Gai hor bai toey  - Thai pandan chicken
Cover Photo: Marion's Kitchen

From the breakfast staple nasi lemak to the misnomer buko pandan salad, read on to learn about the dishes that incorporate the sweet and savoury pandan

Often dubbed the "vanilla of Southeast Asia", the pandan plant or pandanus amaryllifolius is widely used in cuisines across the region. Though its long and narrow leaves are inedible, its soft, sweet aroma and green hue are extracted to flavour and colour a variety of sweet and savoury dishes. While there is a growing repertoire of modern pandan treats including pandan Basque cheesecake or even pandan crinkle cookies, the ingredient is central to many traditional dishes across Southeast Asia.

See also: 7 Fragrant Pandan Desserts To Try In KL And PJ

1. Nasi Lemak

Nasi lemak is an appropriate name for this iconic breakfast staple. Widely considered the national dish of Malaysia (but also popular in Singapore), the hearty dish marries bold flavours from roasted peanuts, fried ikan bilis (anchovies), spicy sambal, silky eggs, and a selection of viands like beef rendang or fried chicken. In addition to the cool cucumber slices, the pandan-scented coconut rice acts as a reprieve from all the intense flavours of the other components, helping to prevent an overwhelmed palette.

See also: 10 Famous Malaysian Street Foods Craved Worldwide

2. Kaya

Enjoyed across Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, kaya is a delicious coconut jam commonly spread upon toasted bread and served with coffee. Made with coconut milk, eggs, sugar, and pandan leaves, kaya can be prepared according to Nyonya or Hainanese practice. The former infuses the pandan leaves at the beginning of the process resulting in a deep green spread, while the latter caramelises the sugars prior to the addition of pandan, producing a beautiful toffee colour. Apart from kaya toast, the jam is also used in other delights like kuih seri muka, a sticky rice cake topped with a Nyonya custard.

See also: 5 Kaya Brands With High Quality

3. Gai Hor Bai Toey

Tatler Asia
Gai hor bai toey  - Thai pandan chicken
Above Photo: Marion's Kitchen

Gai hor bai toey, better known in the Philippines as pandan chicken, is a mouth-watering Thai chicken dish that involves marinating boneless chicken in a blend of oyster sauce, sugar, garlic, other condiments and aromatics. The chicken is then wrapped in fragrant pandan leaves before being grilled, fried or baked. The result is a succulent, sweet-salty-umami chicken full of flavour that keeps you reaching out for more. It is often served with a soy-and-toasted-sesame dipping sauce.

See also: Offal-ly Good: Tatler Tries Chicken Ovaries With Loh Yi Jun At Toritama

4. Puto

While this popular Filipino kakanin (sweet rice cake) is commonly found in its plain variant, puto is also made in ube (purple yam) and pandan flavours. Made with steamed, slightly-fermented rice, this small bite-sized rice cake is light, chewy, and subtly sweet, sometimes adorned with cheese or salted egg. It is usually enjoyed as merienda (an afternoon snack), or eaten alongside savoury dishes like dinuguan (pork blood stew).

See also: Filipino Street Food Guide: 10 Must-Try Snacks In The Philippines

5. Kuih Dadar or Dadar Gulung

The French crêpe gets a Southeast Asian twist with kuih dadar or dadar galung. These rolled pandan treats have a striking green colour from the pandan extract blended into the coconut crêpe batter, juxtaposed against the deep brown hues of the palm sugar-coated coconut filling. They are commonly found in the markets and street carts of Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia.

Read More: 10 Must-Try Filipino Street Food

6. Pandan Cake

Tatler Asia
Pandan cake from Singapore and Malaysia
Above Pandan chiffon cake recipe by Joe Leong, adapted from An Asian Touch, a cookbook published by V-Zug Singapore and edited in partnership with Singapore Chef’s Association

Pandan chiffon cake (or simply, pandan cake) is a dessert popular in Singapore and Malaysia. By folding a meringue base into the cake batter, chiffon cakes achieve a notably light, soft, and airy quality. This Asian twist adds coconut milk and pandan juice into the mix, creating a delicious and unique cake.

Read More: How To Make Pandan Chiffon Cake At Home

7. Buko Pandan

In the Philippines, the term buko pandan can refer to either a dessert or a beverage. The former, often called buko pandan salad, is not quite what mom referred to when she told you to eat your vegetables. Rather, it's a delectable blend of bright green pandan jelly, buko (coconut) strips, and sweetened cream and condensed milk. As a beverage, buko pandan is a type of pampalamig (cool drink with gelatinous mix-ins) which also comprises of buko strips and pandan jelly, but also has sago (tapioca pearls), coconut milk or condensed milk, and water or coconut water. 

See also: Banana Bread: 7 Unique Lockdown Favourites In Malaysia

Topics