The Pandanus amaryllifolius or simply pandan plant is a tropical plant that eventually grows into a palm-like tree, hence the name screw palm. It is rare in the wild, but is widely cultivated as a seasoning for Southeast Asian dishes. The plant also called pandan wangi (Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines, annapruna in India, Rampé in Sria Lanka and pulao pata in Bangladesh.
Use in dishes
The leaves, fresh or dried, are mainly used in South East Asian cuisines for their aroma, they give a somewhat nutty taste. To convey the flavour of the pandan plant leaves, there are several methods in use:
- Bundled and cooked, so that they can be easily removed or, first soaked in coconut milk, which is then added to the dish later.
- The leaves can also be processed into a basket in which the rice is then boiled or steamed.
- In a Thai chicken dish, the chicken is wrapped in the leaves and then cooked.
- Sri Lankan dishes use it along with curry leaves.
- In India, it's used to flavor rice and pithas.
- In the Maldives, in enhances the flavor of pulao, biryani and sweet coconut rice pudding.
- In the Philippines, it's used in several coconut milk based dishes, as well as in a dessert called buko pandan.
Another well-known pandan-flavoured dish is pandan cake - a very airy sponge cake that originally derives its light green color from the chlorophyll from the juice of the fresh pandan leaves used, but nowadays it is usually made extra green with food coloring - partly because instead of fresh leaves it is often colorless pandan plant extract is used. As you can see, Pandan plant leaves are used in many countries, especially in rice dishes, desserts and cakes.
Other applications
All kinds of positive properties are attributed to the plant, such as a healing effect against all kinds of tropical problems, anti-viral effect, anti-allergen, anti-inflammatory, etc. The Pandan plant also finds use as a raw material for medicinal products. Studies have even proofed the repellent activity against American cockroaches. (1) Pandan plant leaves also possess a pleasant aroma and can also be used as a natural air freshener. In Oceania, the plant, along with other varieties, is used much more widely than just in cooking and parts other than the leaves are also used as building material for homes, raw material for clothes and textiles or decorations, and used to make fishing tools. (2)