Simply Pandan Loaf

This is the 3rd Pandan bread recipe on my blog. Well, as I always say, you can never have too much of a good thing...especially bread. :) And since this recipe is much simpler from the Pandan Kaya Twist Loaf and Pandan Kaya Loaf with crumble topping, it is very much what the title says...Simply a Pandan loaf. You can add on them nicknacks you desire on the bread after it is baked. ;) For now, lets get on with the basics, baking that pandan bread.

Ingredients for Pandan Loaf (makes a 5X4X9")

Pre-fermented dough

250g bread flour

160ml water

3g instant dry yeast

1g salt

• Knead everything together till it forms a soft pliable dough. No need to be smooth. Divde dough into 50g or100g portions depending on your needs and let chill in fridge up to 12 hours. Alternatively store in freezer up to 3 months.

100g predough
1 large egg
110 ml pandas water

• Snip 10 pandan leaves, (preferbly old pandans that are much darker in green) into smaller pieces. Then place then in a blender with 150 ml water, blend at high speed for a couple minutes. Mixture will be chocky and thick. Squeeze through a cloth sieve. Let mixture sit in the fridge for 4 hours to a day. The thicker pandas solution will decand to the bottom. Carefully drain off the top water, leaving about 100-110 ml of the mixture left.

400 g bread flour
45g caster sugar
2 g salt
5 g instant active yeast
20 ml organic coconut oil

20 g unsalted butter, room temperature

• In a mixer bowl, add in all the above ingredients excpet the butter. Knead at medium speed till it becomes very elastic and pulls away clean from the mixing bowl. This will take about 8-10 minutes with a couple minutes of break in between.
• Once the dough is pulling away clean from the bowl, add in the room temperature butter. Continue to knead till it reaches window panel.
• Let dough proof in a greased bowl, covered, till it doubles in size. Will take about 1 to 1.5hrs.
• Just before you shape the dough, preheat the oven to 170C and grease the loaf pan.
• Punch out the air and divide the dough into 3 equal portions, which is appromixmately 200 g  to 210 g each.
• Flaten each poriton and roll into a rectangular shape. Then folding in  from the shorter side into a swiss roll form. Place the dough into the prepared loaf pan. Repeat for the rest of the dough. 

• Cover and let proof till it reaches to 90% of the loaf pan. Feel free to brush some eggwash over the bread top, I usually don't. Then bake in the preheated oven for 28-30 minutes uncovered. 
• Once bakes, remove from the oven and let cool in the pan for 5 minutes. The remove from the pan and let cool on the rack completely.

The addition of coconut oil makes it a whole world of difference! Super fragrant! I will totally add coocnut oil in all my pandan cakes next time here. :P

Whether it is the smell, the colour or the texture of this loaf, I am loving it to bits! I wish you can smell and taste it too ;)

I like mine with a good spread of kaya and some cold creamy butter. Yum!

Bought a bunch of stuff from this new online shopping website GoBuyLah.sg. And was so excited to find a new spice and nuts mini blender at a decent price. And that super cute HK digital weighing machine. And that quality organic coconut oil was perfect baking companion that will make your bakes super aromatic. ;)
Loving the fluffy texture...do try it out and let me know how you like it. ;)

Mee Sua Kueh (面线糕)

I was told by a friend that this Mee Sua Kueh (面线糕) was once a very much popular dish on the Facebook cooking groups a couple years back. Strangely I have never heard or taste it before until my recent late night dim sum adventures with my hubby then I got to savour it. Quite a special kueh as compared to the traditional ones we know of like pumpkin and yam kueh. The strands of noodles gives it a nice texture and mouth feel, plus that salty aftertaste is also something I adore of mee sua. ;9

Main ingredients involved are pretty much similar to the other kueh. The four main key aromatics for chinese cooking, that is dried shrimps, fried shallots, mushrooms and chicken stock.

And since this is my first attempt, I shan't make it too complicated. I'll try to make it as close to my yam kueh version as possible.

Ingredients for Mee Sua Kueh (面线糕) -makes a 8"by 8"by 1.5" size pan 

250g mee sua (It is th whole box)

30g dried shrimp, soaked

5 shittake mushrooms, soaked

5 to 6 shallots, peeled and thinkly sliced

3 garlic gloves, minced

1 chickem breast, minced

800 ml chicken stock

  

2 sprig green onion, chopped in to small sections

Handful of wolf berries (optional)

Seasoning for the Minced Chicken

1 tsp soy sauce

a dash of pepper

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp corn flour

Seasoning for the Kueh

1 tsp chickem seasoning

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp white ground pepper

• Prepare the steamer at medium low fire. And a steaming dish, lightly greased.
• First you marintae the minced chicken meat, let it chill marinated for a good 20 to 30 minutes before use.
• Chopped the softened dried shrimp and slice the mushroom thinly.

• On a fry pan, add 3 tbsp of cooking oil and add 3/4 of the sliced shallots. Cook till the shallots are fragrant and golden. Do not over cook them as it will become bitter.

• Remove the shallots and drain on paper towels. Leaving the oil in the pan, add in the minced garlic, chopped dried shrimp and mushroom. Stir fry till aromatic and slightly golden brown.

• Then move the ingredients to the side of the pan and add the marinated minced chicken meat in.

• Cook the minced chicken and breaking it up into smaller pieces. Next you add in the chickem stock. And up the fire to high.

• Once the chicken stock starts to boil, add in the mee sua. Break up the mee sua as you add in, so it will not be lumps.

• After you add in all the mee sua, stir up the mixture so all the noodle is soaking up the chicken stock. Also add in the seasoning for the kueh as stated above.

• Cook for a few minutes until the mee sua is soften. Off the fire and pour the mixture into the prepared pan or dish. Then place in the steamer and steam at medium to high fire to cook for at least 35-40 minutes.

• Onced cooked, remove from the steamer and let cool for 30 minutes before adding the toppings.You can then add your reserved fried shallots, chopped green onion and wolfberries if using.

• Leave the kueh to cool completely before cutting. I usually like the steamed kueh more, but these mee sua kueh are also pretty tasty when they are fried up the next day too!

• If you like them panfried, just cut up the kuehs into large rectangular pieces and pan fried them.

Whether you like them steamed or pan fried, I think this mee sua kueh is a sure hit among the family. When my kids had them, it reminded them of their usual favorite mee sua soup haha. :D

Serve it up with some salad or fresh fruits since it is kind of hot these few days.

One last look at the crispy skinned mee sua kueh before I sign off today. Hope this recipe will motivate you to cook it for your love ones soon, preferrbly this long weekend yes?

Okay, enjoy your holiday guys!