I see in the UK press that Nigella is predicting that the next hip ingredient – essential for every foodie refrigerator and food-related hipster conversation – will be pandan.
Well – sorry, Nigella, but I’ve been there, done that and got the t-shirt to prove it … or the photos, at least.
Here is Mr Toad relaxing at home in the shade of our very own pandan plant –
And here is the onde-onde that I made on my cookery course earlier this year
They are made from pandan flavoured paste, filled with palm sugar and rolled in coconut … yum!
This is the tour leader on a market tour, extolling the virtues of pandan –
– apparently pandan can lower blood pressure, eliminate dandruff, heal sunburn, repel mosquitoes, reduce stress, inhibit cancer and even cure impotence … so, as they say, what’s not to like?
Apparently when it comes to a new food trend, it’s essential to be able to say that you liked it first. So just remember that you heard it here first, folks.
Meanwhile, my salted egg fetish continues, and I’m hoping that Nigella will pick up on that next, so I’ll be able to indulge when I return to the UK.
Recently I’ve tried a salted egg roll –
which is actually a straight croissant (an oxymoron, if ever I heard one) rolled around a salted egg filling, and topped with even more salted egg. I managed to stop devouring it just long enough to take a picture.
The local bakery needs this much salted egg every day
and to make sure that you don’t miss out, you need to check the board to see when the next batch of deliciousness will be ready –
And another equally delicious discovery –
salted egg sweet potato fries … heaven in a takeaway box.