Are you a resident of South Asian countries like Thailand, India, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia? In that case, Pandan leaves are a popular plant that adds flavor, fragrance to the region’s cuisine. These plants thrive in tropical climates, and their spiky leaves grow in fan-shaped bunches. Although Pandan leaves benefits and culinary properties are making them a topic of interest in western countries, Pandan is widely used in Southeast Asian cuisines.

This article gives you a glimpse into the Pandan leaves benefits and how you can add them to your diet with simple recipes. Read on!

What are Pandan Leaves?

Pandan is a tropical plant mostly known for its blade-like and long leaves, also known as screwpine, screw tree, and umbrella tree. South Asian, Thai, Sri Lankan dishes use pandan leaves as a popular ingredient. The variety of pandan leaves measures about 12 to 20 inches, either fresh or frozen.

Depending on the subtype, there are over 600 species of pandan leaves, though not all leaves are edible. The botanical name of the pandan plant is Pandanus odoratissimus, and its name in other languages are:

• Tazhai in Tamil.
• Mogheli in Telugu.
• Kedige in Gujarati.
• Kedige in Kannada.
• Kewda and Kewra in Hindi.
• Keora, Keya, and Ketaki in Bengali.

Pandan Leaves Uses:

There is a broad range of culinary uses for pandan fruit and leaves. For example, the fruit can be eaten raw or made into marmalade, while the leaves can wrap and flavor meats, boiled, or juiced. Pandan fruit paste is a staple food in a few parts of the world because it is edible and highly nutritious.

You can produce an emerald-green extract by pulverizing the pandan leaves. The deep flavor of the mixture depends upon the darker hue and maturity of the pandan leaves.

Furthermore, several sweet and savory dishes use pandan leaf powder as a flavoring. Pandan leaves have been used in Ayurvedic medicine to treat constipation, boils, and flu-like symptoms (1).