NATURAL FOOD COLORING PART 3

GREEN

Green is a natural color.
We usually use so many leaves to make green color agents.
The color agent is called Chlorophyl.

Klepon; a Javanese traditional snack

Here, there are pandan leaves, katu, green amaranth and suji  leaves.
In so many savory dishes, such as green noodles, we use katu (Saoropus androgenus) and green amaranth (Amaranthus tricolor) leaves.
And for sweet dishes, we use pandan (Pandanus  amarilyifolius) and suji (Pleomele angustifolia syn Dracaena angustifolia) leaves.
Both of them have cooling effect for the body heat.

Pandan

To make liquid extract, we use blender or food processor to get the juice, then strained.
So the extract is already to be used.
Pandan leaves are used fresh or dried, and are commercially available 
They have a nutty, botanical fragrance which enhances the flavor traditional foods, especially sweet dishes and cakes.

The leaves are sometimes steeped in santan (coconut milk), which is then added to the dish. 

Pandan leaves

Pandan leaves may be tied in a bunch and cooked with the food. 
The leaves usually  be woven into a basket which is used as a pot for cooking rice.
The leaves are also used as a flavoring for desserts such as cake and sweet beverages. 
Bottled pandan extract is available in shops or groceries.

Suji leaves

We have a lot of traditional foods on green.
This is Dawet Ayu, an identity drink from Banjarnegara.

Dawet Ayu

Our family are really love this drink.
We use juruh (palm sugar syrup, santan (coconut milk) and 'cendol'.
Cendol is made from tepung gelang or tepung ketan (glutinous rice flour).
Gelang is flour that made from Aren log (Arenga pinnata).
 

Cendol; the main ingredient in Dawet Ayu

Both of Suji and pandan leaves are the green coloring agen for cendol.
So we get the green color, sweet flavor and smell good.

Do you have 'green food'?