Recipe
Pandan leaf extract
- Herb:
- Pandan Pandanus amaryllifolius
- Method:
- Culinary use
- Plant part:
- Leaf
About 15 minBeginnerRecipe science profile
Procedure
- Wash the leaves, cut off the tough bases and snip into 2 cm pieces.
- Blend with 150 ml of cold water into a green slurry.
- Strain through a cloth and squeeze well; let the liquid settle overnight in the fridge.
- In the morning pour off the pale water and use the thick green sediment as flavour and colour; freeze the rest in cubes.
Extraction
- Herb:
- 8–10 čerstvých listů (asi 60 g) na 150 ml vody
- Solvent:
- rozmixování se studenou vodou, přecezení, usazení přes noc
- Shelf life:
- 3 dny v lednici, mražený 3 měsíce
- Target compounds:
- chlorofyl a aromatická látka 2-acetyl-1-pyrrolin (vůně jasmínové rýže) přecházejí do vodné suspenze
Notes
A kitchen base for desserts (kueh, chiffon cake), coconut rice and drinks. A natural colour and flavour; the catalogue claims no health effect.
Why it works
Pandan's signature scent — the same as jasmine rice — comes from 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline, a heat-sensitive volatile; that is why the extract is made cold and added at the end of cooking. Chlorophyll gives the green colour and settles out so it can be concentrated. The review by Wang et al. 2024 also summarises the leaf's alkaloids and flavonoids and their antidiabetic or antioxidant activity in the laboratory, but clinical evidence in humans is lacking.
Literature
- Wang X et al. (2024): Botany, phytochemistry, pharmacology, and applications of Pandanus amaryllifolius Roxb.: A review. Fitoterapia 177:106144 — Přehled složení včetně 2-acetyl-1-pyrrolinu a převážně předklinických dat.
Related
Pandan — Herb card
Culinary use — Processing method detail