Pandan plant for cooking

[Becky]

I really love Malasian and Indonesian food, and one ingredient that is used quite a lot is Pandan leaves. I can get them from Asian supermarkets, but they are not very close to where I live so if I need one for a recipe I end up putting it off for ages. I've still not managed to find a plant to go in my sunny spot at home, so I'm thinking perhaps getting a Pandan plant might kill two birds with one stone!

Has anyone here ever grown these? The latin name is Pandanus amarylifolius and they are sometimes called Screwpine or Vanilla Grass. They also make a very delicious ice-cream!

Here's a pic from Google:

 

[Cheesy Potatoes]

I did once but my dogs dug it up and ate the leaves. It was really a waste.

My grandmother uses pandan leaves in her dishes, too. She puts them at the bottom of the pot when she cooks rice. It smells really good.

 

[Trellum]

I recall my dad having one of those plants, he got it from my grandmother. The plant did well for a couple years, no idea what happened to it in the end. I guess my dad forgot it outside and it just froze.

 

[firelily99]

I have not heard of that before, I am curious as to what the taste of it is like and what type of foods it goes with.

 

[iLoveTheLawn]

Hi Becky! I've planted it before. I'm not sure how they sell it at the city where you live. I'm living in asia, and most of the time, the market sells it as a whole bunch, meaning together with the roots. So I could simply get a pot, add some soil and plant it! Really simple, to grow it. One of the plants that I could just water and not add any additional fertilizers, but still grows well.

From what I've known from my grandma, she claims that by planting pandan, it would keep the roaches away. Not sure if its scientifically proven, but it seems to be quite true as her house was never infested!

 

[Becky]

I bought one! Currently waiting for it to be dispatched, and I'll post photos when it gets here.

 

[Pat]

This plant sounds delicous, it maybe something I would like to add to my plants, a plant I can cook with and a new taste also.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

I bought one! Currently waiting for it to be dispatched, and I'll post photos when it gets here.

interesting, will have to check out this plant. Becky, did yours grow?

 

[Becky]

interesting, will have to check out this plant. Becky, did yours grow?

It did, but sadly got attacked by spider mites and I had to cut it right back. Luckily it had sprouted some little suckers around the bottom, so I'm hoping that they will thrive.

 

[Corzhens]

We never run our of pandan leaves ever since we rented a house in 1996 and unitl now, we have several pandan plants. Our main use for it is to include when steaming rice. Pandan gives it a unique aroma that gives the rice a semblance of freshness. Pandan is also a good flavoring for tea (although we rarely drink tea). And would you believe that our car freshener is the pandan leaves? That's organic and no chemical - keeping our car with a fresh scent.