Singapore Snippets

Singapore Snippets

Discovering Items of interest on the red dot

Written by and photography by Marta Ferrer Lubeck

Pandan: Using this Versatile Southeast Asian Plant in Desserts

Pandan is a quintessential ingredient of Southeast Asian cuisine. Chefs use it to wrap meats, to flavor numerous savory dishes and drinks, and as a basic ingredient in many desserts. This ubiquitous plant, also known as screw pine in English, is native to this region, growing from as far north as Vietnam, all the way to the southernmost Indonesian islands. On a recent AWA neighborhood tour, our guide explained that the equatorial conditions in Southeast Asia, including Singapore, are perfect for its cultivation. In addition to its uses in food, pandan works as an air freshener and to keep pests away from cars and home. Pandan leaves are easy to find in markets, sold for an economic 50 cents per bunch.

Pandan Essence

Pandan-based desserts abound in Singapore, and many are prepared using pandan essence. To make it, the leaves are cut into small strips and blended with a small amount of water. After straining, the liquid is stored in the refrigerator for up to 20 hours. The sediment that then forms is pandan essence. Southeast Asian desserts often pair pandan with coconut and gula melaka, or palm sugar.

Juwanda, The Fabulous Baker Boy

One of the first places I visited to learn more about pandan was The Fabulous Baker Boy, a restaurant and bakery in Kampong Glam recommended by a Singaporean friend. Juwanda is a self-taught cook and baker who started out at home and eventually opened his own establishment. His Diva and Divo cakes are named after the women and men who’ve been his inspirations over the years. These cakes contain ingredients he connects to the person’s life or character. The Keanu Reeves, for example, contains lemon emulsion and coconut flakes, a tribute to Reeve’s Hawaiian heritage and his Lebanese birthplace. The Beyonce features lemon layers, emulsion and frosting, an ode to her album Lemonade. Juwanda is a fan of Kak Sheila Majid, a well-known Malay singer, and he created a pandan cake in her honor: “Kampong Glam is a Malay community, so many people here relate to Sheila Majid. Pandan is deeply rooted in the culture of Southeast Asia. It is not a must in our cuisine, but people love it.” He added that pandan is just as common in main dishes as it is in desserts. For example it’s used in the Malay version of Rendang, a rich meat dish. The Fabulous Baker Boy bakery will celebrate its 10th anniversary next year. It reopened in Kampong Glam in January 2021, a short distance from its original Fort Canning location.

Lilim’s Pandan Chiffon Cake

Lilim is a skilled Indonesian cook who’s catered many Singapore events. Now living in The Netherlands, she

still uses Asian spices. She recently posted on social media about her own pandan chiffon cake. “I have many dessert recipes using pandan leaves and essence. I use it for savory cooking, like when I’m making turmeric yellow rice.” Many of her pandan-

Sandy Harford sampling pandan ice cream infused recipes result from her own experiments, but the special rice is her mom’s recipe, One of Lilim’s favorite bakeries in Singapore is Bengawan Solo. This bakery is well known for its version of the pandan chiffon cake, which CNN dubbed ‘Singapore’s National Cake’ in 2017. Lilim

Click here for recipe

Pandan Chiffon Cake with lemongrass ice tea recommends their other desserts, such as the pandan cheesecake, ondeh ondeh cake, pineapple tarts and Lapis Surabaya.

Pandan Ice Cream and Other Desserts

AWA member Sandy Harford and I heard about the pandan flavored ice cream at Birds of Paradise, and thought we’d try it out. Birds of Paradise prides itself on the use of natural botanical ingredients. Some highlight Southeast Asian herbs like basil and blue ginger. Sandy described the pandan ice cream as delicate and refreshing, citing the toasted coconut and vanilla. “The more I try it, the more it hooks me in. It is slightly more bitter and less sweet than vanilla. I would pair it with mango sorbet!” Finally, don’t miss Pure Pandan in Chinatown. There are many delights to choose from here, including the pandan kaya roll and their own special pandan chiffon cake. Among the abundance of offerings, a personal favorite is a Kaya croissant, steeped in sweet coconut custard, while the Nyonya Kaya version is flavored with pandan leaf. The combination of the Western croissant with the Southeast Asian Kaya is simply delicious. Tiong Bahru Bakery and Bacha Coffee House are some of the establishments that offer Kaya croissants. What about you? Do you have a favorite pandan dessert you'd like to share? Let us know on our Facebook members’ page!

Marta moved to Singapore with her husband and two children in July 2020. She loves to explore Singapore with the AWA walking, hiking and photography groups.