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Have you heard of the pandan plant? Chances are if you have eaten a South-East Asian meal you have already tasted it, and perhaps unknowingly savoured it. Referred to flatteringly as “vanilla of the East”, pandan is an essential ingredient in many Asian cuisines.
Pandan cake is a delicious treat.
In Thailand pandan often accompanies chicken dishes, in Malaysia it is used to flavour rice, and in Indonesia it is ubiquitous in cakes and desserts. In fact, there are culinary classes on the Indonesian island of Bali dedicated to teaching foreign visitors the importance and uses of the pandan plant in local cuisine.
Pandan leaf tied around sticky rice. Photo: CC Flickr.
What is it about this plant that makes it so sought-after in the garden around the world? The unique, distinctly Asian flavour combines perfectly with other oriental kitchen essentials such as coconut milk, turmeric and palm sugar. In South-East Asia, pandan leaf is used to wrap chicken, meat, fish, rice and desserts before they are barbecued or steamed. It adds a distinct sweet taste to dishes, drinks and desserts.
Pandan leaves are used to wrap and flavour fried chicken in Thailand.
Interestingly, a key characteristic of pandan is its deep green hue, and this colour is often intentionally sought to colour pandan-based desserts and drinks. Does this conjure up memories of tasting sweet and green concoctions overseas? The taste is unforgettable, and although pandan essence and colouring is available for cooks who don’t want to spend time extracting the colour from the leaves themselves, there is a status afforded to those who manage to not only find but actually grow the plant outside the tropics. Pandan is the prized crown in any serious gardener’s herb patch.
Pandan and coconut jelly.
Pandan, Pandanus amaryllifolius, is a tropical plant native to Malaysia in the Pandanus (screwpine) genus. It is related to the big pandanus trees commonly seen at Australian beaches throughout the warmer parts of the country. The leaves are long, ribbed and lance-shaped and as a garden specimen it has a unique appearance, somewhat like a spiky yucca plant of only about a metre tall. To the casual observer it would not be out of place surrounded by succulents.
Pandan plants in the garden.
Compare this description to the delicate, climbing orchid that is the vanilla plant (which looks every bit as exotic and unique as the flavour it produces) and it could be said that pandan looks deceptively hardy for such a delicate and difficult to find plant. The plant itself reproduces by suckers and off-shoots and will grow many aerial roots, making propagation from cuttings the preferred (and easiest) method of enlarging your collection.
While many long to have a pot of this exotic herb in the garden for a continuous supply of the appetising fresh foliage, growing pandan outside an equatorial climate can be quite the challenge. There are a few tricks that are well worth the challenge for any serious collector of coveted herbs and exotic plants.
My pandan plants growing in Sydney.
Growing conditions
One of the biggest challenges for growers of pandan is keeping the plant alive in a cooler climate. Despite this, the popularity of it in cooler regions has not waned. I have grown and sold pandan for years in Sydney, and over that time have learned some tricks essential for growing this plant so far from its comfort zone.
Unlike other tropical herbs which adapt so well to cooler climates (think lemon grass, thai basil and turmeric) pandan is a true tropical. It demands a hot, steamy climate with copious humidity and moisture. In these circumstances the plant thrives and multiplies at a rapid rate. Consequently, many of my customers who are used to growing pandan in equatorial regions often express bewilderment at the difference of growth rate here in Sydney.
While the plant powers along in the warmer months, growth in the cooler months grinds to a halt and foliage can sometimes yellow. This is normal, and I remind people that this is how the plant adapts to the cooler weather. It is also important to keep the plant fairly dry during the cooler months, and never let water sit in the crown as it will get cold and eventually rot the plant. As with most tropicals during winter, it is far easier to be cold and dry than cold and wet (the latter spelling a certain death for most warm-climate plants pushed outside of their comfort zone).
While pandan is sensitive to temperature it is not fussy with soil and any nitrogen-based fertilizer will suit, applied at regular intervals during the warmer months. I have had best results by imitating a tropical climate – dry during the cooler months and no fertilizer. In summer I bombard the plant with water and food, thus imitating the wet season of the tropics and resulting in rapid, healthy and dense growth.
It is also helpful to keep the plant in a partly-shaded position, with more sun preferred during cooler weather.
Here is another tip: plant it in a black plastic pot, not a thick-walled decorative glazed or terracotta pot. The black plastic absorbs heat and will keep the plant a few degrees warmer over winter.
Sourcing pandan plants can be a challenge, even within tropical areas of Australia. For all regions, I recommend trying to find a local supplier over mail-order plants. I have supplied plants both ways, locally-grown in Sydney and via mail order from Darwin. Quite simply, the larger the plant the more cold tolerance they have, and anything ordered via post will tend to be smaller and therefore weaker. Additionally, locally grown plants will have far more tolerance of local weather, and therefore you avoid the plant going into shock when sent from a different climate.
Another factor to remember is that a larger plant can be harvested straight away for cooking, while smaller plants will need some time to achieve the size necessary to be useful in the kitchen.
Using pandan
When harvesting pandan leaves, it is important to pick the older leaves at the bottom of the plant first. These are often dark green and contain the richest concentration of fragrance and taste. The younger leaves will help the plant grow and photosynthesize, and long-term harvesting of the newest leaves will result in a stunted, weaker plant.
After picking the fresh leaves, tie them in knots and use to flavour dishes (the leaves themselves are then discarded and not usually eaten). The resulting aroma and mouth-watering flavour from the foliage is unmistakable.
Outside the tropics, growing pandan successfully is certainly a status symbol and a source of envy from other growers of edible plants. Having a supply of fresh leaves is almost always considered preferable to pandan essence, or frozen and thawed leaves. Fresh leaves are sometimes available from markets, but tend to have a short shelf life.
A fresh pot of pandan in the garden is for many people something that goes beyond that of an edible herb – it represents a deeper connection to the authentic cuisines of Asia and something that is hard to imitate outside the region. For those not culinary-inclined, pandan leaves make a delicious tea and the scent of the plant is said to repel roaches, so you can try folded leaves in cupboards and around doorways.
Lastly, a pandan leaf folded under a pillow is said to induce a good night’s sleep – yet another reason to indulge in the plant so often dubbed “Asia’s vanilla”.
Hi Adam
Great article thank u!
I am a Singaporean living im Taiwan
And have tried to grow pandan here in vain.
My current plant is waning again in the winter cold! What should I do?
I have brought it indoors away from the cold and I will water it less as u have advised. But indoors also means away from the sun.
What else should I do? Please help!
Hi Adam.
I have just relocated to the Gold Coast from Sydney where I grew tropical fruits but never realised that you can grow a Pandan plant. My friends told me it would never survive so I bought Pandan leaves from the Flemington Markets on a Saturday. However my next door neighbour a Malaysian by origin who moved in recently gave me a very healthy looking Pandan plant a month ago and it is still in the pot. I left it in the sun for about three weeks and I observed some of the leaf tips about 8 out of the 25 have already turned brown. Fortunately I found there are four small plants growing in the same pot. So I have now brought it indoors and am treating it as an indoor plant until summer arrives. Do you think it is due to the hot afternoon sun or the cold evening breeze? I also keep moving the plant around towards the sun within my alfresco during the day and bring it indoors in the evening before sunset. I also have an area between the alfresco and the fence which receives dappled sunlight during the day where coloured tropical foliage seem to thrive. Will that be the ideal spot for the Pandan plant? But I am worried about the evening cool breeze which emanates from the east during this time of the year in winter. Thanks
Hi Adam
My pandan plant seems to be thriving to the point it grows upwards and now tilting i guess due to weiight. What should i do?
Hi Adam
You’ve mentioned that you sell them in Sydney.
How much do you charge for a pot or 2?
Where are you based in Sydney?
Great article – thanks! I have killed more than one plant here in Brisbane but they are so attractive I am determined now to try again
Hi Adam
I’m also interested in buying some pabdan seeds off you. Please let me know how to get in touch. I’m from Sydney.
Cheers
Hi Adam,
I am living in Sydney and my wife has been growing a pandan plant for 12 months. She repotted her plant 3 days ago and today she told me the plant is almost dead. She repotted the plant because roots were coming out of the soil from the top surface. We repotted it into a slightly bigger pot. We used a premium compost. What can we do now? Many thanks for any suggestions to save the plant.
Hi ,
Great article!
I have a pandan plant which seems to be doing very well – even though it’s now winter it hasn’t really yellowed much at all yet. My question is, when can I harvest it? I want to harvest this weekend to use some for cooking but I am concerned that as it’s winter I might harm it- do I need to wait until spring/summer before removing some leaves?
Thanks
Hi Adam
How do I go about buying a pandan plant from you? I live in Sydney.
Best
Hi Adam,
Im hoping to buy some Pandan plants. Are you still selling them or can you recommend somewhere in Sydney?
Thanks, JC
Hi Adam, based here in Sydney and would love to get my hands on some pandan plants. Please let me know if your stock is sufficient. Many thanks.
Thanks Adam for the article. I just bought a plant and hoping to care for it especially during winter. Your advice is very helpful.
Another use for pandan in Asia is to ward off cockroaches!! Yes, I was in Singapore recently and learnt of this use.
Hi there… Really need a pandan plant…Live in Canberra.. Advice, pls..Someone on FB, Malaysian page said to ask you,pls
Hi Adam,
I had grow Pandan with some success in Perth. However I had 2 plant that had grown tall with many exposed aerial roots. Thus I re-potted them to a deeper pot to cover the roots. But all the pantlets not he top just died and fall off. Not sure what happen, need your advise. Has pictures to show, how to share and you can advise. Thanks.
Regards,
Henry
My pandan plant’s leaves are only aromatic about 10 minutes after harvesting. The plant itself is not aromatic. Is that normal?
Hi Adam, I just came across your article, I also live in Sydney and I have a pandan plant which is growing well during this summer and there are small branches at the bottom of the main plant, as it is now towards the end of summer, is it a proper time to propagate? If so, how do I do it?
HI
If anyone knows if I can find the pandan plant in South Australia? I have been searching high and low.
Please help. Desperate to grow them.
Thank you.
I’ve recently planted a few seeds from my local surf club on the northern beaches. They’re sprouting now and should hopefully go well. Thanks for all the tips. Now just to keep them dry in winter
Also for South Australia and Canberra. No chance for you guys. Too cold in winter. Particularly Canberra
Hi Adam
I’m also interested in buying some pandan seeds off you. Please let me know how to get in touch. I’m from Sydney.
Cheers
Hi Adam,
I am interested to purchase a pandan plant too. Can you provide more details?
Hi Adam,
Are you still selling pandan plants in Sydney? The weather is warming up and I want to plant some pandan. I have bought some plants before from you.
Hope to hear from you. Cheers,
Khairon
I’m in Adelaide and am keen to try growing pandan in some kind of glass house (I’m yet to make/buy a glass house). But I have no idea where to find seeds/plants/cuttings to buy. Any ideas?
hi there – how easy is it to grow pandan from seeds ? Living in UK so hoping to grow from seed this summer. Thanks
Hi Adam, thanks for your article. I am located in Sydney and wondering if I could order a plant from you during the coming summer time. Thanks.
Thanks for the tips Adam. Never crossed my mind to grow them but would be so delicious to have them fresh on hand!
Hi Adam,
I’m also wondering if I can buy a couple of pandan plants from you.
Can you describe how to make cuttings and propagate? Curious about timing and not damaging the plant.