Snuzzy vegetarian bear native to Eastern bamboo forests: panda.
Flavorful vegetable leaf native to Eastern rainforests: pandan.
Meet pandan leaf, our new favorite ingredient. For its aromatic, fruity sweetness and felicity in desserts, pandan leaf is known as the Asian vanilla. For its utter deliciousness, we've been using to flavor rice, curries, rice pudding, and custard. And now it's your turn.
Start at your local Asian market. Fresh pandan leaf is best, but you're more likely to find it frozen or as an extract, which can be fine. (Just avoid the dried stuff, which has been de-juju-fied.) Back at home, store the fresh leaves in a plastic bag in the fridge, where they'll stay fresh and juicy for up to two weeks.
When it's cook-time, don't eat the pandan. Instead, allow its juices to flavor your food by placing several whole leaves in the rice or curry as you cook and, bay-leaf style, removing them when the dish is finished. Asian cooks often tie a few leaves together, in a twist, to allow for easier removal. Feel free to pair your pandan with coconut, palm sugar, ginger, and cilantro, among other delectables. They're all good leaf-mates.
For the slightly more intrepid, we recommend pandan leaf ice cream. Start with a basic ice cream recipe. Heat the cream to simmering. Add 3 leaves and remove from heat. Let steep for several minutes. Mmm, pandany aroma. Then remove the leaves from the cream and finish the recipe.
Or maybe it's time to marry pandan leaves with chocolate.