What Are Pandan leaves and How Can I Use Them?
Pandan leaves is easier to cook with than it looks. Here's how to choose, use, and store them, what to substitute, and 1 recipe to get you started.
What are pandan leaves?
Pandanus, or screw pine is a plam-lik tree native to the tropics.
Pandan leaves are typcially used in Southeast Asian cuisine to add a distinct aroma to rice and curry dishes such as nasi lemak and desserts such as pandan cake. In some Indian cooking the pandan leaf is added to rice biryani.
Fresh leaves are torn into strips and tied into a knot, added during cooking, and removed and discarded. Extract, typically with copius amounts of green food colouring can also be found.
- In Chinese:
- 香兰叶
- British (UK) term:
- Pandan leaves
- en français:
- feuilles de pandanus
- en español:
- hojas pandan
Recipes using pandan leaves
There are 1 recipes that contain this ingredient.
Healthier Nasi Lemak
Considered the national dish of Malaysia, nasi lemak is a breakfast staple in Singapore hawker centres, but is also recognised as one of the least healthy breakfast options - no surprise since lemak means 'fatty' and refers to the rich white rice cooked in coconut cream. When served with fried chicken, the dish really does pack a calorific punch. However, with a few tweaks and substitutions it is possible to create a healthier version of the dish to enjoy on weekends at home with family.
