The humble pandan might be the ‘new’ avocado, according to Nigella Lawson
Could our humble pandan leaf be the next millennial-obsessed food trend?
Move over, avocado; it looks like there is a new millennial hipster food of choice in town. And surprise surprise, it’s none other than our humble ‘pandan’ leaf. At least according to Nigella Lawson, anyway.
“I think it’s going to be the new matcha,” she predicted in a recent interview. “I don’t know where it is in (the UK) yet. But I notice more and more people in America baking with pandan essence. Which comes from that leaf.”
Lawson’s projection might amuse those of us here in the Southeast Asian side of the world. After all, while her declaration has no doubt prompted a flurry of “What on earth is pandan?” Google Searches across the UK, the pandan is no stranger to our East Asian palates.
Despite being touted as the “new” exotic ingredient, the pandan is actually somewhat of an inexpensive, basic staple in our food here for centuries. In Singapore and Malaysia in particular, it is the key ingredient behind nasi lemak, kaya (a popular breakfast toast spread) and local treats like pandan waffles and many traditional desserts.
For those of us scoffing at the sudden hype over the pandan: could Nigella be onto something though? As it turns out, pandan boasts of benefits like being able to reduce fever, cure leprosy, heal sunburns – even treat premature ejaculation.
While the pandan still seems to be an elusive ingredient in the West, you can expect shelves across the U.K. and U.S. to be stocked with our humble pandan leaves pretty soon.
After all, Nigella Lawson did cause the sale of avocados to skyrocket by 30% after sharing her toast recipe on Simply Nigella and was right on the money last year regarding the wildly popular bowl food trend.
In the meantime, those of us in Asia can take comfort in the fact that we got there first when it came to the pandan.
Sarah Khan
Photo: Getty Images
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