There are always local ingredients that will always remind us of the meaning of a home. Of course, food will always have a unique way to create memorable memories in our minds and hearts.
Specifically, spices and herbs are usually planted in a small area at home by our mothers, and from time to time the plants contribute to the ingredients in the kitchen.
This time it's about pandan leaves. Pandan Leaves are popular in Asian countries, such as Indonesia and Malaysia. I often use Pandan Leaves in many of my cooking menus, be it savory food or sweet food. Pandan Leaves are useful for creating a delicious aroma, similar to the use of vanilla. However, Pandan Leaves can create a green color when ground. In some recipes, Pandan Leaves are also used as a favorite coffee flavor in popular coffee shops today.
Almost every house in the countryside in my area plants Pandan Leaves. Especially in my house, because almost every day we use Pandan Leaves for various cooking menu complements.
Today, I went to a new cafe that I had never visited before in the city center. This cafe is also a cafe that has only been open for a few months.
There is an interesting menu in this cafe, namely "Aromatic Chicken". This is really interesting. But before I discuss this "Aromatic Chicken" menu, I will show you what appetizer menu I enjoyed at this cafe.
As an appetizer, I ordered a dimsum menu that had shrimp filling. Since my husband loves shrimp, I also like dimsum like this.
Don't forget to eat dimsum with spicy sauce. For us, without spicy sauce, everything feels bland. Although after eating with spicy sauce, the lips will feel hot, but that is a sensation in itself that makes eating even more enjoyable :)
Next, let's discuss the main topic earlier about "Aromatic Chicken". This menu has the main ingredient of chicken combined with various spices and herbs that are popular in Indonesia.
You can see the crispy green component. The green component does not only come from the ingredients, but from many ingredients. The aromatic leaves used are pandan leaves, kaffir lime leaves, and curry leaves. Also, there are pieces of green chili.
This is my first time trying this "Aromatic Chicken" menu. Meanwhile on Pinterest, I have seen the Pandan Chicken menu. So, actually this menu is quite unique.
The chicken is fried with all the spices and herbs that I mentioned earlier. The interesting thing is that the green leaves fried with the chicken can also be eaten. So, besides adding a delicious aroma to the chicken, the leaves can be eaten with a very crispy texture!
"Aromatic Chicken" is served with rice sprinkled with fried onions which makes this menu even more tempting. With a large portion of "Aromatic Chicken", this can be enough for 2 to 3 people.
Well, for the complementary sauce for the "Aromatic Chicken" dish, there is spicy soy sauce, which is made from sweet soy sauce combined with onions and chilies. Spicy and also savory, also a little bit authentic sweet.
With a simple and contemporary design, I feel comfortable enjoying the delicious dishes in this cafe.
This cafe also looks clean and well-arranged like a homey minimalist cafe in general. Well, next time I will try the coffee menu they sell. Until next, Foodie Lovers!
Best Regards,
Anggrek Lestari
Anggrek Lestari is an Indonesian fiction writer who has published two major books. Now She is a full-time content creator. She has a goal to share life, poem, and food content that makes others happy and can get inspiration.
Contact Person: authoranggreklestari@gmail.com
Discord: anggreklestari#3009
