Pandan Leaves

PANDAN leaves are quite an important component in the culinary traditions of Indonesia and other Southeast Asian countries as a food fragrance because of the aroma they produce. Pandan leaves are usually used in making cakes or other dishes such as compote and green bean porridge. When cooking rice, pandan leaves are often placed in between the rice with the aim of making the rice aromatic.

This distinctive fragrant aroma is strong when the leaves are still quite fresh or slightly dry. Apart from being a cake fragrance, pandan leaves are also used as a source of green color for food (apart from suji leaves), as a decorative component for serving food, and also as part of flower arrangements at wedding parties (dironce) to scent the room.