ok. i think i have the urge to start making chinese pastry.. expecialy when Chinese New Year is around the corner. since Mel's Pastry Book was still with me, i tried the Pandan Spiral Pastry. which seemed to be.. pretty easy.. hehe

this time, the pastry was easier than Puff Pastry, because there's no need to get a Pastry Margerine, and u dont need to wait a century before u start baking the pastry!

Usually chinese pastries use Water Dough and Oil Dough. it's abit like Puff Pastry, where the normal dough is Water Dough, and the pastry margerine is Oil dough, get it ?? ah... take a look at the recipe first.

Water Dough
120g Flour
35g Shortening
20g Sugar
55g Water
some green food colouring

Oil Dough
100g Flour
60g Shortening
some green food colouring

Filling
800g Pandan Lotus Paste

TIP : When rolling the dough, do not dust too much flour as it will cause the dough to dry out.

Method:
Water Dough: Mix all the ingredients to form a smooth dough and let it rest for 20 mintues (the dough is a bit sticky, after 20 minutes, it seems abit.. elastic.. haha) 
Oil Dough: Mix all the ingredients to form a smooth paste. (use hands to press it, roll it until all the crumbles stick together)

Pandan Lotus Paste

before entering the oven.

1. DIvide the pandan lotus paste into 10 parts of 80g each.
2. Roll out the water dough into a rectangulaar shape and place the oil dough on the center. Wrap the oil dought up with the water dough.
3. Roll out the dough and fold in halves
4. Roll it into a thin sheet about 2mm thick. Roll it up like a Swiss Roll. Cut into 10 pieces. (MAke sure it's really thin. then your pastry will look very nice)
5. With the cut side facing up, roll it into a round shap. Then wrap in the lotus paste.
6. Bake at 200 C for 25 minutes.  

it wasnt as "layering" as the one in the book

this one was the closest to how it looked like in the book .. (still very far away though)

see the spiral thingy ??? it should be like that ...

but nevertheless, the pastry was flaky and crispy.. i think a lil salt would be nice

i thought i was TOO GREEN tho.. hehe

yeah, u should not cut straight away after its out from the oven, or else the pandan paste will stick onto your knife.. wait for abt 30 mins, the u can have a nice clean cut.

	Lala August 31, 2006   08:20 PM PDT   If you want the pastry to have more layers, like in the recipe book, on the step where you Roll the dough up like a Swiss Roll try to roll as much as you can (when you flatten the dough with rolling pin, try to make a very long rectangle/oval shape so you have more space to roll more).. (the rolls made will determine how much layers will be on your pastry) :)

	lane March 18, 2006   01:11 AM PST   oh man the pandan pastry looks so yummy. :) hello there btw! :)

	mel January 19, 2006   12:18 AM PST   wah...having fun with my recipe book dont try all...i havent try finish wan..hehe

	kidchan January 16, 2006   09:40 PM PST   Hey Swee, The pandan spiral taste AMAZING! taste EVEN better than it look!