![]() Long and oblong, the leaves range in size from medium to large. Pandan refers to the leaves of a specific herbaceous plant that flourishes in tropical areas and the goods manufactured from these leaves as a culinary element. Regardless of how it is characterized, you can enjoy the taste of pandan in a variety of recipes. Some have compared it to vanilla, while others describe it as slightly nutty and banana-leafy. Although it is not an authentic flavor, it complements sweet dishes better than savory ones. The flower has a sweet, floral aroma and a tropical feeling, with hints of grass and coconut. The pandan flavor comes from the leaves themselves, leached of their life force. But what exactly is pandan? And how does it differ from the citrusy flavors you may have tried? Read on to find out! Below are a few recipes for the flavoring. It is similar to citrusy and tangy flavors often found in Thai cuisine. – 2 1/2 tablespoons vanilla and pandan simple syrupĪdd the mixture to a classic cocktail shaker and shake vigorously.The first thing you might ask is, “What does pandan taste like?” The answer to this question is more nuanced than it may seem. Experiment with your own exacting recipe to get your perfect flavor, or try this one: You’ve created the elements, now get some milk and put it together. It’s a labor of love.” Love, everyone’s favorite tasting note! You really need to wring them to pull out the juice. “‘If you take the lazy route, it doesn’t have enough pandan flavor. They come fresh or frozen, but definitely go fresh if you can find them!)īut simply boiling syrup with leaves and beans will not yield the fullest flavor: Benchakul insists that you must wring out the pandan leaves by hand after everything cools. (You can find these leaves in any Asian market. He proceeds to create a simple syrup, reduced with pandan leaves and vanilla beans (Benchakul avoids extracts to ensure that the “food tastes like the food”) creating a golden-hued aromatic elixir that will become the base of the drink. Benchakul uses Heart’s Stereo Blend, though any similarly incredible bean or blend will do. Of course, you could just use your regular overnight Toddy method, but I’m trusting Benchakul, a former biochemist, with his time intensive two-day process. There are aromatics of jasmine there, floating in the backdrop.”įirst, you’ve got to get the 48-hour cold brew process down: super coarse grind, roughly a 4:1 water:coffee ratio, 24 hours at room temp, 24 hours refrigerated. His indelible signature leaves its aura on familiar drinks, and with his creative flair they are made to taste new and exciting, and in this weather-deeply refreshing.īenchakul finds that “the nuttiness of the pandan complements the cold brew perfectly. Together with the previously covered Makrut Lime and Malbec Cold Brew Latte, Benchakul’s adventurous creations are at once exotic and deeply personal. Benchakul, himself of Thai descent, describes a recent trip to Thailand “like returning to the motherland…like rediscovering Thai food!” Afterward, Benchakul became excited and inspired to imbue his signature beverages with the special allure of his homeland and those foods and flavors he ate growing up. ![]() ![]() Its flavor has a pleasant nuttiness and jasmine-like floral quality and it is popularly used in desserts. Pandan is a staple of Southeast Asian cuisine used in a variety of dishes. Enter Cognoscenti Chinatown, where operator Jack Benchakul’s Vanilla and Pandan Cold Brew Latte sweeps your sweltering soul up into iced coffee bliss.īut what is “pandan” and what’s it doing in my latte? The kind of hot and humid that makes you slouch and sweat, our usually dry desert heat replaced with the thick sweltering of a borderline Bangkok-like humidity. It’s been an unusually sticky and drippy summer in Los Angeles.
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