Pandan leaves

Also called pandanas or screwpine, these long, reedy leaves act as the vanilla of South East Asia. With a distinctive aroma, they can be scrunched, knotted and dropped into rice, puddings and custards to lend fragrance. They can also be blended with water and the green juice used as a natural food colouring as in the Green coconut pancakes. The leaves are usually sold frozen in countries where they aren’t grown fresh. You can also buy pandan extract, which may or may not have a vivid green colour.