Pandan help needed

I couldn't resist the package of frozen pandan leaves in my local Asian market. Not sure how or where to best use them and need a beginners guide. Any suggestions ?

[Jenise]

I have NO clue. I remember long ago being offered a tea that had some in it, and coincidentally the same week there was a reference to it in Saveur magazine calling it "the vanilla of Asia" or something like that. It left my consciousness on that day never to return.

Can't help!

The purchase was not so impulse but definitely ignorant of how to use. My son has been working in Singapore and sending pictures of street food and raving about the flavor of pandan. I had never seen it before in my market so immediately bit. I think used primarily in sweet dishes but also used to wrap meats for grilling. Not sure that the frozen form is best for grilling but I can see infusing the leaves in coconut milk to extract the flavor. Like any other ingredient frequent use informs important tips and tricks and thus my quest to shortcut the learning curve from anyone experienced in its use.

Hi Christina. Several years ago a friend of mine traveled to Malaysia, and on her return asked me if I could make a coconut/pandan spread called "kaya" that she'd fallen in love with. I found a recipe on YouTube which turned out to be exactly what my friend was looking for. It involved blitzing the pandan leaves and pressing out the liquid for a flavor concentrate. The same method was used in other videos on the channel to make a number of other pandan flavored items, including a chiffon cake. I also watched videos where the leaves were simmered whole in coconut milk, and also where the leaves were used as wrappers around savory fillings and grilled.

Here is the original kaya recipe video I watched: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JngXGXc8qe0

Unfortunately the Asian grocery where I used to get my authentic ingredients, including pandan, closed shop and so I haven't been able to source any fresh pandan since. I did try McCormack's pandan extract, but can't really recommend it. Very insipid compared to the real thing, in my opinion.

I have a package of frozen pandan leaves in my freezer that I bought semi-impulse after seeing them in an Asian grocery. I have a couple of Thai recipes that call for it but I've never made those dishes.

-Paul W.

Tse Wei Lim, a friend who is a professional chef and a Singaporean, and who may have posted here in the past(?), has memorably blogged about pandan here: https://letthemeatcake.substack.com/p/recipes


Jeff

Thank you Tom and Jeff. I feel good about proceeding with some of my frozen leaves for a pandan infused coconut panna cotta.
My son has fallen in love with kaya and refers to it as coconut jam. He will be thrilled with the recipe in the YouTube video.

My son has fallen in love with kaya and refers to it as coconut jam. He will be thrilled with the recipe in the YouTube video.

Obviously not the kaya that Bob Marley sang about.

-Paul W.

Never cooked with it, but I hear it's becoming more and more of a popular ice cream flavor in Europe and the US. Although I think ube (often seen alongside it) is a more seductive ice cream flavor. And the color doesn't hurt either!