Pandan
A long green leaf of Southeast Asia that perfumes rice, cakes and coconut desserts.
Also: screwpine, rampe, kewra leaf, bai toey
Pandan is the leaf of Pandanus amaryllifolius, a tropical plant widely grown in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Sri Lanka. The long blades smell of fresh rice, vanilla and a hint of coconut, thanks to the same aroma compound found in jasmine rice. Cooks tie the leaves in knots to steep in coconut milk, cook them with rice, wrap chicken in them, or blend them for the green colour in cakes and jellies. Fresh or frozen leaves are best, while dried and extract forms are weaker. Sri Lankan cooks call it rampe and add it to curries.