What makes 'Asian vanilla' pandan special and where to get it in the UAE

The mildly flavoured plant is easy to use and can elevate the taste of drinks, main dishes and desserts

Pandan grows in Southeast Asia and is often used as an ingredient in desserts. Deepthi Clicks / Unsplash

Inventive dishes that feature pandan, a tropical plant widely used in Southeast Asian cooking, have been popping up across kitchens from New York to London – but what exactly is pandan? Although not yet as popular as Japan's matcha or ube from the Philippines, pandan is making a mark in mainstream cooking.

First discovered on Indonesia's Maluku Islands, pandan is a plant with blade-like leaves that emit a subtle but distinct fragrance. Its flavour is difficult to pin down, but the ingredient is dubbed “Asian vanilla”. Some describe it as earthy with hints of almond and vanilla. Others say it carries notes of jasmine and coconut.

Besides Indonesia, the plant grows in countries with tropical climates, such as Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines.

“In Vietnam, we use pandan in a lot of our traditional recipes,” says Lily Hoa Nguyen, co-founder and executive chef of restaurant chain Vietnamese Foodies. “We use it to cook rice or meat, for example, or infuse it in tea or water.”

The chef says its fragrant smell and green hue make it a popular ingredient for desserts. “Panda has a very mild and sweet taste,” she notes.

Straightforward uses of pandan include tying the fresh leaves together in a knot and dunking them in liquids to add flavour. Malaysian dish nasi lemak, for example, is made by cooking rice in coconut milk and pandan leaves.

In Thai cuisine, the leaves are wrapped around chicken before it is fried (gai hor bai toey), infusing it with pandan's subtle taste and aroma. Pandean is not overpowering in these dishes, but elevates the main ingredients with its delicate undertone.

In extract or paste form, pandan is used in desserts, such as in buko pandan salad, a popular cold dessert in the Philippines made with jelly cubes, young coconut and sweetened cream. It is also often used in flavouring cakes and sticky rice, too.

Dubai resident Rafael Dizon, who comes from northern Philippines, says his family often use pandan when cooking rice, because it is “pretty common and easy to grow the plant back home”. He also recalls being recruited by the town's elderly to wrap pandan-infused sticky rice in banana leaves served during a fiesta or gathering.

For expats who grew up with pandan in their kitchens, the plant is widely available in major supermarkets in the UAE. Kibsons sell a bundle of pandan leaves for Dh2.75, while extracts and powders can be found in Asian aisles.

Not too many restaurants in the country have caught up to pandan's charm, however. At Vietnamese Foodies, chef Nguyen serves detox water infused with lemon grass and pandan leaves. She is also set to collaborate with Asian dining spots Hoe Lee Kow and 3 Fils for one-off dining experiences in the next few weeks, and the limited-edition menus will feature a dessert made with pandan.

“The dish is essentially pandan jelly,” she says. “We add different flavours to it, such as coconut and strawberry, topped with roasted almonds.”

Another dish containing pandan is ayam bakar from Andaliman, the Indonesian restaurant at One & Only One Za'abeel. The sharing-style dish features grilled whole chicken served with stir-fried crispy potato and pandan rice. The restaurant also serves a mocktail with pandan as the main ingredient.

Because pandan is easy to use, and carries a familiar flavour profile even for those who have not tried it before, the Southeast Asian ingredient is now being used to create more fusion dishes, from pancakes to doughnuts.

“A favourite is pandan cheesecake. Its light, fluffy texture and the vibrant green colour makes it special,” says Roger Valero, executive chef of Hikina, a pan-Asian restaurant at Lapita Dubai Parks and Resorts.

He says it is easy to incorporate pandan into dishes made at home and recommends pairing it with coconut, mango and other tropical flavours.

“When making a cake or a dessert, infuse pandan leaves with milk or plant-based substitutes to enhance the dish. You can also use the extract in small amounts to gauge its strength, and pair it with complementary flavours,” advises Valero.