When I posted the photo of the Puto Pandan in My Expat Mommy Facebook Page, she complimented that it looks delicious and it made her crave for another pandan dessert dish which is Buko Pandan. So since she has a standing invitation for her birthday bash, I promised her that I'll bring the dessert for her. And the rest as they say, is history. Everybody now knows that the Buko Pandan did not reach the party! :)
Last night was not so hectic so I had the chance to make the dessert. It was such a hit that it was finished even before we had dinner. So obviously I need to prepare a fresh batch for our friend.
Preparing the dish actually is very simple, it's just like making your ordinary buko salad. Well, that is, if you are in the Philippines. But here in Qatar, the main setback is finding the ingredients. So far, I have not yet seen any pandan extract in any of the supermarkets so I had to make my pandan water from scratch. Fortunately, I already had an idea how to do it from the Puto Pandan I made previously. Now it is the buko which is posing as an impediment to the perfect Buko Pandan I intend to make. Of course there is no choice but to use the frozen "young coconut" available in the Pinoy Supermarkets and Lulu Hypermarket. The first pack I bought was Lucia brand grated young coconut. It was not good! First off it is not young at all! I mean it is in no means a buko at all. The grated coconut was already mature and also, when I thawed it in a strainer to drain the water, the next day the coconut was already spoiled, even in this cold weather. So that was no good at all. At this point, I am already tempted to use the bottled macapuno. But then it wouldn't be a Buko Pandan anymore would it?
Fortunately, last Friday when I and the girls walked through Al Nasser St., we passed by one small Pinoy store and they carry frozen buko also. I tried the Pinili Brand sliced young coconut and they were perfect. They truly are buko in every sense. But they were sliced in wide sections so we still had to julienne them to look like grated buko. And so, by far, that would be the best trial I ever made. From this point I will no longer be intimidated by the Buko Pandan dessert. Now I know that even in Qatar, we can still make the perfect buko pandan dessert whenever we want to. :)
Ingredients:
2 packs young coconut (Pinili Brand sliced young coconut)
1 box unflavored gelatin powder (5 sachets per box)
2 tbs refined sugar
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 can all purpose cream
a few drops of green food coloring
Pandan Water:
4 fresh pandan leaves
4 cups water
Method:
First, prepare the pandan water by boiling the pandan leaves in water. Let simmer for about 10 minutes then turn off the heat. Let it cool and set aside for 1-2 hours for the pandan to fully infuse its flavor.
Thaw the frozen young coconut and drain of water. Set aside.
To make the gelatin, reheat the pandan water over medium heat and bring to a boil then remove the leaves. Add the sugar and stir. Lower the heat and whisk, slowly adding 1 packet of unflavored gelatin powder after another. Make sure that you are continuously whisking the water while doing this to prevent lumps from forming.
Once all gelatin is fully dissolved, turn off the heat. Transfer the gelatin mixture into a a shallow flat bowl or mold. Set aside until the gelatin is formed and firm.
Slice the gelatin to form 1cm cubes. Slice the young coconut thinly to look like grated pieces.
Mix together in a salad bowl with the all purpose cream and sweetened condensed milk.
Chill (ooops! we actually skipped this part, hehe!) and serve. Enjoy!
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Thai Pandan Chicken
Hotdog and Cheese Bread Rolls
Simply Baked Mac
Do you remember the name of the shop in Al Nassr? My cousin attempted to make buko salad for Christmas and the coconut she bought from the souq was so dry, unfortunately. I'd love to surprise her with a better option.
ReplyDeleteDo you remember the name of the shop in Al Nassr? My cousin attempted to make buko salad for Christmas and the coconut she bought from the souq was so dry, unfortunately. I'd love to surprise her with a better option.
ReplyDeleteHi Mimi,
ReplyDeleteI think it is Pinoy Foodstuff, but unfortunately you wouldn't see their signage since they are refurbishing the facade of the building so the shop's entrance is covered with scaffolding. But, if you know the Thai Snack Restaurant, from there you just have to cross the street and go a few meters to the left and you'll find the shop. Just check out that old building being refurbished. Also I'm sure you'll also get the product from the bigger supermarkets or at the Filipino Souq, just look for Pinili Brand sliced young coconut.
Thanks for your comment and hope to here more from you! :)