal Shank Pasta with Pesto
• Roast Pears with Goats Cheese & Prosciutto
• Osso Bucco
• Pork, Apple & Cider Pie
• Ricotta Gnocchi
• Roast Pumpkin & Maple Soup

Desserts

• Aria's Chocolate Tart
• Blackberry & Almond Clafoutis
• Bourke Street Bakery's Carrot Cake
• Hazelnut Frangipane Tart with Semillon Vanilla Peaches
• Honeyed Ricotta, Fig & Lavender Galette
• Fig & Salted Caramel Meringue Smash
• Nutty Frangelico Chocolate Brownies
• Chocolate Baklava Fingers
• Chocolate and Peanut Butter Mousse Cake
• Chocolate Mudcake with Mandarins in Syrup
• Chocolate Whisky Cake
• Chocolate Dobos Torte
• Passionfruit Cheesecake Brownies
• Pear & Ginger Upside Down Cake
• Churros with Orange Spiked Hot Chocolate
• Chocolate Pecan Pie
• Chocolate Mousse with Bourbon Caramel Popcorn
• Chocolate Pear Tart with Cardamom Creme Anglaise
• Hot Cross Doughnuts
• Lemon Delicious with French Earl Grey Ice Cream
• Lemon Tart
• Salted Caramel Cheesecake
• Salted Caramel Marshmallows
• Sticky Date Cheesecake with Bourbon Caramel Sauce'
• Shaker Lemon Pie

Simple Dinners 01 / Peach & Prosciutto Salad

First up, apologies to those who came here today looking for a sugar rush and got a salad, but I’d like to welcome you to a brand new monthly column called Simple Dinners! As much as I love cooking, often the last thing I want to do when I get home from work is cook something elaborate and time consuming - I know you're with me there! We all need to eat dinner as well as dessert after all, so in this column I will be experimenting with quick, easy and seasonal lunch and dinner recipes.

This season’s peaches have been fabulous, and this is a great way to show them off! I first made this salad a couple of months ago, and have made it several times since because I loved it so much. All of the elements complement each other - the sweet peach, salty prosciutto, peppery rocket and creamy bocconcini come together beautifully. Add a good glug of quality balsamic vinegar and some cracked black pepper to finish.

This salad makes a beautiful summery light meal or side dish, perfect for a hot day as it doesn't involve any cooking, just some assembling. It's gluten and grain free, low carb, and can easily become a more substantial meal by adding in some more protein such as cooked chicken, pork or fish.

And to keep it interesting, here are a few ways to mix it up!

• Replace the peaches with nectarines, fresh figs or ripe pears
• Grill the peaches on a BBQ or char-grill pan for a few minutes on each side
• Replace the prosciutto with pancetta or bacon
• Swap out the Bocconcini for other cheeses such as crumbled feta or goats cheese
• If you don't like rocket, try baby spinach or other mixed lettuce leaves
• Top with some shaved parmesan
• Turn into a main meal by adding some cooked chicken, pork or fish

Pandan Tres Leches Cake + 13 Ways with Pandan

13 Ways with... Pandan

I have Steph and Karen to thank for introducing me to Pandan. A somewhat uncommon ingredient to us everyday Aussies, but these green leaves are used extensively in South East Asian cuisine. Lending a delicate, almost floral taste that is perfect in baked goods, drinks and even ice cream, in a similar way to how we would use vanilla. I wanted to shine the spotlight on this great ingredient with 13 interesting and unique ways to it!

Drink it...

Picture Credits: Cooking Tackle & Singapore Shiok

1. It was a little surprising not to find more drinks made using pandan, but this Ginger Honey Pandan Drink from Cooking Tackle combines some of my very favourite ingredients in one drink. It looks so soothing, like something that would make you feel a lot better when you are sick.

2. How refreshing does this Lime Drink with Pandan look? The recipe comes from from Singapore Shiok, and I can imagine it would really hit the spot on a hot day, especially in the humid Malaysian climate! I am hoping that I can track down some fresh pandan leaves soon so I can try this.

Freeze it...

Picture Credits: The Food Dept & Dessert First

3. It is great to see Pandan being featured on incredible and popular blogs like The Food Dept. which is one of my new favourites, as the recipe ideas and photography are both amazing. Their Pandan ice cream with toffee pecans looks so good! I have made pandan ice cream before but the toffee pecans would take it to a whole other level of yum.

4. I remember seeing this post on Dessert First a few years ago (when I was still a Daring Baker!) before I had tried pandan for myself. These Pandan Cheesecake Pops are so cute and I can imagine how good they would taste. This post is really interesting for a side by side comparison of using pandan leaves vs pandan extract, and aside from the green colour which comes from the extract, the taste was remarkably similar!

Bake it...

Picture Credits: Spicyicecream & Alanabread

5. This Caramelised Pandan Cake with Coconut Sorbet from my archives was my first foray into baking with pandan, inspired by the dessert at Ms G's in Sydney. I gave it a calorific French-toast-like twist by soaking the chiffon cake in a sweet egg mixture and cooking it in caramel, with a big scoop of coconut sorbet to serve. This is actually one of my favourite desserts that I've made on this blog!

6. Another delicious looking recipe is this Jasmine Pandan Macarons from Alanabread. I can only imagine how nicely the pandan flavour goes with the floral jasmine! And as always I love the neon-green colour of the filling.


Picture Credits: Raspberri Cupcakes

7. As I mentioned, my friend Steph introduced me to Pandan, and her blog Raspberri Cupcakes is an amazing source for recipes using the ingredient. I love how she combined an Aussie dessert with the Asian ingredient to create these Pandan Lamingtons. And we all know how well pandan goes with coconut!

8. Okay, one recipe wasn't enough, so here is a beautiful Pandan Cotton Soft Cheesecake with Kaya also from Raspberri Cupcakes. Kaya is a coconut jam cooked with eggs and pandan leaves until caramelised, so you can imagine how delicious it would be slathered generously inside this cheesecake! I'm still looking for a way to use the kaya I brought back from Malaysia and I think this might be it!


Picture Credits: Masam Manis & Pickyin

9. I have never tried combining pandan and chocolate together, but the green and chocolate swirls in this Pandan Marble Cake from Masam Manis look so beautiful! This would be a delicious cake for a birthday party.

10. Another beautiful dessert is this Pandan Gula Melaka Cake from Pickyin. I absolutely love the icing roses and detailed tutorial for making layer cakes, but I am most intrigued by the flavour combination. I think the Palm Sugar frosting would be a perfect match for a cake flavoured with pandan!


Picture Credits: Ribbon and Circus & We Dare Food

11. It was actually through a waffle that I first experienced pandan, at a little shop in Cabramatta with the girls, and now I always get one whenever I go back! More recently I saw them on the menu at my favourite local Thai place Green Peppercorn. So then I had to include these Pandan Waffles from Ribbon and Circus in this roundup, as I can only imagine how good homemade would be.

12. And after the waffles, try these Pandan Pancakes from We Dare Food! Give your breakfast a green twist by adding pandan to your pancakes and serve them with a delicious coconut syrup. Or some kaya. Yum!



13. Yes, this cake is very very green. And also delicious. While looking for an interesting turn on the classic South American Tres Leches (three milks) cake, I wondered if an Asian twist would work. When pandan leaves are unavailable, a good quality extract or paste is my weapon of choice, which also gave this cake the most incredible colour. For the three milk soak, I used a combination of milk, sweetened condensed milk and coconut milk. And the Pandan Tres Leches Cake was born.

I'm so happy with how it turned out, the cake is incredibly moist without turning soggy, and actually tastes even better a day or two after making it. The coconut milk was definitely a good move here, as it goes so nicely with pandan. I topped the cake simply with some barely sweetened whipped cream and fresh raspberries for a colour and tart flavour contrast. But I think a palm sugar caramel drizzled over the top would be quite amazing as well!

I hope this roundup inspires you to experiment with some less common ingredients soon, and if you have any other great pandan recipes please share them with me in the comments below!