Daun Pandan

Daun (Malay means leaf) Pandan in English is called as Screw Pine. Botanical name as Pandanus Odorus P. Latifollius. It is widely use by Malaysian in cooking and as the medical remedies.

It is easy to plant in the soil and also in big pot in Malaysia, especially in village site, mostly you can see either plant in front of the house or the backyard. It can grow well through whole year and about 4 feet height.

After cut the leaves from the plant, mostly the local people will use it straight forward. They will not put until the pandan leaves dry. It is because no more aroma when it is dry.

It also called as pandan wangi (fragrant). It was widely use in Malaysia for cooking. Mostly local people use it when fresh.

They like to put a few folded pandan leaves and cook with the rice, it will have the good aroma, especially in preparing the Nasi Lemak (local Malay food).

In order to get the green colour for the food, the local people will blend or pound the pandan leaves for this purpose. After blend or pound the leaves, oftenly they will use a clean cloth and put the leaves inside and twist and squeeze it to get the green clour juice. This green colour then will be put into dough to make biscuits or cakes.

The local people also put some leaves inside the sweet soup for tea time, such as bubur cacar, bubur gandum, bubur kacang hijau, sup ubikayu....etc.

It is also has the value as the herbal leaves. Take about 10 leaves and cut into one inch wide and just boil with water. Then can drink as mush as we can. They believe the drink can make them more healthier, they can get rid of weak nerves, no appetite...etc. It also believe to relieve the headache if they cook with the root of the pandan leaves.

They also can pounded the pandan leaves, squeeze to get the juice and put on the scalp to maintain the black hair. It is believe to cure the dandruff problem.